Culture and Structure at a Military Charter School

Brooke Johnson is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Northeastern Illinois University, USA.

• 1. Introduction 2. Neoliberalism, Militarization, and Public Education 3. Sending Good Kids to Military School: Why Parents Choose the MEI 4. Reading, Writing, Arithmetic and War: Militarized Pedagogy and Militarized Futures 5. A Few Good Boys: Gender at the MEI 6. Ask, Tell, Talk Back: Queering Resistance to Gendered Heteronormativity 7. Conclusion

"Johnson deftly untangles the ties that bind the market, the military, the state, and public education in this sensitive and compelling study of a military charter school. It's risky to responsibly investigate the relationships between the commanding institutions in the US as they work on and through a school, its staff, and students. Yet, Johnson takes that risk with courage, providing insight on the challenges that privatization and militarization pose to a democratic society. Sensitive to parents' and students' motivations for choosing a military charter school, Johnson's study subtly raises questions about the powerful's stakes in creating such choices. This is a must-read for educators, policymakers, and parents alike." - Christopher G. Robbins, Associate Professor of Social Foundations, Eastern Michigan University, USA "This is an important piece of scholarship which does what all good history should do it tells a good story and sheds light on issues of current interest and relevance. The book explores some of the key political, social, and economic episodes of the twentieth century and throughout are great vignettes and some unexpected revelations. Overall, an excellent study, well researched, well-written, and with significant relevance for today." - Justin Davis Smith, Executive Director of Volunteering and Development, The National Council for Voluntary Organisations