- Title
- The looting of the American dream: the post-Katrina rubble of public education in Louisiana
- Creator
- Fischetti, John C.; Kirylo, James D.
- Relation
- Only in New Orleans: School Choice and Equity Post-Hurricane Katrina p. 277-284
- Relation
- Educational Futures: Rethinking Theory and Practice 65
- Relation
- https://www.sensepublishers.com/catalogs/bookseries/educational-futures-rethinking-theory-and-practice/only-in-new-orleans/
- Publisher
- Sense Publishers
- Resource Type
- book chapter
- Date
- 2015
- Description
- Thomas Jefferson’s dream that all citizens be appropriately educated so that a democracy could flourish and to prevent tyranny by the elite against the general population has been tested by the post-Katrina reality in Louisiana’s public PreK-12 education system. Just as Jefferson lay on his deathbed worrying that he had overextended presidential constitutional authority in securing the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon, so we contend that those who have been responsible for developing the current political infrastructure in their endeavor to shape the direction of public education have overextended their power, leaving in their wake a rubble that will impact the lives of Louisiana’s citizens well beyond their terms. The mishandling of pre- and post-Hurricane Katrina rescue and recovery is stunningly similar to the mishandling of Louisiana public education by those who have been in charge over the past ten years. That is, the devaluing of the teaching profession, the rise of the marketization of education, and the minimizing of the common good have combined into a perfect storm, particularly detrimental for children and families from working-class and middle-class families who have historically depended on public education to further their chances of reaching the American dream. In short, the systematic assault on public education in the state of Louisiana is figuratively leaving many still on the rooftops of their homes, wondering why the levees were so poorly constructed, scratching their heads as they wonder if anyone is listening, and deeply concerned about whether it’s too late for their children.
- Subject
- educational change; school choice; Louisiana, New Orleans; Hurricane Katrina; public education
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1330092
- Identifier
- uon:26305
- Identifier
- ISBN:9789463000994
- Language
- eng
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