Screwed-Up School Reform
Fixing Americas Broken Promise
By (author) Bruce S. Cooper PhD, emeritus professor and vice chair, Division of Administration, Policy, Richard G. Shear
Publication date:
11 September 2012Length of book:
168 pagesPublisher
R&L EducationDimensions:
229x150mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9781610486019
The unspoken American promise is that each generation will lead a better, more successful life than the previous one. In earlier times, it was an education that provided the next generations a better life. For today’s children, though, decades of failed school reform have left a generation wondering if this promise has been broken. Despite policies, programs, and resources, American education does not live up to its expectations.
In Screwed-Up School Reform, Richard G. Shear and Bruce S. Cooper reveal that generations of school reforms have actively worked to cure the symptoms of “broken schools,” but not the overarching, fundamental problems that permeate the system. Virtually an entire society has failed to understand the main problem with American education: children are rejecting its practices and conditions. But, the screwed-up education system is fixable, and it can be fixed now. If reformers focus instead on changing education’s foundation, then children will instead succeed at school and in their personal lives.
In Screwed-Up School Reform, Richard G. Shear and Bruce S. Cooper reveal that generations of school reforms have actively worked to cure the symptoms of “broken schools,” but not the overarching, fundamental problems that permeate the system. Virtually an entire society has failed to understand the main problem with American education: children are rejecting its practices and conditions. But, the screwed-up education system is fixable, and it can be fixed now. If reformers focus instead on changing education’s foundation, then children will instead succeed at school and in their personal lives.
No component of American education is spared Richard G. Shear’s and Bruce S. Cooper’s blame in Screwed-Up School Reform: Fixing America’s Broken Promise. They deliver a harsh assessment of the reform movement, backed by in-depth analysis of the contributing negative forces. But these authors don’t leave it at that. They provide rational and feasible responses to the reform attempts that are the targets of their tough appraisal. Shear and Cooper argue the reformers fail to see the problem for what it is and make matters worse by applying the wrong fixes. They make a compelling case that students should be valued as consumers, eager to use a product that satisfies their needs. Their 10 recommendations begin with their call for a much more participatory role for students and parents in the school system. They see this as a way to move reform in the right direction.