Philip Kovacs | University of Alabama in Huntsville (original) (raw)
Papers by Philip Kovacs
On paper, Teach for America (TFA) has all the markings of an excellent program with real potentia... more On paper, Teach for America (TFA) has all the markings of an excellent program with real potential for social service and change. Given a hard-to-staff school in a poverty stricken city, allowing enthusiastic college graduates with some training to go in and put their hearts and souls into classrooms that would otherwise be staffed with less-prepared or unprepared individuals may seem like a good idea. Upon further examination, TFA becomes more problematic as its claims to success do not stand up to close scrutiny, and as the program has evolved from placing its "corps members" (TFA's language) in hard-to-staff schools to replacing certified teachers. 1 This white paper analyzes TFA's claims to "success" through analysis of the organization's "research" page. While TFA has some data in support of its assertions, analysis of the data and the interpretations drawn from it softens TFA's assertions considerably, if it does not outright contradict them.
In the middle of the “liberal ” Clinton years, Stefancic and Delgado (1996) wrote presciently of ... more In the middle of the “liberal ” Clinton years, Stefancic and Delgado (1996) wrote presciently of a future dominated by ultra conservative ideology, established and maintained by well-funded think tanks. Black misery will increase. The gap between the rich and the poor (already the highest in the Western world) will widen. Women’s gains will be rolled back, foreigners will be excluded…Conservative judges, appointed by conservative presidents with the encouragement of a conservative Congress, will repeal prisoners ’ and children’s rights, and narrow women’s procreative liberties. Unregulated industries will require employees to work in increasingly unsafe workplaces, pollute the air and water, and set aside less and less money for workers’ health benefits and retirement. Tort reform will ensure that consumers and medical patients injured by defective products, medical devices, and careless physicians will be unable to ob-tain compensation. Children will be required to pray in schools,
…it is impossible to account fully for the success of all the holistic philosophies inspired by a... more …it is impossible to account fully for the success of all the holistic philosophies inspired by a common indifference to differences, without taking into account the specifically intellectual functions of their silences and reticences, denials, and slips or, conversely, the displacements and transfers they make towards the themes of ‘homogenization, ’ ‘massification, ’ or ‘globalization. ’ Thus obedience of the dominant ideology manages to impose itself on intellectuals in the form of obedience to the conventions and proprieties of the intellectual world.
Critical Education, 2013
On paper, Teach for America (TFA) has all the markings of an excellent program with real potentia... more On paper, Teach for America (TFA) has all the markings of an excellent program with real potential for social service and change. Given a hard to staff school in a poverty stricken city, allowing enthusiastic college graduates with some training to go in and put their hearts and souls into classrooms that would otherwise be staffed with less-prepared or unprepared individuals may seem like a good idea. Upon further examination, TFA becomes more problematic as its claims to success do not stand up to close scrutiny, and the program has evolved from placing its “corps members” (TFA’s language) in hard to staff schools to replacing certified teachers. This paper analyzes TFA’s claims to “success” through analysis of the organization’s “research” page. Data sources also include peer reviewed papers, research generated by think tanks, and the work of educational bloggers.
The Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, 2008
America‘s high schools are obsolete . . . By obsolete, I don‘t just mean that our high schools ar... more America‘s high schools are obsolete . . . By obsolete, I don‘t just mean that our high schools are broken, flawed, and under-funded – though a case could be made for every one of those points. By obsolete, I mean that our high schools – even when they‘re working exactly as designed – cannot teach our kids what they need to know today . . . Training the workforce of tomorrow with the high schools of today is like trying to teach kids about today‘s computers on a 50-year-old mainframe. It‘s the wrong tool for the times. Our high schools were designed fifty years ago to meet the needs of another age. Until we design them to meet the needs of the 21st century, we will keep limiting – even ruining – the lives of millions of Americans every year. On February 26, 2005 governors, policy makers, and business leaders from across the nation met to discuss ways of preventing American students from falling behind their international competitors. The ―National Summit on High Schools,‖ sponsored b...
