A recent article by Dana Goldstein in the New York Times about the Common Core displays a common tendency among liberals. They never acknowledge that their pet programs can fail. When a “progressive” proposal fails, the left never goes back to construct an entirely new scheme. They return to their overriding goals, tweak the old … Read more
Once again, the educationists are racing to create ever more absurd ways to “teach” children. The recent controversy over the proposed California Social Studies Curriculum is one example. This proposal was so ridiculous that the word history was spelled hxrstory (pronounced her-story) to be more inclusive. Fortunately, this proposal was rejected. However, similar minds in … Read more
Modernity is defined by the Enlightenment idea that reason can be turned into a god. If an idea was rational, then it must be true. By this logic, people normally do not do irrational things and therefore are naturally good. Human misbehavior can be attributed not to individuals but defects in society. Based on these … Read more
The American educational system is always awash with proposals for “change” or “reform.” There are plenty of opportunities. Every time the legacy of John Dewey fails, the educationists rework Deweyism and call it “change” and “reform.” Only the ideas of Karl Marx have failed more often than those of John Dewey. Common Core is only … Read more
Students who are searching for objective truth should shy away from any course with the word “Studies” in its title. Centered on opinion, persuasion, and propaganda, these courses seldom include rigorous evaluation of provable facts. According to the Hoover Institution, California’s educationists1 have been handed a defeat in their attempt to impose a wildly liberal … Read more
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute is an education-oriented think tank that is usually on the conservative side of the spectrum. They favor the charter school movement and oppose the more radical aspects of the Common Core. Their recent report “Discipline Reform Through the Eyes of Teachers” is unusual because it asks actual teachers, not administrators … Read more
The College Board is scared of the equity movement. Scared people make bad decisions. Creating a so-called adversity score of a college entrance test is one of the worst possible decisions. In its misbegotten attempt to create an equal world, the board only succeeds in making the process of college admission even more impenetrable. The … Read more
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
