A Pedagogy of Culture and Power: School Reform for Social Justice
Should public schools in a democracy prepare students for what is or what should be?
This question has been asked repeatedly by reformers since John Dewey’s “Pedagogic Creed” appeared in 1897. The question continues in reformers’ quest for KIPP-like schooling for poor children of color or those reformers who swear by common core standards making U.S. schools competitive with Shanghai and Singapore, and, of course, advocates for transforming schools into high-tech havens. Don’t forget those who see schools as agents for reducing obesity in children.
Finally, add those champions of “critical pedagogy” to that list of what public schools in a democracy should be doing. Beyond preparing students with the language, social, and academic skills for a highly competitive labor market (e.g., KIPP, Common Core Standards), “critical pedagogy” and its various incarnations seek to equip low-income minority students with the language skills and academic content to analyze the culture and structures of power in the U.S. and use both to gain access to equal opportunities and alter the trajectories of their lives with
