Bourdieu for Educators
Policy and Practice
- Fenwick W. English - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
- Cheryl L. Bolton - Staffordshire University, UK
Bourdieu for Educators: Policy and Practice brings the revolutionary research and thinking of Pierre Bourdieu (1930-2002) of France to public educational leaders in North America, Canada, Australia, and the U.K. This text brings Bourdieu’s work into the arena of elementary and secondary educational reform and change, and offers policy, research, and practice discussions. Authors Fenwick W. English and Cheryl L. Bolton use Bourdieu to challenge the standards movement in different countries, the current vision of effective management, and the open-market notion connecting pay to performance. The text shows that connecting pay to performance won’t improve education for the poorest group of school students in the U.S., Canada, or the U.K., regardless of how much money is spent trying to erase the achievement gap. The authors lay out the bold educational agenda of Pierre Bourdieu by demonstrating that educational preparation must take into account larger socioeconomic-political realities in order for educational change and reform to make an impact.
The book is excellent. Dr. English and Cheryl L. Bolton do a masterful job in explaining how educational leadership is actually under attack by outside forces. The landscape has changed significantly due to political forces disguised by accreditation initiatives. [...] Bourdieu for Educators with the application of Dr. English's ideas and insights is absolutely essential reading and adoption for those wanting to rescue the field of educational leadership and administration from the "Billionnaires Boys Club" and many other destructive factions.
While this is an excellent exploration and evaluation of Bourdieu's impact on educational theory, it is somewhat dense for undergraduate students of education. It may be better suited to postgraduate students, especially those working around educational policy development and analysis.
This is a key reading for those interested in Bourdieu work. Helpful for students and academics
Excellent resource for enhancing students' thinking of the educational philosophy on a higher level.