Hyper Education: Why Good Schools, Good Grades, and Good Behavior Are Not Enough

by Pawan Dhingra Narrated by Neil Shah

Overview

Beyond soccer leagues, music camps, and drama lessons, today's youth are in an education arms race that begins in elementary school. In Hyper Education, Pawan Dhingra uncovers the growing world of high-achievement education and the after-school learning centers, spelling bees, and math competitions that it has spawned. It is a world where immigrant families vie with other Americans to be at the head of the class, putting in hours of studying and testing in order to gain a foothold in the supposed meritocracy of American public education. A world where enrichment centers, like Kumon, have seen 194 percent growth since 2002 and target children as young as three. Even families and teachers who avoid after-school academics are getting swept up.



Drawing on over 100 in-depth interviews with teachers, tutors, principals, children, and parents, Dhingra delves into the why people participate in this phenomenon and examines how schools, families, and communities play their part. Moving past "Tiger Mom" stereotypes, he addresses why Asian American and white families practice what he calls "hyper education" and whether or not it makes sense.

Editorial Reviews

Choice

"Dhingra presents a compelling and cogent examination of this phenomenon and analyzes whether or not it is a positive development. [...] Based on over 100 interviews Dhingra conducted with children, parents, principals, teachers, tutors, and other stakeholders, the research underlying the book’s thesis is rigorous, well reasoned, and reliable."

Maulik Pancholy

"Third graders worrying about the SATs? Middle schoolers with stress ulcers? Eight National Spelling Bee Co-Champions? Pawan Dhingra spent years immersed in the world of hyper education to write a gripping study on the culture of success. What he uncovers are the fascinating, often unexpected motives behind achievement and the deep undercurrents of white normative ideology, historical racism, government policies and gender bias that are at play. This book challenges the very way we approach education in America."

Allison J. Pugh

"Carefully researched and written, Hyper Education shows how race saturates the conversation about education. This book is a clear and nuanced treatment of a complex trend that too often gets obscured by stereotyping. Ultimately, Dhingra helps us learn more about the evolution of what it is like to be a child amidst the privatization of social goods in an age of insecurity."

Carl Honore

"A fascinating and timely look at the risks and rewards of cranking up the academic pressure on children. Pawan Dhingra does not just analyse the status quo: he shows parents, educators and society as a whole how to change so that we can find the sweet spot between pushing the next generation too hard and not pushing them hard enough."

Social Forces

"As the failures of the US’ fragmented, highly unequal, and increasingly privatized education system have been laid bare amidst the COVID-19 crisis, Dhingra’s book is a timely look at how families respond to such a system. In doing so, he debunks harmful stereotypes about Asian American culture and parenting. His book will be of much interest not only to sociologists, but also to educators and families alike."

Min Zhou

"Dhingra tells a fascinating story about U.S. hyper education—a common practice of American middle-class parenting taken up and advanced by Asian immigrants. Hyper Education explains what drives this phenomenon and what is at stake from the perspectives of children, parents, and educators, dispelling many erroneous assumptions and stereotypes about high-achieving Asian Americans."

John B. Diamond

"Hyper Education is a deeply engaging book, packed with rich narrative accounts and powerful theoretical insights, that incisively demonstrates how critiques of the “over-investment” in education of Indian Americans—and Asian Americans more generally—help maintain the racial status quo by centering normative whiteness and sustaining white supremacy. Expertly situated within the broader context of neoliberalism, accountability policy, immigration, and race, this book should be read by everyone who seeks to better understand the changing educational landscape in the United States."

Deepa Iyer

"In this book, Dhingra offers a multi-layered perspective on the effects of over-programming young people to meet educational goals. He opens a window into the experiences of Indian American families and youth, and invites the reader to consider how race, immigration, culture, and class influence educational outcomes. Hyper Education is an accessible and necessary read for anyone connected to the American educational system and committed to educational equity."

Min Jin Lee

"Why do so many Asian American parents seek hyper education for their children? Through his fascinating exploration of spelling bees, math competitions, and enrichment centers, Pawan Dhingra gets to the root of education obsessions to expose our global anxieties, national biases, and parental hopes for our sons and daughters."

The Wall Street Journal

"[A] fascinating look at a growing subculture and an account of the ways in which public schools are failing our most gifted and hard-working ­students and putting the blame on their parents."

CHOICE

"An outstanding complement to a variety of works on education ... Essential."

Library Journal

03/06/2020

Families who want their children to succeed often send them to private learning centers and encourage them to participate in spelling bees and math competitions. Why? That question is at the heart of Dhingra's (Managing Multicultural Lives) thought-provoking book. The author explores what "hyper education" means for a child's path through school and future professional opportunities. Though he examines Indian American families, he outlines the reasons why parents of all ethnic backgrounds—particularly those from the middle and upper class—fill their children's after-school time with educational rather than recreational activities. Dhingra posits several explanations. Some parents are concerned that public schools focus too much on teaching students just enough to pass standardized tests. Other parents feel that extra learning will lead to a successful career and marriage, and some want their children's time to be occupied by enriching pursuits instead of by drugs, premarital sex, and other behaviors they believe are immoral. VERDICT A well-researched work of interest to parents and educators.—Donna Marie Smith, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., FL

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177935409
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	09/02/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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