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Kevin Kumashiro, author, educator, and policy advocate, lectures on state of U.S. education
Kevin Kumashiro, associate professor of policy studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago, College of Education and the founding director of the Center for Anti-Oppressive Education, visited UC Irvine on April 8 to promote his new publication: The Seduction of Common Sense: How the Right Has Framed the Debate on America's Schools. During his lecture and book signing, Dr. Kumashiro summarized his perspectives on the state of education in the U.S. Drawing upon his research findings, Dr. Kumashiro touched on various issues and activities impacting education, including resegregation, the phenomenon of bi-partisan political support for No Child Left Behind, tax cuts and the privatization movement, alternative teacher certification efforts, and standards and testing. Following his presentation, Dr. Kumashiro participated in a Q&A session and stayed to speak individually with members of the audience.
Teachers College Press Review of The Seduction of Common Sense. Just in time for the 2008 elections, The Seduction of Common Sense offers a powerful examination of current education policy initiatives as framed by the rhetoric of the political Right and the political Left. Critical of both sides, Kumashiro first provides a searching look at the Right and shows why it has succeeded so well in winning the debate about the purposes and possibilities of education. Here he brilliantly illuminates how the Right uses particular "frames" - appeals to conservative notions of the traditional family, free enterprise, goodness, and fear - to shape the public's common sense ideas about schooling and build support for its attacks on public education and social justice reforms. Turning then to the Left, he shows how it has failed to win support for its initiative and goals, especially regarding racial disparities in schools More importantly, he argues that the Left must "reframe" common sense about education to embrace a commitment to human rights, a belief in equality, and a quality education for all of our children.
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