"Michael Apple is among the most distinguished scholars in the world who are involved in the struggle to build a critical and democratic education."
–Paulo Freire

"Connects economic interests, a national curriculum, and schools of choice. He clarifies connections between poverty, the economy and education, and what this means in the lives of poor (often minority) students and their families."
–Talking Points

Michael Apple offers a powerful analysis of current debates and a compelling indictment of rightist proposals for change. Apple presents the causes and effects of further integrating schools into the corporate agenda, as well as current calls for a national curriculum and national testing, privatization and voucher plans, and fundamentalist religious pressures to censor textbooks. He demonstrates who will be the winners and losers culturally and economically as the conservative restoration gains in strength, bringing with it an even greater restratification of knowledge and students in terms of race, class, and gender.

Contents: Education, Identity, and Cheap French Fries • The Politics of Official Knowledge: Does a National Curriculum Make Sense? • Becoming Right: Education and the Formation of Conservative Movements • American Realities: Poverty, Economy, and Education • Conclusion: Taking the Fun Out of Educational Reform