Winner of the 2017 American Educational Research Association's Division B Outstanding Book Recognition Award

Winner of the 2017 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Award

In today's China, education is translated into both acute social desires and profound disenchantment. Shanghai's stellar performance in the recent Program for International Student Assessment paints a celebratory image of educational success yet tells only a partial story. For many in rural China who are schooled yet prepared only for factory sweatshops, education remains an elusive ideal and offers a...