| Description |
xii, 260 p. ; 23 cm |
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text txt rdacontent |
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unmediated n rdamedia |
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volume nc rdacarrier |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Contents |
I. Myths, hoaxes, and outright lies -- II. Myths and lies about who's best: charters, privates, maybe Finland? International tests show that the United States has a second-rate education system -- Private schools are better than public schools -- Charter schools are better than traditional public schools -- Charter schools are private schools -- Cyberschools are an efficient, cost-saving, and highly effective means of delivering education -- Home schooled children are better educated than those who attend regular public schools -- School choice and competition work to improve all schools. Vouchers, tuition tax credits, and charter schools inject competition into the education system and "raise all boats." -- Want to find the best high schools in America? Ask Newsweek or U.S. News -- III. Myths and lies about teachers and the teaching profession: teachers are "everything," that's why we blame them and their unions. Teachers are the most important influence in a child's education -- Teachers in the United States are well-paid -- Merit pay is a good way to increase the performance of teachers. Teachers should be evaluated on the basis of the performance of their students. Rewarding and punishing schools for the performance of their students will improve our nation's schools -- Teachers in schools that serve the poor are not very talented -- Teach for America teachers are well trained, highly qualified, and get amazing results -- Subject matter knowledge is the most important asset a teacher can possess -- Teachers' unions are responsible for much poor school performance. Incompetent teachers cannot be fired if they have tenure -- Judging teacher education programs by means of the scores that their teachers' students get on state tests is a good way to judge the quality of the teacher education program -- IV. Myths and lies about how to make our nation's schools better. Class size does not matter; reducing class sizes will not result in more learning -- Retaining children in grade--"flunking" them--helps struggling students catch up and promotes better classroom instruction for all -- Tracking, or separating slow and fast learners, is an efficient and productive way to organize teaching. Gifted classes and special schools for our most talented students benefit both individuals and society -- Immersion programs ("sink or swim") for English language learners are better than bilingual education programs -- Preserving heritage language among English language learners is bad for them -- Abstinence-only educational programs work to reduce sexual contact and unwanted pregnancies among school children -- Homework boosts achievement -- Group projects waste children's time and punish the most talented -- School uniforms improve achievement and attendance -- Longer school days and weeks have big payoffs for achievement -- If a program works well in one school or district, it should be imported and expected to work well elsewhere -- Zero-tolerance policies are making schools safer -- The benefits of preschool and kindergarten programs are not convincing and thus not worth the investment -- Character education will save America's youth and strengthen the nation's moral fiber -- Bullying is inevitable; it's just kids. It's a rite of passage. The national effort to eliminate bullying is effectively addressing the problem in our schools -- American K-12 education is being dumbed down -- Mayoral control of public schools has paid off in terms of student achievement -- Forced integration has failed -- V. Myths and lies about how our nation's schools are paid for: all schools are equal, but some are more equal than others. Money doesn't matter! We're spending more money than ever, but test scores are stagnant -- The money available to school districts is spread equally across their schools -- In America, public money is not used to support religious schools -- Education benefits children individually, not the public in general; so supporting education for all past a minimal level--8th grade or 12th grade, say--is hardly justifiable -- Tuition tax credits for families that choose private schools are appropriate, since they are spending their own money to educate their children -- Tuition tax credits and education savings accounts are helping many poor children escape failing public schools and enroll in excellent private schools -- Portfolio management models of schooling will increase district performance -- VI. Myths and lies about making all students career and college ready. All kids can learn. Schools can teach all students to the point of mastery -- Our nation's economy is suffering because our education system is not producing enough scientists, engineers, and mathematicians -- The United States has had to create special passport guidelines to import scientists and engineers because our education system cannot produce enough of them -- High school exit exams guarantee that our graduates will be "college ready" and prepared to succeed as workers in a global economy -- Advanced placement (AP) courses are providing minority students an opportunity to get a head start on a college education -- College admissions are based on students' achievement in grades K-12 and their SAT or ACT scores -- Education will lift the poor out of poverty and materially enrich our entire nation -- IQ tests predict success in life. That's why schools use them to form ability groups and pick students for gifted or special-needs tracks -- The schools are wasting their time trying to teach problem solving, creativity, and general thinking skills; they would be better off teaching the facts students need to succeed in school and later in life. |
| Subject |
Education -- United States.
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Educational change -- United States.
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Public schools -- United States.
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Education. (OCoLC)fst00902499
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Educational change. (OCoLC)fst00903371
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Public schools. (OCoLC)fst01082942
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United States. (OCoLC)fst01204155
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| Added Author |
Berliner, David C., editor of compilation.
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Glass, Gene V, 1940- editor of compilation.
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| Added Title |
Fifty myths and lies that threaten America's public schools |
| ISBN |
9780807755242 (pbk.) |
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0807755249 (pbk.) |
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9780807772812 (ebook) |
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