Books to Get You Thinking

It’s been about a decade since the introduction of the No Child Left Behind Act which mandated that test scores rise consistently in each school year and all students gain sufficient proficiency in math and reading by 2014. As we look ahead, almost ten years after the legislation, both the K-12 system and the universities seem to be far from achieving their goals of empowering students with the knowledge and skills that would allow them to compete in the 21st century. Presently many state school officials are seeking exemptions from several parts of the legislation’s accountability requirements particularly the requirement of bringing 100 per cent of students to proficient levels in reading and math and efforts continue to rejuvenate and overhaul the education system. Education is perhaps the single most dominant factor that can help the United States stay competitive in the global economy and the importance of extending the educational opportunities to all, thereby leveling the academic playing field is a key determinant for future economic growth and technology advances in the United States. This month’s picks include several books that focus on America’s education system.

The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education by Diane Ravitch
Ravitch, a renowned historian who has extensively studied the American education system was once an advocate of testing, accountability, vouchers and markets as a way of identifying low performing schools and presenting students with a choice of moving to better performing schools thereby promoting content , character and choice. Some of these ideas were the guiding principles behind the No Child Left behind Act. However, studying the empirical data over several years, Ravitch finds no evidence that the new changes made any significant impact on the quality of education. In response to the accountability requirements, schools started teaching test material rather than a balanced curriculum to achieve higher test scores and the level of education delivered remained unacceptably low. Ravitch makes a passionate appeal to focus on content rather than on delivery and enforce a uniform curriculum everywhere to achieve improved education standards.

Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses by Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa
While college education has become an essential prerequisite for many jobs and the competition for college admissions becomes increasingly fierce, the authors examine the fundamental question of how much students actually learn in college. Basing their study on a large amount of data that includes surveys, transcript reviews and the results of the Collegiate Learning Assessment Test, the authors highlight the importance of reforming the current system of undergraduate education. Studies reveal that a large majority of college students fail to show any improvement in creative thinking, critical analysis or writing skills after attending an undergraduate study program. The authors make a compelling case for parents, educators, and policy makers to address the pressing issue of a campus culture that neither fails to encourage academic rigor nor puts enough focus on learning.

The Making of Americans: Democracy and Our Schools by Eric Hirsch
Hirsch, a well known education theorist and Professor at the University of Virginia examines the shortcomings of America’s system of education that have persisted despite the sixty years of reform proposals and countless committees set up to fix its problems. Hirsch elaborates in depth, the possible ways to achieve the country’s long standing dreams of a quality education for children from all walks of life. The author makes a passionate appeal to move away from the current student centered system that is stifling education standards in schools and replace it with a uniform content rich curriculum all across the country for each grade level. The curriculum would be based on America’s common heritage that flows from her history and literature.

Race Between Education and Technology by Claudia Goldin
Harvard professors Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz present a pioneering analysis that links the large income and wage inequalities in the US to its lagging educational levels. Using detailed statistical data the authors show how America’s dramatic growth in the past century could be attributed to its investment in human capital through its system of public schools and colleges. In the post 1970 period as technology growth surged, the US was unable to keep pace with the steadily increasing demand for an educated workforce. The authors discuss how charter schools, the Head Start program and an improved system of financial aid for colleges could help the US improve its levels of educational achievements and restore a more balanced income structure. Also featured in the June 2009 column of Books to Get You Thinking.

Education in Crisis: A Reference Handbook by Judith Gouwens
An excellent overview of the American school system and its evolution over time, rich in its details about the manifold problems and obstacles that have riddled the system as well as the reform measures that have been introduced over the years. The authors identify different periods in America’s history and the economic and political conditions of the era that influenced changes in the education system. In response to the Civil War there were pressures to ensure equality in educational opportunities, a goal that still remains largely unfulfilled, while the Cold War pressured the education system to focus on excellence. Today globalization has made it imperative to achieve higher standards of learning and competence if the American workforce is to stay competitive in the global marketplace. By providing a critical analysis of the reforms and proposals made by educators and policy makers, the book becomes a valuable resource for all those interested in America’s education system.

-Nita Mathur