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School Commercialism

From Democratic Ideal to Market Commodity
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
School Commercialism explores the growing influence of corporate marketing in American public schools over the past twenty-five years. Author Alex Molnar examines how commercial interests shape school curriculums, daily schedules, and access to technologies. The book highlights examples such as Pizza Hut's reading rewards and corporate-sponsored surveys, scrutinising the impact of these practices on education.

Molnar challenges the claim that corporate contributions benefit both cash-strapped schools and companies, instead presenting a critical perspective on how commercialism can undermine the public interest in education. The book also discusses the marketing of unhealthy foods and the rise of privatised schooling models, arguing for a reclaiming of schools from corporate influence.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is suitable for educators, policymakers, parents, and readers interested in educational policy and the effects of commercialism on public schooling. It offers critical insight into the intersection of business and education, appealing to those concerned with maintaining the integrity of public schools.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Commercial activity in schools reflects the consumerist society at large. This book reviews the historical development of this situation and questions whether corporate marketing and profit-making belong in an educational setting. It offers the marketer's and the educationalist's perspectives for evaluation.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Pizza Hut's Book It! program rewards students with pizza for meeting their reading goals. Toys R Us paid a Kansas school five dollars for each student who took its toy survey. Cisco Systems donated internet access to a California elementary school, asking in return for the school choir to sing the company's praises while wearing Cisco t-shirts.

Kids today face a barrage of corporate messages in the classroom. In School Commercialism, education expert Alex Molnar traces marketing in American schools over the last twenty-five years, raising serious questions about the role of private corporations in public education. Since the 1990s, Molnar argues, commercial activities have shaped the structure of the school day, influenced the curriculum, and determined whether children have access to computers and other technologies. He argues convincingly against advertisers' assertion that their contributions are a win-win proposition for cash-strapped schools and image-conscious companies.

From the marketing of unhealthy foods to privatizing reforms such as the Edison Schools and Knowledge Universe, School Commercialism tracks trends that are more pervasive than many parents realise and shows how we might recapture schools to better serve the public interest.

Series: Positions: Education, Politics, and Culture

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  • School Commercialism
    Pizza Hut's Book It! program rewards students with pizza for meeting their reading goals. Toys R Us paid a Kansas school five dollars for each student who took its toy survey. Cisco Systems donated internet access to a California elementary school, asking in return for the school choir to sing the company's praises while wearing Cisco t-shirts. Kids today face...
    Hardback
    $42300
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780415951319

Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 23 June 2005

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Routledge

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 510g

Pages: 190

About the Author

Alex Molnar is the founder of the Commercialism in Education Research Unit, the only research unit in the world dedicated exclusively to school commercialism. An expert on market-oriented school reforms such as private school vouchers, for-profit schools, and charter schools, he is author of four books and professor and director of the Education Policy Studies Laboratory at Arizona State University.

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