... Philip Kovacs' book addresses questions like these and also does far, far more. ... more ... Philip Kovacs' book addresses questions like these and also does far, far more. ... Craig and Aimee Howley, Jessica Schiller, Philip Kovacs and HK Chris-tie, and David Gabbard, among others, each provide important analyses and details to substantiate the larger critique. ...
Phi Delta Kappan, Dec 1, 2007
Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, 2008
Both Maxine Greene and Paulo Freire remind us that obstacles must be named before being transcend... more Both Maxine Greene and Paulo Freire remind us that obstacles must be named before being transcended. I write then with the intention of naming, and I name with the hope of transcending. For the purposes of this paper, transcendence means the replacement of a ...
Teacher Education Quarterly, 2009
Abstract: This article operates under the assumption that social studies teachers must teach for ... more Abstract: This article operates under the assumption that social studies teachers must teach for democracy, as democracy is not something that occurs or maintains without citizens who have the capacities and demeanors for democratic renewal and growth. In an effort to ...
Online Submission, 2005
This paper introduces the reader to think tanks, institutes, foundations, and their roles in shap... more This paper introduces the reader to think tanks, institutes, foundations, and their roles in shaping US educational policy. Quite simply, think tanks, institutes, and foundations are nonprofit organizations that both produce and rely on research and expertise to aggressively influence the public, ...
While there is a loose coalition of individuals and organizations attacking the institution of pu... more While there is a loose coalition of individuals and organizations attacking the institution of public schools, there does not appear to be a coordinated defense of public schools. Without a coordinated defense of the institution, public schools will arguably 1) grow increasingly regulated and/or 2) be shut down altogether. Given that progressive scholars believe schools should exist to maintain a pluralistic and participatory democracy, should 1) or 2) continue, the progressive goal of democracy through education becomes increasingly removed from possibility. The failure of progressive educational reformers to enter the same spheres as think tank and foundation-housed neointellectuals is partially to blame for the increasingly corporatist ideology governing public school reform. While scholars such as Henry Giroux call for "new articulations," new languages, and new theories, I believe the problem lies not in the message but in the failure of progressives to promote their ideas in various public, private, and legislative spheres. In order to defend public schools as sites for the generation and maintenance of a participatory democratic social order, this research investigates the possibility that progressive educational reformers, acting as prophetic pragmatists, can save public education by acting publicly and politically to check, counter, and silence the antidemocratic educational initiatives forwarded by neoconservative and neoliberal educational reformers.
Critical Education, Sep 15, 2012
This essay details the authors' attempts to implement a "Biestian" curriculum in a large, rural h... more This essay details the authors' attempts to implement a "Biestian" curriculum in a large, rural high school. Drawing on the work of Gert Biesta's Beyond Learning: Democratic Education for a Human Future, the authors discuss a methodology that begins to satisfy Biesta's theoretical underpinnings of what he calls a "humane education." Acknowledging and rejecting Biesta's warnings against turning his ideas into "technique," the authors call for operationalizing democratic educational theorists despite their protestations, as refusing to do so allows neoliberal pedagogical reforms to maintain their hegemonic dominance. We focus on Biesta in particular as he is an established, highly regarded philosopher of educational practice and policy, and we believe theoretical work such as his is exactly the type of theory that must be turned into practice, despite his protestations.
... by Kesson and Henderson (2005). Things were not always this way. Before the 1960s there was a... more ... by Kesson and Henderson (2005). Things were not always this way. Before the 1960s there was a healthier balance of institutes representing a host of viewpoints; the first think tanks were, in fact, progressive. Andrew Rich traces ...
... by Kesson and Henderson (2005). Things were not always this way. Before the 1960s there was a... more ... by Kesson and Henderson (2005). Things were not always this way. Before the 1960s there was a healthier balance of institutes representing a host of viewpoints; the first think tanks were, in fact, progressive. Andrew Rich traces ...
