Radical Possibilities: Public Policy, Urban Education, and A New Social Movement

by Jean Anyon

The core argument of Jean Anyon’s classic Radical Possibilities is deceptively if we do not direct our attention to the ways in which federal and metropolitan policies maintain the poverty that plagues communities in American cities, urban school reform as currently conceived is  doomed to fail. With every chapter  thoroughly revised and updated, this  edition picks up where the 2005 publication left off, including a completely new chapter detailing how three decades of  political decisions leading up to the  “Great Recession” produced an  economic crisis of epic proportions.   By tracing the root causes of the financial crisis, Anyon effectively demonstrates the concrete effects of economic decision-making on the education sector, revealing in particular the disastrous impacts of these policies on black and Latino communities.

Going beyond lament, Radical Possibilities offers those interested in a better future for the millions of America’s poor families a set of practical and theoretical insights. Expanding on her paradigm for combating educational injustice, Anyon discusses the Occupy Wall Street movement as a recent example of popular resistance in this new edition, set against a larger framework of civil rights history.  A ringing call to action, Radical Possibilities reminds readers that throughout U.S. history, equitable public policies have typically been created as a result of the political pressure brought to bear by social movements. Ultimately, Anyon’s revelations teach us that the current moment contains its own very real radical possibilities.

Genres: Academic, Education

372 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 14, 2014

Reviews

[Tamara]

Anyon demonstrates how educational reform is intricately tied to economic reform, and then walks the reader through a plan for social reform that educators could take up and put into practice.

[Terynce]

Read for class. If we aren't willing to address inequality in society, it's impossible to address inequality in our schools.

[Liza]

Read this book for the ED 403 class (Fall 2022 Semester)