Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms Review

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Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms ReviewI have personally known Brookings Institution education scholar Diane Ravitch for almost five years. She has become my most trusted adviser on education issues. We have debated frequently and disagree occasionally, but we are in complete agreement on the most important issue of all, the need to restore explicit and systematic instruction in American classrooms, at least as a choice for those educators and parents who fervently believe that traditional/classical education is best for children.
I have just completed reading her latest book, Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms, which is the culmination of a dozen years of research and writing. Although I am very knowledgeable about the history of the two opposing philosophies of education (progressivism vs. traditionalism/classicalism), Dr. Ravitch's book introduced new material to me on every page. This is a must-read book for all education professionals and education policy makers and I encourage parents to read this book so that they more fully understand the schools their children attend and the education their children are receiving.
The book provides detailed information about significant people throughout the 20th century who have influenced American education to this day. One thought-provoking chapter explains how leading progressivist John Dewey and project method advocate William Heard Kilpatrick were impressed with the progressive education in schools in the former Soviet Union in the early decades of the 20th century. Dr. Ravitch writes on page 209 that Dewey was convinced that "education was the key to social transformation, for he wrote repeatedly that the most significant aspect of the Russian Revolution was not political or economic but psychological, moral, and intellectual."
Another chapter explains the history of intelligence testing and how IQ scores have been used throughout the past century to prevent children from receiving an academic education. Another chapter discusses how a former Harvard president, James B. Conant, influenced the current state of high school education in America. Dr. Ravitch writes on page 364 that "Conant almost obsessively insisted that the schools must stand firm against parents who wanted their children to take academic courses even though they were not `academically talented.'...Counselors would have to be prepared to persuade `overambitious parents' that their child was not `academically talented.' To withstand `unreasonable parental pressures,' schools would have to insist upon `policy' - that is, a consistent bureaucratic defense of what was done and not done..."
Dr. Ravitch does identify problems that exist in American education, but her message is not a pessimistic one, but is a message of hope. By better understanding the history of American education in the past century, our American system of education will move forward in a positive direction for our children and our nation.Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms Overview

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