Tuesday, June 5

I just couldn't wait...


            I’m sure most of you can remember a time that you read or heard something and were so impressed you had to share. I didn’t intend on blogging about a book I’m reading until I finished it, but I am so impressed after reading the first chapter, I want to share.  
The book is “The Death and Life of the Great American School System” by Diane Ravitch. Within her first chapter she is strikingly and refreshingly open, so much so, you feel that she is an intimate friend who is bearing her soul.
            She impresses me with her bravery. It takes a strong person to admit that the public policy she adamantly advocated is wrong. (She heralded the No Child Left Behind initiative while working under the Bush Administration.)
            But, she said, after seeing NCLB in practice, she decided it only works in theory.
“I kept asking myself why I was losing confidence in these reforms. My answer: I have a right to change my mind.”
In the process of explaining the situation she revealed some dominant traits that complement her bravery.
First of all, she displayed honesty and humbleness. She states that throughout her life, she has spoken out against what she calls “the lure of ‘the royal road to learning,’” or the idea that there can be an easy solution to educational problems. But she openly admits that while working for the federal government, she fell for the “royal road” in NCLB. In doing this, she opens critics to accuse her of an unfair proportion of the blame for any failures NCLB has. But more importantly, admitting mistakes like this is an admirable way to communicate, and allows her to influence others in a special way.
In opening her book this way, she is also asking others to judge what she has done, even if only in their own minds. The opinions that reach her, though, she can use to further form her opinion and act upon. This openness to criticism and ideas makes her an exceptional scholar and person.
I was especially impressed by her obvious dedication to facts. She quotes economist John Maynard Keynes: “When the facts change, I change my mind.” She states that doubt and skepticism, even of our own beliefs, are the marks of a rationale mind.
“When we are too certain of our opinions, we run the risk of ignoring any evidence that conflicts with our views. It is doubt that shows we are still thinking, still willing to reexamine hardened beliefs when confronted with new facts and new evidence,” she said.
She didn’t let past actions or thoughts dictate who she is or what she says. She wasn’t swayed by the possibility that some might ridicule her for changing her mind. She looked at the facts and attempted to accept them without bias.
Finally, she revealed a clear writing style and direct approach to voice that I admire. So far, she’s taken what could be a complicated, bureaucratic and dry subject (education policy) and transformed it into a relevant, engaging topic that’s easy to understand, and still retains its complex tendencies. I am not an expert on education policy, and I’ve had no trouble understanding her words. She speaks out against a program she helped create – and yet she writes so clearly. Clear writing takes clear thinking, a hard to find trait that I can only hope to achieve.

As for the content of the chapter, she surfaces some interesting thoughts that I’m sure she’ll cover in more detail. In particular, she argues for an emphasis on curriculum and instruction as opposed to markets and choice. This goes back to NCLB ideas she bought into that education could be run by focusing on management and accountability (such as standardized testing), instead of focusing on curriculum and instruction.
She emphasizes that “in education, there are no shortcuts, no utopias, and no silver bullets.” She cites NCLB a silver bullet. Instead, she hopes people will focus on what she calls the essentials of education – a strong curriculum, the knowledge to understand politics and science, a responsibility to democracy, well-educated teachers, standards of learning, and standards of behavior, to summarize.
I am looking forward to continuing this book. 

No comments: