Product Description
“Standardized Childhood takes on one of the most important and least-understood issues of our day: Does preschool do any good, and can we, or should we, make it available to every child? Vivid, clear, and provocative, full of firsthand reporting from states and cities that are experimenting with universal preschool, this is the most complete and interesting treatment of this issue I have ever seen. It tells a story, rather than disgorging another load of academic ja… More >>
Standardized Childhood: The Political and Cultural Struggle over Early Education
Tags: Childhood, Cultural, Early, Education, Over, Political, Standardized, Struggle
#1 by N. Delegal on May 4, 2010 - 12:53 pm
Thanks. The book was in good condition and I got it in a timely manner. Just in time for school.
Thanks.
Natalye Delegal
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by Jennifer Thames on May 4, 2010 - 3:04 pm
Though the summary makes it sound like a reactionary screed, “Standardized Childhood” is actually a thoughtful, well-researched, and provocative book. It examines the UPK (Universal Pre-Kindergarten) or “preschool for all” movement, a proposal which sounds excellent in theory but which seems to be warping into a push to extend “No Child Left Behind” to four year-olds. Issues of economics, race, and class are in the spotlight. Who decides how young children will be taught? Shall it be “child-led learning” a la Piaget as often favored by middle-class whites, or “skill and drill” to prepare for “real school” as preferred by some recent immigrant families? In examining the politics and on-the-ground reality of early education, Fuller posits a divide between “institutional liberals” such as the UPK backers and “progessive” community-based organizations such as the co-op preschools founded by feminist thinkers in the early 70s. Fascinating reading for anyone interested in the history and current politics of American early education, and its legal and personal implications for children and families.
Rating: 4 / 5