Deconstructing Early Childhood Education

From a critical perspective, some early childhood educators have proposed that the knowledge base used to ground the field actually serves to support the status quo, reinforces prejudices and stereotypes, and ignores the real lives of children. The purpose of this book is to deconstruct early childhood education, identifying and evaluating the themes and forms of discourse that have dominated the field, leading to the construction of specific theories and forms of practice that privilege particular groups of children and adults and oppress others. An alternative avenue for early childhood education is posited that focuses on social justice and human agency. « Can there be a more important scholar in early childhood education? Gaile Sloan Cannella has indeed reconceptualized the field! No scholar, no student can proceed from this moment on without first grappling with what Dr. Cannella has written in this paradigmatic work. Congratulations to Gaile Cannella and congratulations to the field! (William F. Pinar, St. Bernard Parish Alumni Endowed Professor, Lo