Introduction: Biopolitics and Education: A Return to the Question of Life and School
Over the past few years a startling number of films have taken schooling in the United States as its cinematic subject. The Lottery, The Cartel, and Race to Nowhere are just three of the most notable documentaries that explore educational issues ranging from school choice, declining student performa...
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| Published in | Education in the Age of Biocapitalism pp. 1 - 38 |
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| Main Author | |
| Format | Book Chapter |
| Language | English |
| Published |
United States
Palgrave Macmillan
2012
Palgrave Macmillan US |
| Series | New Frontiers in Education, Culture, and Politics |
| Subjects | |
| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Over the past few years a startling number of films have taken schooling in the United States as its cinematic subject. The Lottery, The Cartel, and Race to Nowhere are just three of the most notable documentaries that explore educational issues ranging from school choice, declining student performance in math and science, to the high-stakes culture of test-driven curricula that continue to shape life in public schools across the nation. However, it is perhaps Davis Guggenheim’s (director of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth) Waiting for Superman (2010) that has garnered the most attention. Undoubtedly, much of the buzz around Guggenheim’s film had a lot to do with its release date which coincided with the start of a new school year in a country still mired in economic crisis. Yet why did Guggenheim’s film resonate with so many, not only with well-meaning democrats but also with conservatives who have long been waiting for the body of public education to wither away and die? Part of the answer to this question resides in the film’s overriding thesis that teacher performance and specifically the ability to remove ineffective teachers from the classroom is one of the biggest barriers to building a nation of high-achieving schools capable of producing students who are prepared to compete in a high-stakes, knowledge-driven global economy. |
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| Bibliography: | America’s future economic growth and international competitiveness depend on our capacity to innovate. We can create the jobs and industries of the future by doing what America does best—investing in the creativity and imagination of the people. To win the future, we must out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.Our innovation strategy begins with critical foundations: education, scientific research, and infrastructure. First, we must create an educational system that is internationally competitive and innovative in preparing our workforce for our increasingly knowledge-intensive economy. Second, we must invest in scientific research to restore America’s leadership in creating the scientific and technological breakthroughs that underpin private sector innovations. Finally, we must invest in a first-class infrastructure that moves people and ideas at twenty-first century speeds. These are the building blocks of an innovation strategy that will lead America to a more prosperous future.—A Strategy for American Innovation: Securing Our Economic Growth and Prosperity |
| ISBN: | 1137027819 9781137027818 1137027827 9781137027825 |
| DOI: | 10.1057/9781137027832_1 |