Publication date:
27 December 2012Length of book:
230 pagesPublisher
R&L EducationDimensions:
238x161mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9781610488334
Written by a parent and school board member, who first embraced many of the ideas of the modern school reform movement, Schoolhouse Shams lays bare much of the mythology and misinformation that underpin many of the failed school reform policies of the last decade. Many of the top strategies of the highly publicized school reform movement already have been tried out in St. Louis with disastrous results. Along with demonstrating the failure of school reform prescriptions to improve education, the experience of St. Louis demonstrates that the ideological premise of the reform movement, that a focus on providing opportunities for private profit-taking will necessarily improve schools, is both wrong and conflicts with the ideals of democracy, accountability, and justice.
In Schoolhouse Shams: Myths and Misinformation in School Reform, author Peter Downs, a business writer and former school board president in St. Louis, Mo., takes aim at what he calls “simplistic, easy-to-implement solutions” to complex education problems. Downs vigorously tackles some of the most prevalent education myths, among them the notions that schools are not as good as they used to be due to desegregation; large-scale assessments are precise and standardized; public schools are wasteful and outsourcing will save money; and privatization and parental choice make schools better and cheaper. The book’s claims are grounded in his experiences with the St. Louis Public Schools, and he doesn’t shy away from pointing fingers. In a narrative that reads like an exposé, Downs identifies the powerful organizations, companies and individuals that enrich themselves by selling false stories to the public, turning education from a public good to a private product.