A Houston high school has just issued a dress code that points out the importance of maintaining standards. In this case, the standard was minimal, and the intention was reasonable. The irrational reaction to it tells us much about the reasons that our society is steadily becoming more disordered. What made this dress code different … Read more
Everyone wants better schools. Advocates of computers in the classroom have long held out the promise of supercharging the learning process. The right computer program, they argue, could provide continual stimulation to the fast learners and help slower student focus on basic skills in math, reading and writing. Free Book: Return to Order: From a … Read more
The Hoover Institution just issued two studies that should be keeping education policymakers up at night because they fly in the face of the ideology of American education. Many critical assumptions that underlay the “Common Core” debacle are also challenged. One study shows that the “achievement gap” has been mostly unchanged since the mid-fifties. The … Read more
Homework is, or at least used to be, universal. Those who enjoy learning often remember it as an important part of their own mental development. It helps to build responsibility, valuable habits, and the ability to grapple with a problem on your own. Like all students, I did my share of homework. As a parent, … Read more
The word university comes from the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium which means a community of scholars and teachers. They gathered together in search of the truth. Its medieval Catholic origins speak of a unified worldview that encompassed all sciences and disciplines. It embraced all that is physical, from the stars in the sky to … Read more
Like most teachers, I spent the first few years of my career just trying to keep my head above water, running as fast as I could to keep from falling behind. Then came a horrible realization. Nobody cared how hard I worked as long as enough students got A’s. Give grades that were high enough, … Read more
One sign of a disordered society is a disordered educational system. “We can teach anybody,” is one of the most common catchphrases in American Education. Consider the names of the education programs of the last two presidents. Government Education Programs President Bush wanted to be known as the education president. When he took office, he … Read more
One of the most controversial elements in any school is the dress code. Many students will push the boundaries of the code as far as they can. Some teachers, saying something like, “I don’t care what they wear as long as they learn,” think dress codes are silly. Other teachers believe they are essential. Administrators … Read more
Just when it appears modern educators have reached the limit of their bizarre doctrines, they always seem to find something new. The latest trend is banning best friends at school. Even these most personal relationships must be controlled. It was bad enough when enlightened educators turned childhood relationships upside down with their attack on “stereotypes.” … Read more
