Product Description

How can we fix America's floundering public schools? Conventional wisdom says that schools and teachers need a lot more money, that poor and immigrant children can't do as well as most American kids, that high-stakes tests just produce teaching to the test, and that vouchers do little to help students while undermining our democracy. But what if the conventional wisdom is wrong? Jay Greene provocatively shows that much of what people believe about education policy is little more than a series of myths advanced by the special interest groups dominating public education.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #436903 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From Booklist
Researcher Greene debunks several purported myths at the heart of assumptions about efforts to reform troubled public schools. He begins with the conventional wisdom that increased spending on schools leads to improved education. Citing national statistics on school spending, Greene asserts that most arguments about inadequate spending are based on anecdotes not facts. He concludes that even if schools in poor urban areas were provided with more funds, there is no guarantee they would use the funds effectively. Other myths that he debunks: social problems such as poverty contribute to low academic performance, smaller class sizes produce improvements, certified teachers are more effective, teachers are underpaid, public schools’ performance has declined, private schools are more racially segregated than public schools. These myths are perpetuated by powerful interest groups, including teachers’ unions, asserts Greene. Whatever readers may think of Greene’s research, he provides an interesting perspective to the ongoing debates about what ails public schools and how to improve them. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Freakonomics for Education
Public school spending per pupil, adjusting for inflation, has soared in recent decades, while student performance has stagnated. This central and uncomfortable fact is the essence of the crisis in American public education today- a collapse in the productivity of spending.

Defenders of the status-quo, when forced to address this problem at all, trot out a series of comfortable myths. Greene's book methodically demolishes each of them, while also providing a roadmap to genuine improvement. An important book for anyone wishing to come to grips with the real and phantom challenges facing public education today.

A great place to begin rethinking public education
If ever an institution needed input from someone working outside the standard paradigm, public education is it. To many people, it is obvious the system is not working well, yet suggestions from anyone who is not part of the system are automatically dismissed. Jay Greene is an established and well-respected researcher of education issues, whose only agenda is to elevate the quality of public and professional debate about education. This book addresses a basic problem facing those who wish to improve our schools: many assumptions about education have never been tested in a scientific manner, and many have no basis in fact. Often these untested assumptions form the rationale for expensive programs that consume much time and money with little result. In some cases, blind acceptance by the public of untrue "facts" prevents consideration of novel approaches. Greene has analyzed the research related to several crucial issues and pointed out that while some of it is worth considering, much of it is of little or no value. This book suggests a fresh framework for inquiry into the problems that plague our schools and frustrate everyone who wishes to see good education available for all children.

Bring on the Solutions
Education Myths by Jay Greene is an excellent discussion of the most important topics in education policy today. The work is much more than a survey of current research. Greene has participated in several major studies while at the Manhattan Institute on such topics as vouchers, true graduation rates, and teaching democratic participation in our society. Greene's intimacy with the policy details comes through in each topic.

The book is fast and punchy, and it is a true joy to read. Greene is definitely willing to take on the status quo and promote change.

I enjoyed Education Myths so much that I have already bought a half dozen copies for friends, and I expect you will probably do the same.

I cannot wait for the sequel. What's next? Education Solutions!