Global Capitalism and Urban Education

In lieu of an abstract, here is the chapter\u27s first paragraph: With the exception of the few remaining foreign-controlled lands such as Iraq and Puerto Rico, virtually all public education programs around the world are shaped by decisions taken at the national, state, and local levels. The role of global capitalism in shaping urban education is, therefore, perhaps not immediately evident. Indeed, global capitalism alone provides us with a far from complete understanding of urban education in the United States today. At best, it describes a set of compelling circumstances to which national, state, and local decision makers must respond. Ultimately, the state of urban education is the product of an ongoing political process in which various stakeholders consult, petition, and/or protest before the appropriate public officials, As such, it is largely the care that local decisions and activism continue to shape urban education. At the same time, the forces of global capitalism establish important limitations regarding the options available to those who set urban education policy in the United States