Expect Miracles: Charter Schools And The Politics Of Hope And Despair

by Peter W. Cookson Jr.

"Cookson and Berger provide a thoughtful summary and insightful critique of the charter school movement. Expect Miracles explodes the myth that the charter schools operating in an educational 'marketplace' will recast public education to better serve America's children and promote democratic civic values. Anyone interested in the future of U.S. school reform should read this book." —Alex Molnar, professor and director, Education Policy Studies Laboratory, Arizona State University, and author of Giving Kids the Business "By far the best book yet to appear on the charter school movement Written with scholarship, insight, clarity, compassion, and fire." —Bruce J. Biddle, professor emeritus of the University of Missouri, and co-author of The Manufactured Crisis "Beautifully written analysis of the charter school movement in terms of its past and present political and educational dynamics as well as where it might go." —Henry M. Levin, director of the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education, Teachers College, Columbia University Charter schools are the most significant educational experiment in the last two decades. In Expect Miracles, Peter W. Cookson, Jr. and Kristina Berger focus on the current trend toward deregulation in public education. The issue of deregulation is of critical importance because the spirit of entrepreneurship that is behind deregulation is seldom examined from a sociological perspective. Using the latest research as the basis for discussion, this book provides a fresh look at the growing and politically volatile charter school movement. The authors present the most balanced analysis to date of the movement that is changing the landscape of American education.

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 8, 2018

About the author

Peter W. Cookson, Jr. is the author or co-author of over fifteen books about social inequality, education and the American upper class. Currently, he is managing director of Education Sector in Washington, D.C., and teaches at Teachers College, Columbia University and Georgetown University. He is also president of Ideas without Borders, an educational consulting firm specializing in 21st century education, technology and human rights.

Peter's book "Preparing for Power: America’s Elite Boarding Schools" is widely recognized as a sociological classic. His recent book "Sacred Trust: A Children’s Education Bill of Rights" captures his commitment to social equality. His latest book "Class Rules: Exposing Inequality in American High Schools" examines the powerful effects of social class on education.

"The Red Cadillac" is his memoir of the pain and humor of growing up in the topsy-turvy world of show business, poverty and old money.

He holds a Ph.D. in the sociology of education from New York University, a Certificate of Advanced Study from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Masters Degree in ethics and world religions from the Yale Divinity School.

He writes and blogs regularly, most frequently at http://www.quickanded.com.