Surrendered: Why Progressives Are Losing the Biggest Battles in Education

by Kevin K. Kumashiro

Overview

In this dynamic book, Kevin Kumashiro offers a necessary intervention to help progressive educators and advocates take back public education. This book highlights how the broader Left (progressives, liberals, Democrats, teacher unions, civil rights organizations) are often talking about the “problem” in ways that were framed by forces quite counter to the goals of democracy and justice, and in so doing, advancing “solutions” that cannot help but be counterproductive. Kumashiro explains when, why, and how this has happened, particularly regarding the insidious nature of popular “reforms.” He also dives into some of the biggest battles in education today, such as affirmative action, free speech and hate speech, bullying and violence, teacher shortages, and student debt. Surrendered offers a different path forward for K–12 and higher education by showing readers how to establish a progressive agenda, employ language, and harness evidence more effectively.

Book Features:

• Illuminates the power of framing and the role that language and commonsense play in shaping public opinion and educational policy.
• Provides an historical overview of the conservative forces that have shaped public education in the United States.
• Examines many of the biggest battles in education today, particularly the enduring conservative framings of these issues.
• Offers progressive re-framings and concrete suggestions for movement building.
• Uses accessible language, framed with personal stories, to connect history with current debates.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807779200
Publisher:	Teachers College Press
Publication date:	10/30/2020
Series:	The Teaching for Social Justice Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	275,702
File size:	725 KB

About the Author

Kevin K. Kumashiro is the former dean of the School of Education at the University of San Francisco and author of Bad Teacher! How Blaming Teachers Distorts the Bigger Picture and The Seduction of Common Sense.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction 1

Naming the Moment 1

Questioning Common Sense 9

This Book 16

Part I Historicizing Common Sense 19

Constructing Americanness Through Othering 21

Roots and Forces Shaping Early U.S. Schooling 29

Bipartisan Convergence 40

Part II Systemic Oppression, Collective Action 53

The Case of Affirmative Action 55

The Case of Free Speech and Hate Speech 62

The Case of Bullying and Violence 67

The Case of Teacher Shortages 72

The Case of Student Debt 76

From Surrender to Movement Building 82

About the Author 89

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“A must read! Like a bright shooting star across a midnight sky, Kevin Kumashiro persuasively describes how the broader Left often talks about the ‘problem’ in outdated ways and offers a unique path forward in the overlapping arenas of K–12 education and higher education.”
—Clarence B. Jones, former political advisor, personal lawyer, and draft speechwriter to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Kevin Kumashiro’s book comes at exactly the right moment in American history, as the nation debates how to rid itself of centuries of racism. Kumashiro challenges the reader to rethink ingrained assumptions. He seeks to reframe the narratives in which those perceived as ‘others’ are deeply embedded. His book calls upon its readers to free their minds from stale beliefs. It is enlightening and provocative.”
—Diane Ravitch, founder and president, Network for Public Education

“Like all good educators, Kevin Kumashiro knows that whether they are teachers, administrators, teacher educators, or others who care deeply about public education and the future of our democracy, all educators must also of necessity be community educators and organizers who challenge business as usual. In this groundbreaking book, Kumashiro provides a vision for the organizer in each of us as we work toward a truly transformative education.”
—Sonia Nieto, professor emerita, University of Massachusetts Amherst

“Drawing upon his scholarship and lessons learned over the past 20 years, Kumashiro deftly provides a succinct history and radical reframing of the contentious issues in education today. Calling upon progressives to challenge the prevailing ‘common sense’ assumptions of schooling, the move toward market-based reforms, and the narrow focus on individual outcomes, he advances an alternative vision of education as a collective investment and responsibility.”
—Michael Omi, professor, University of California, Berkeley

“If you don’t know the brilliant work of Kevin Kumashiro on education, social justice, and equity, you couldn't find a better, more timely, and informative way to get acquainted with him than this book. Kumashiro is candid and blunt: education is about moral, illuminating, and liberating ideas for the bodies and minds of all people, not just some people whose skin is White. The award-winning author explains why progressives lose the biggest battles in education to racism. Kumashiro’s insights will prompt a great deal of head-nodding, and his suggestions to bring about social justice and equity are within the reach and power of all educators. To question and challenge, and to remake the common sense of this moment in order to create a social-justice world, is the educational journey Kumashiro wants you to take with him. Join him!”
—Carl A. Grant, Hoefs Bascom Professor, University of Wisconsin–Madison

“Surrendered embodies problem-posing education at its best. Kevin Kumashiro, like other exemplary teachers and organizers, challenges us to shake off the burden of our fixed and calcified assumptions as we rethink first principles and fundamental issues: What would a system of schools look like in a more just and thoroughly participatory society? What would it mean to co-create with students and families a curriculum and an action plan to resist, rather than perpetuate, historic injustices? What could schools become if we reimagined education, not as a sorting machine and a hypercompetitive rat race kids are required to run, but as a dynamic site designed to respond to the dreams of both youth and communities? As he digs deeply into the history of social justice struggles in education, Kumashiro uncovers a disturbing reality: freedom fighters and justice seekers have repeatedly, if inadvertently, surrendered to the Right by accepting preestablished terms of the struggle nested in the powerful, unyielding dogma of common sense—a quality shrewdly deployed by the guardians of the status quo. Kumashiro is an ideal guide for these times: curious and thoughtful, principled and agile, spirited and compassionate. He reminds us that there is no example of justice achieved without risk, courage, and disruption—and he beckons us to join him in that great work.”
—William Ayers, series editor, Teaching for Social Justice Series

Editorial Reviews

The range of problems significantly impacting US education is broad, particularly as health concerns challenge traditional pedagogies and threaten student development. Noted education scholar Kumashiro addresses these and other pressing issues through the lens of American political and economic history, insisting that only by understanding their origins will progressives be able to effectively address current crises.”

—CHOICE

From the Publisher