Teachers and Teaching, 2011
On paper, Teach for America (TFA) has all the markings of an excellent program with real potentia... more On paper, Teach for America (TFA) has all the markings of an excellent program with real potential for social service and change. Given a hard-to-staff school in a poverty stricken city, allowing enthusiastic college graduates with some training to go in and put their hearts and souls into classrooms that would otherwise be staffed with less-prepared or unprepared individuals may seem like a good idea. Upon further examination, TFA becomes more problematic as its claims to success do not stand up to close scrutiny, and as the program has evolved from placing its "corps members" (TFA's language) in hard-to-staff schools to replacing certified teachers. 1 This white paper analyzes TFA's claims to "success" through analysis of the organization's "research" page. While TFA has some data in support of its assertions, analysis of the data and the interpretations drawn from it softens TFA's assertions considerably, if it does not outright contradict them.
In the middle of the “liberal ” Clinton years, Stefancic and Delgado (1996) wrote presciently of ... more In the middle of the “liberal ” Clinton years, Stefancic and Delgado (1996) wrote presciently of a future dominated by ultra conservative ideology, established and maintained by well-funded think tanks. Black misery will increase. The gap between the rich and the poor (already the highest in the Western world) will widen. Women’s gains will be rolled back, foreigners will be excluded…Conservative judges, appointed by conservative presidents with the encouragement of a conservative Congress, will repeal prisoners ’ and children’s rights, and narrow women’s procreative liberties. Unregulated industries will require employees to work in increasingly unsafe workplaces, pollute the air and water, and set aside less and less money for workers’ health benefits and retirement. Tort reform will ensure that consumers and medical patients injured by defective products, medical devices, and careless physicians will be unable to ob-tain compensation. Children will be required to pray in schools,
…it is impossible to account fully for the success of all the holistic philosophies inspired by a... more …it is impossible to account fully for the success of all the holistic philosophies inspired by a common indifference to differences, without taking into account the specifically intellectual functions of their silences and reticences, denials, and slips or, conversely, the displacements and transfers they make towards the themes of ‘homogenization, ’ ‘massification, ’ or ‘globalization. ’ Thus obedience of the dominant ideology manages to impose itself on intellectuals in the form of obedience to the conventions and proprieties of the intellectual world.
Critical Education, 2013
On paper, Teach for America (TFA) has all the markings of an excellent program with real potentia... more On paper, Teach for America (TFA) has all the markings of an excellent program with real potential for social service and change. Given a hard to staff school in a poverty stricken city, allowing enthusiastic college graduates with some training to go in and put their hearts and souls into classrooms that would otherwise be staffed with less-prepared or unprepared individuals may seem like a good idea. Upon further examination, TFA becomes more problematic as its claims to success do not stand up to close scrutiny, and the program has evolved from placing its “corps members” (TFA’s language) in hard to staff schools to replacing certified teachers. This paper analyzes TFA’s claims to “success” through analysis of the organization’s “research” page. Data sources also include peer reviewed papers, research generated by think tanks, and the work of educational bloggers.
The Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, 2008
America‘s high schools are obsolete . . . By obsolete, I don‘t just mean that our high schools ar... more America‘s high schools are obsolete . . . By obsolete, I don‘t just mean that our high schools are broken, flawed, and under-funded – though a case could be made for every one of those points. By obsolete, I mean that our high schools – even when they‘re working exactly as designed – cannot teach our kids what they need to know today . . . Training the workforce of tomorrow with the high schools of today is like trying to teach kids about today‘s computers on a 50-year-old mainframe. It‘s the wrong tool for the times. Our high schools were designed fifty years ago to meet the needs of another age. Until we design them to meet the needs of the 21st century, we will keep limiting – even ruining – the lives of millions of Americans every year. On February 26, 2005 governors, policy makers, and business leaders from across the nation met to discuss ways of preventing American students from falling behind their international competitors. The ―National Summit on High Schools,‖ sponsored b...
