The Misdirection of Education Policy: Raising Questions about School Reform proposes critically important questions about the wisdom of American public education policy and reform initiatives. Laying out the particulars of three policy strands—creation of STEM curricula/schools, expansion of charter schools/privatizing, and teacher accountability/testing tied to job security— The Misdirection of Education Policy exposes complications, contradictions, and deliberate deceptions in these supposed solutions to very real issues in education.

Dafoe theorizes that obstacles facing American education are far more complicated than policy makers suggest or consider. The Misdirection of Education Policy poses the question of whether it is practical to offer an education that is not merely practical in its ends, opening doors far beyond career readiness and filling employers’ job slots.

The approach suggested here is designed to offer an arterial that allows students and teachers to do more than simply prepare for STEM careers; it advocates for an education that helps people navigate life by becoming explorers who remain curious and analytical about their world.