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.
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