Overview

This book examines the history of conflict in education through the lens of specific case studies from schools in rural areas of New York. Education has historically been a major source of conflict among citizens, voters, and residents in the United States. From the colonists in New England’s efforts to educate their children in the late 1800s, to the debates over mask mandates at schools emerging from Covid-19, the dissonance between pro-local democracy national narratives and the active suppression of community rights exists in every state. Contemporary conflicts in education and politics include the question of what and how to teach history, with some politically motivated groups demonizing critical race theory, inclusive civics, and history education. Utilizing local and state archives, newspapers, and eyewitness accounts, and challenging the consensus narrative that prioritizes the elite’s viewpoints, this book expands research on the history of educational reform post-World War II outside of the urban focus predominant in the field and challenges the traditional rural deficit narrative.

Full Product Details

9781666968309

Table of Contents

Reviews

With sensitivity and rigor, Casey Jakubowski demonstrates that rural schools, too often forgotten, remain central to questions of educational equality, self-government, and public goods in the United States. Using a case study from upstate New York, he demonstrates how rural communities in the past and present have come together to help their students thrive. -- Campbell F. Scribner, Associate Professor of Education * University of Maryland, USA * For more than 25 years, I’ve worked alongside superintendents, boards of education, and the New York State Education Department. Rarely have I encountered a work as timely and fascinating as Casey Jakubowski’s Settling Conflict in Rural New York Schools. His thesis, historical policy analysis, and case studies not only confirm much of what I’ve witnessed in practice, but also reveal details hidden deep in the archives—insights I never had the drive or skill to uncover myself. Engaging, disturbing, and illuminating, this book brings to light the history behind state reorganization policy and the conflicts that shaped it. It is important reading for anyone who wants to understand how educational governance is rooted in the enduring and valuable tensions between local and state authority and why they still matter today. -- John W. Sipple, Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies * Cornell University, USA *

With sensitivity and rigor, Casey Jakubowski demonstrates that rural schools, too often forgotten, remain central to questions of educational equality, self-government, and public goods in the United States. Using a case study from upstate New York, he demonstrates how rural communities in the past and present have come together to help their students thrive. -- Campbell F. Scribner, Associate Professor of Education * University of Maryland, USA *

Author Information

Casey Jakubowski is Adjunct Instructor at SUNY Oneonta, USA.

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