Teachers and Crisis

<p>Advocates of the ‘back-to-basics’ movement argue that a basic skills programme ensures that students are educated to a minimum level of literacy required to enter the labour force. Critics charge that these efforts only increase school bureaucracy and undermine teachers’ autonomy in the classroom. </p><p>First published in 1992 this book moves beyond the rhetoric surrounding the basic skills debate by providing a thorough yet critical examination of urban education urban school reform and teachers’ work culture. Beginning with a sparkling theoretical discussion of the problems and pitfalls of back-to-basics reform efforts author Dennis Carlson argues persuasively that the movement’s exclusive emphasis on functional literacy skills rather than higher-order thinking assures that students will remain on the lower rungs of the socio-economic ladder. He then proceeds with an empirical study of two urban high school districts in which he documents the latent effects of back-to-basics on teachers’ work lives as well as staff-administration clashes over efforts to implement restructuring programmes. </p><p>This book offers a sensible and sophisticated treatment of some of the important issues facing urban education and will be of great interest to anyone working in Education. </p>