How do we reform schools in a way that will foster good work and produce smart workers? How does the post-Fordist economy change the purposes of schools? Joe Kincheloe answers these questions and more as he explores the political dynamics that connect schools and the economic system. In a unique take on the future of work and schooling, Toil and Trouble offers a provocative interpretation of the Perkins Act’s mandate to integrate academic and vocational education and provides a description of what a democratic school might look like. A must read for educators, labor leaders, business people and concerned citizens.

The Author: Joe L. Kincheloe teaches cultural studies and pedagogy at Penn State University. He is the author of several books and articles on culture and education, educational reform, educational research and the politics and economics of education. Kincheloe's most recent books are Toward a Critical Politics of Teacher Thinking: Mapping the Postmodern; Thirteen Questions: Reframing Education's Conversation (with Shirley Steinberg) and Teachers as Researchers: Qualitative Paths to Improvement.