The Edison Schools: Corporate Schooling and the Assault on Public Education (Positions: Education, Politics, and Culture) [Paperback]

Kenneth J. Saltman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415950465 | ISBN-13: 978-0415950466 | Publication Date: February 1, 2005 | Edition: 1

The story of the Edison Schools is a gripping tale of money, kids, and greed. What began in the 1980s as an enterprise to transform public schools quickly became a troubled business battling falling test scores and dismal stock prices. How did the most ambitious for-profit education company in U.S. history lose respect, money, and credibility in such a short time?

Revealing how American McEducation went from glory to crisis, The Edison Schools tracks entrepreneur Christopher Whittle's plan to introduce a standardized nationwide curriculum and cut administrative waste. Education specialist Kenneth J. Saltman finds that the critics' predictions came true in Edison schools across the country: Experienced teachers left in droves, students were virtually given answers to standardized tests to drive up scores, and difficult students were "counselored" out.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Informative, engaging and elegantly written, this book brilliantly reveals how corporations and their drive to maximize profit are infiltrating our public school system, imposing their priorities on our children, and undermining values of community and democracy.
–Joel Bakan, author of The Corporation

This is a brilliant and eye-opening book about the baleful influence corporate culture is having upon public education and should be read by every parent, student, and citizen concerned about the fate of public education.
–Henry A. Giroux, Global Television Network Chair in Communication Studies and English at McMaster University

The privatization of America's public schools is one of the most important political projects of this century, and this agenda cannot be understood without also understanding the history and trajectory of the Edison Schools, the largest for-profit school management company in the United States.
–Alex Molnar, Professor and Director, Education Policy Studies Laboratory, Arizona State University

well-documented historical critique of Edison, Inc., which has tried to create the country's largest for-profit network of schools.
–Rethinking Schools Online, Spring 2005

A well-documented historical critique of Edison, Inc., which has tried to create the country's largest for-profit network of schools. The author scrutinizes a range of important issues from the reading and math curriculum used in Edison schools to the broader political forces that are advocating privatization of schools.
–Rethinking Schools Online, Spring 2005 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Kenneth J. Saltman is Assistant Professor, Social and Cultural Studies in Education, DePaul University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (February 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415950465
• ISBN-13: 978-0415950466
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,824,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dueling Visions, March 25, 2005

By 

Walt Gardner (Los Angeles CA (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Edison Schools: Corporate Schooling and the Assault on Public Education (Positions: Education, Politics, and Culture) (Paperback)

The role of public schools in a democratic society is undergoing scrutiny on a scale never before seen in this country. Do schools exist primarily to educate thinking voters or to provide docile workers for multinational corporations? Kenneth J. Saltman reveals the real motives of neoliberals who are behind the carefully orchestrated campaign to privatize all schools under the guise of helping children. It's a true story that contains all the elements of a thriller movie. And the author tells it exceedingly well, using the Edison Schools as the focal point. Concerned citizens need to read "The Edison Schools" in conjunction with the excellent "Why Is Corporate America Bashing Our Public Schools?" by Kathy Emery and Susan Ohanian. Both books describe how corporations are hijacking American education. While Saltman confines his case to the Edison Schools, Emery and Ohanian go beyond one company in delivering a compelling manifesto.

Walt Gardner taught for 28 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District and was a lecturer in the UCLA Graduate School of Education.

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, Well-Researched and Brilliantly Argued, October 22, 2007

By 

Kathryn B (Regina, Saskatchewan Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Edison Schools: Corporate Schooling and the Assault on Public Education (Positions: Education, Politics, and Culture) (Paperback)

Saltman has left no stone unturned in his examination of Edison Schools. From the business practices and economic theory behind the very idea of privatizing schools to the curricular and pedagogical theory that drive the schools' daily activities, he covers every aspect of Edison and of Chris Whittle's mission. Saltman's writing is detailed and thorough, defending and proving his arguments with ample evidence and providing ideas for the future of schooling in America.

Very readable (even if you don't like non-fiction), well-organized and absolutely indispensible in the discussion of school privatization.