Assault on Kids: Hyper-Accountability, Corporatization, Deficit Ideologies, and Ruby Payne are Destroying Our Schools

Hyper-accountability, corporatization, deficit ideology, and Ruby Payne’s preparation of teachers to comply with these and other atrocities are not merely markers of philosophical shifts in education. They are manifestations of a neoliberal remaking of public schooling into a private and corporate enterprise. Collectively, these trends are seen not just as an imposition, but as an assault on quality pedagogy; an assault on democratic ideals of equity and social justice; and an assault on kids compelled to participate simply because they are public school students. This edited collection is a response by critically-minded educators, activists, and scholars – both a reaction to and a call to action against these vilifications. It is critical reading for students, professors, administrators, and policy makers involved in public education.