Product Description
“[An] exemplary, thoroughly readable account.” — Publishers Weekly
“This book takes you through the history of how the idea of public education began, to where we are right now. . . . It’s so beautifully done, judiciously done, and I’m really proud to help it along.” — Meryl Streep
Esteemed historians of education David Tyack, Carl Kaestle, Diane Ravitch, James Anderson, and Larry Cuban journey through history and across the na… More >>
School: The Story of American Public Education
Tags: American, Education, Public, School, Story
#1 by Anonymous on March 15, 2010 - 10:02 pm
The story of American education is simple: the captains of industry unloaded the costs of training onto their serfs, and we pay for our own enslavement.
Disgraceful indeed.
Rating: 1 / 5
#2 by Anonymous on March 15, 2010 - 10:40 pm
Any book that is able to stir up the emotional muck present in the heads of others (…) … must have something going for it!
Personally, I didn’t read the book. I did watch the entire series aired on Public Television. I also attempted to purchase that video series, but those tapes are not available (…). At least, not as of 12/01.
I found the series very interesting, well balanced and documented. Yes, had a different group of folks put something together on this topic … the presentation and content would have differed. Thus is the nature of any historical presentation, especially when it does not involve first-hand observation and experience. Lacking that, researchers are limited to their interpretations of the available evidence. I did not detect a significant bias in the presentation of any of the material (but then I do not consider myself to be an expert in the subject either!).
While the book may be a mirror image companion to the TV presentation, such is the nature of many of the current TV documentary/book combos. I don’t have a problem with that, and I don’t have an emotional axe to grind concerning this subject.
I completely enjoyed the video series and would purchase the book … if I really believed I would ever have the time to read it (…)
Rating: 4 / 5
#3 by Teacher Girl on March 15, 2010 - 11:13 pm
This is a required book for my Master’s class. It is insightful and compelling. I will keep it in my personal library, even after class has ended.
Rating: 4 / 5
#4 by Carole F. Smith on March 16, 2010 - 12:42 am
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It gives you an overall view of our public school system in an easy to read format much like a novel. I recommend this book to all educators or students of education.
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by Anonymous on March 16, 2010 - 1:35 am
Let’s ignore the fact that this 200+ page book (with a publisher’s price of $30) is little more than a transcript of the PBS series –
What bothers me most is that this diatribe seems determined to “whistle past the graveyard” of problems in American public education by insisting that public schools are doing everything Thomas Jefferson ever wanted them to do and that the real problem are “those people” who want to see change and more effective schools.
To listen to them, standards are bad, testing is driving people nuts, the idea that parents should have choices about where their children go to school is dangerous, and charters are nothing more than efforts by businesses to make money (nevermind that most charters are non-profits).
I looked extensively at the latter portion of the book — the one dealing with modern day reforms and found it fascinating that the authors can’t seem to find any problem with flat SAT scores, decreased student achievement and a lack of school accountability — or at least they can’t find a problem that can’t be solved by money.
The reality: poor kids are doing worse than ever because the public schools have no incentive to pay attention to them or their parents, and the only way to solve that problem with money is by using it to let parents have choices. As it stands now, the public education system is a monopoly Bill Gates could only dream of in his wildest dreams.
Readers deserve better than a biased screed that seems to “circle the wagons” and attack anything remotely suggesting change.
Rating: 1 / 5