By RICHARD BERNSTEIN
NEW YORK — We've been trying to figure out why Johnny can't read in this country for decades, centuries even, and the cures for the problem have always drawn a mixture of adulation and contempt. A century ago, the superintendent of schools in New York, William Henry Maxwell, heaped scorn on one theorist who proclaimed "vertical penmanship" to be the solution to all ills.
Well, at least there's a certain discipline and seriousness implied in holding the pen upright, ridiculous as it might seem as a cure for every problem. In any case, according to Diane Ravitch, who is probably America's leading historian of education, vertical penmanship probably wasn't any worse than a lot of other panaceas offered since — particularly panaceas offered in recent times.
We've seen progressive education — students designing their own curriculum, deciding for themselves what they want to learn. In the past couple of decades, as test scores drop and the United States falls farther behind other countries in math and science, the idea that schools should follow a business model has been dominant, stressing competition, choice and accountability, raising teacher pay for higher test scores, closing schools that fail.
So, how are we doing?
Ms. Ravitch says very badly, maybe even worse than before, and her view, elaborated in a new book — "The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education" — has been getting a good deal of attention, including from Congress, which she was off to visit this week.
**From the New York Times – click here to read the article in its entirety.
No comments:
Post a Comment