Fear and the Emerging Politics of Educational Reform

In contemporary politics, candidates, political consultants, and media personalities all seek to create an advantage by raising the specter of fear. Although fear has always had its role in the political debate, now a science of fear is evolving in American politics, including the politics of education. Fear is now part of the educational landscape, a useful but often damaging device that has entered the mainstream of American education and the politics that engulf the field. The articles in this Yearbook address the impact and use of fear in the politics of education.



Introduction: What’s Fear Got to Do With It?
                    Rick Ginsburg, University of Kansas
                    Bruce S. Cooper, Fordham University

                    The Culture of Fear and the Politics of Education
                    Rick Ginsburg, University of Kansas
                    Leif Frederick Lyche, University of Kansas

Section 1: Students, Teachers, Administrators, and Fear in Schools

                    School Safety: Real or Imagined Fear?
                    Jane Clark Lindle, Clemson University

                    Fear and Trembling in the American High School: Educational Reform and Teacher Alienation
                    Jeffrey S. Brooks, Florida State University
                    Roxanne M. Hughes, Florida State University
                    Melanie C. Brooks, Florida State University

                    Fear, the School Organization, and Teacher Evaluation
                    Sharon Conley, University of California, Santa Barbara
                    Naftaly S. Glasman, University of California, Santa Barbara

                    Teacher Unions and the Politics of Fear in Labor Relations
                    Bruce S. Cooper, Fordham University
                    John Sureau, Fordham University

                    Fear and the Preparation of School Leaders: The Role of Ambiguity, Anxiety, and Power in Meaning Making
                    Michelle D. Young, University of Texas, Austin
                    Curtis Brewer, University of Texas, Austin

Section 2: Fear and Current Issues in Education

                    Race, Education, and the Politics of Fear
                    Barbara Loomis Jackson, Fordham University

                    Fearful Reformers: The Institutionalization of the Christian Right in American Politics
                    James G. Cibulka, University of Kentucky, Lexington
                    Nathan Myers, Ashland University

                    Innovation, NCLB, and the Fear Factor: The Challenge of Leading 21st-Century Schools in an Era of Accountability
                    LaTefy Schoen, North Carolina State University
                    Lance D. Fusarelli, North Carolina State University

                    Fear and Privatization
                    Bruce S. Cooper, Fordham University
                    E. Vance Randall, Brigham Young University