Well. There are several. But after a four month wait I FINALLY got The Death and Life of the Great American School System (by Diane Ravitch). Sadly interesting. I'm not finished yet ... (all the rotten robbery business has distracted me). But here are a couple of quotes I've marked so far ...
"It is the mark of a sentient human being to learn from experience, to pay close attention to how theories work when put into practice." (pg 2)
"In my writings, I have consistently warned that, in education, there are no shortcuts, no utopias, and no silver bullets. For certain, there are no magic feathers that enable elephants to fly." (pg 3)
"Students should certainly think about what they read, but they should read something worth thinking about." (pg 20)
"No Child Left behind, by contrast, was bereft of any educational ideas. It was a technocratic approach to school reform that measured "success" only in relation to standardized test scores in two skill-based subjects, with the expectation that this limited training would strengthen our nation's economic competitiveness with other nations. This was misguided, since the nations with the most successful school systems do not impose such a narrow focus on their schools." (pg 29)
I may have to just get my own copy (and for someone that, I will be very honest, very rarely reads anything but fiction!) so that I can underline and make notes. I just get frustrated when I can never articulate my feelings about the public education system. Then I read this author's work and find out "Hey! She says what I think most of the time and in a much more coherent way!" I LOVE the quote about reading.
First new book orders of the year came in last week. Check out the Goodreads widget on the sidebar if you are interested. I never write super long or detailed reviews ... but I do try to write something. More to come!
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