You Can't Fire the Bad Ones!: And 18 Other Myths about Teachers, Teachers Unions, and Public Education (Myths Made in America) - Softcover

William Ayers; Laura Crystal

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0807036668 ISBN 13: 9780807036662

Publisher: Beacon Press, 2018

Synopsis

Overturns common misconceptions about charter schools, school "choice," standardized tests, common core curriculum, and teacher evaluations.

Teachers have always been devalued in the United States, but in recent years the pace and intensity of attacks by politicians, the media, and so-called education reformers have escalated sharply. Indeed, the "bad teacher" figure has come to dominate public discourse, obscuring the structural inequities that teachers and students face everyday. This book flips the script on enduring and popular myths about teachers, teachers unions, and education that inform policy discussions and choices. Some of these myths, such as "student scores on standardized tests should be used to evaluate teachers," have ushered in an era of high-stakes exam-centric classrooms. Other myths, such as "unions are good for teachers but bad for kids," have led to reduced protection and rights for teachers in public schools, making it harder for educators to serve their students. By unpacking these myths, and underscoring the necessity of strong and vital public schools as a common good, Ayers and Laura challenge readers - whether parents, community members, or policymakers - to rethink their own assumptions about teaching and education.

About this title

Review:

"For some time now, it has been fashionable for so-called reformers to attack teachers and teacher unions. This important new book debunks those attacks by drawing attention to the actual work that teachers do every day to support children, even as they carry out their duties under constraints that our policymakers steadfastly ignore."
--Pedro A. Noguera, author of The Trouble with Black Boys

"A fundamental question I have asked in recent years is 'When did teachers become the enemy?' Ayers, Laura, and Ayers detail the pernicious lies that have invaded the public psyche to create enmity between teachers and the wider community. This text breaks open the myths and helps us take a hard and sober look at what we are doing to teachers and by default our children and our future. It is a must-read."
--Gloria Ladson-Billings, author of The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children

"An artful and meticulous dissection of the interlocking web of myths and lies about our public schools that have been aggressively promoted by private-sector forces, right-wing politicians, and collusive neoliberals over the most recent fifteen years. I hope it will be widely read by everyone who loves and treasures children."
--Jonathan Kozol, author of Rachel and Her Children, Savage Inequalities, and Amazing Grace

"The format works well and provides powerful ammunition for concerned parents, educators, and legislators working to bring about true and beneficial school improvements."
--Booklist

"A methodical dismantling of the coordinated tenets of the free market assault on public education. . . A valuable compendium of responses to the shallow, classist hostility to public education."
--Kirkus Reviews

"For some time now, it has been fashionable for so-called reformers to attack teachers and teacher unions. This important new book debunks those attacks by drawing attention to the actual work that teachers do every day to support children, even as they carry out their duties under constraints that our policy makers steadfastly ignore."
--Pedro A. Noguera, author of The Trouble with Black Boys

"A fundamental question I have asked in recent years is 'When did teachers become the enemy?' Ayers, Laura, and Ayers detail the pernicious lies that have invaded the public psyche to create enmity between teachers and the wider community. This text breaks open the myths and helps us take a hard and sober look at what we are doing to teachers and by default our children and our future. It is a must-read."
--Gloria Ladson-Billings, author of The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children

"An artful and meticulous dissection of the interlocking web of myths and lies about our public schools that have been aggressively promoted by private-sector forces, right-wing politicians, and collusive neoliberals over the most recent fifteen years. I hope it will be widely read by everyone who loves and treasures children."
--Jonathan Kozol, author of Rachel and Her Children, Savage Inequalities, and Amazing Grace

About the Author:

William Ayers, was a distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar at the University of Illinois at Chicago (retired), member of the executive committee of the Faculty Senate and founder of both the Small Schools Workshop and the Center for Youth and Society. Ayers has written extensively about education. He is the author of To Teach: The Journey of a Teacher and Teaching Toward Freedom: Moral Commitment and Ethical Action in the Classroom.
Crystal Laura is an assistant professor of education at Chicago State University (CSU) and codirector of CSU's Center of Urban Research and Education, where she provides training to Chicago Public Schools teachers. She is the author of Being Bad: My Baby Brother and the School-to-Prison Pipeline.
Rick Ayers is an Associate Professor of Education at the University of San Francisco in the Urban Education and Social Justice cohort, and USF coordinator of the San Francisco Teacher Residency. He is the author of An Empty Seat in Class: Teaching and Learning After the Death of a Student; Great Books for High School Kids; and Teaching the Taboo: Courage and Imagination in the Classroom.

About this edition

• Publisher: Beacon Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0807036668
• ISBN 13: 9780807036662
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240