... Philip Kovacs' book addresses questions like these and also does far, far more. ... more ... Philip Kovacs' book addresses questions like these and also does far, far more. ... Craig and Aimee Howley, Jessica Schiller, Philip Kovacs and HK Chris-tie, and David Gabbard, among others, each provide important analyses and details to substantiate the larger critique. ...
Phi Delta Kappan, Dec 1, 2007
Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, 2008
Both Maxine Greene and Paulo Freire remind us that obstacles must be named before being transcend... more Both Maxine Greene and Paulo Freire remind us that obstacles must be named before being transcended. I write then with the intention of naming, and I name with the hope of transcending. For the purposes of this paper, transcendence means the replacement of a ...
Teacher Education Quarterly, 2009
Abstract: This article operates under the assumption that social studies teachers must teach for ... more Abstract: This article operates under the assumption that social studies teachers must teach for democracy, as democracy is not something that occurs or maintains without citizens who have the capacities and demeanors for democratic renewal and growth. In an effort to ...
Online Submission, 2005
This paper introduces the reader to think tanks, institutes, foundations, and their roles in shap... more This paper introduces the reader to think tanks, institutes, foundations, and their roles in shaping US educational policy. Quite simply, think tanks, institutes, and foundations are nonprofit organizations that both produce and rely on research and expertise to aggressively influence the public, ...
While there is a loose coalition of individuals and organizations attacking the institution of pu... more While there is a loose coalition of individuals and organizations attacking the institution of public schools, there does not appear to be a coordinated defense of public schools. Without a coordinated defense of the institution, public schools will arguably 1) grow increasingly regulated and/or 2) be shut down altogether. Given that progressive scholars believe schools should exist to maintain a pluralistic and participatory democracy, should 1) or 2) continue, the progressive goal of democracy through education becomes increasingly removed from possibility. The failure of progressive educational reformers to enter the same spheres as think tank and foundation-housed neointellectuals is partially to blame for the increasingly corporatist ideology governing public school reform. While scholars such as Henry Giroux call for "new articulations," new languages, and new theories, I believe the problem lies not in the message but in the failure of progressives to promote their ideas in various public, private, and legislative spheres. In order to defend public schools as sites for the generation and maintenance of a participatory democratic social order, this research investigates the possibility that progressive educational reformers, acting as prophetic pragmatists, can save public education by acting publicly and politically to check, counter, and silence the antidemocratic educational initiatives forwarded by neoconservative and neoliberal educational reformers.
Critical Education, Sep 15, 2012
This essay details the authors' attempts to implement a "Biestian" curriculum in a large, rural h... more This essay details the authors' attempts to implement a "Biestian" curriculum in a large, rural high school. Drawing on the work of Gert Biesta's Beyond Learning: Democratic Education for a Human Future, the authors discuss a methodology that begins to satisfy Biesta's theoretical underpinnings of what he calls a "humane education." Acknowledging and rejecting Biesta's warnings against turning his ideas into "technique," the authors call for operationalizing democratic educational theorists despite their protestations, as refusing to do so allows neoliberal pedagogical reforms to maintain their hegemonic dominance. We focus on Biesta in particular as he is an established, highly regarded philosopher of educational practice and policy, and we believe theoretical work such as his is exactly the type of theory that must be turned into practice, despite his protestations.
... by Kesson and Henderson (2005). Things were not always this way. Before the 1960s there was a... more ... by Kesson and Henderson (2005). Things were not always this way. Before the 1960s there was a healthier balance of institutes representing a host of viewpoints; the first think tanks were, in fact, progressive. Andrew Rich traces ...
... by Kesson and Henderson (2005). Things were not always this way. Before the 1960s there was a... more ... by Kesson and Henderson (2005). Things were not always this way. Before the 1960s there was a healthier balance of institutes representing a host of viewpoints; the first think tanks were, in fact, progressive. Andrew Rich traces ...
Teachers and Teaching, 2011