 Reading Against Democracy: The Broken Promises of Reading Instructionreviewed by Patricia H. Hinchey - July 05, 2007  Title: Reading Against Democracy: The Broken Promises of Reading InstructionAuthor(s): Patrick Shannon Publisher: Heinemann , Portsmouth ISBN: 0325009767 , Pages: 288, Year: 2007 Search for book at Amazon.com For Patrick Shannon, the intersections of business, science and government during the last decade or so amount to a “perfect storm,” generating conditions that “keep even the best school in America in continuous triage activities to keep themselves afloat” (p. 165). His apt metaphor produces this sketch of public education: The schools that have not been successful in the past are already submerged below the surface, leaking funds to private businesses, which lurk in the surrounding waters, protected from the same requirements that the schools must now follow. Some test scores rise for some groups, some fall for others while the tempest blows public schools toward private markets. Of course this description of business preying on education--thanks to the intervention of the state--will surprise none of the countless critics of No Child Left Behind and certainly none of the vociferous critics of Reading First and the push for “scientific” reading instruction. What... (preview truncated at 150 words.) To view the full-text for this article you must be signed-in with the appropriate membership. Please review your options below:
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