NOTE: New review of Reclaiming Education for Democracy at PBK Reporter

Paul Shaker is a career educator who has served as teacher, teacher educator, and dean in five of the United States, in Asia, and in Canada at Simon Fraser University of British Columbia where he holds the rank of professor. An alumnus of Ohio State, Shaker has sought to advance the progressive legacy in public schools and higher education through scholarship, leadership and media activism. He has developed and directed independently funded projects such as Friends of Simon, an outreach to immigrant and aboriginal children that provides university students as after school tutors. Shaker also hosts Your Education Matters, a television program widely cablecast in British Columbia that is a venue for qualified educators to speak on a range of education topics (see www.youreducationmatters.ca)

Shaker has been honored for his leadership by the Association of BC Deans of Education, the BC Teachers Federation, the Association of Mexican-American Educators (Fresno, CA) and Fresno Unified School District. Three institutions have recognized his undergraduate teaching. Scholarly recognition includes his appointment in Kuwait as a Fulbright Senior Scholar for evaluation; the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Outstanding Writing Award for Teachers and Mentors; and in 2009 the American Educational Research Association Award for Exemplary Research in Teaching and Teacher Education for the coauthored book Reclaiming Education for Democracy: Thinking Beyond No Child Left Behind.

Paul Shaker’s writing and speaking center on the application of contemporary theory to education politics and policy and to curriculum development in schools and in teacher education. He has been particularly active in defending the integrity of professional educators and their institutions against abuses in accountability and through so-called market reforms. Shaker advocates for evaluation that is comprehensive and analytic, drawing on developmental and depth psychological perspectives. He works toward education renewal that honors the democratic social contract at the heart of our public schools.

Winner: 2009 AERA Division K Award for Exemplary Research in Teaching and Teacher Education:

Available from Routledge and Amazon.com

See further information under  “Scholarly and Professional Publications.”