![]() ![]() Programs like Common Core and No Child Left Behind take credit for radically improving American education. American education is doing much as it's always done - about as well as possible, given the crushing poverty, single parent-families, violence, and racism holding back the kids it's charged with shepherding to adulthood.īut then how do education reform efforts and charters produce such dramatic improvements? DeBoer's answer: by lying. Race and gender gaps are stable or decreasing. It's not getting worse by international standards: America's PISA rankings are mediocre, but the country has always scored near the bottom of international rankings, even back in the 50s and 60s when we were kicking Soviet ass and landing men on the moon. American education isn't getting worse by absolute standards: students match or outperform their peers from 20 or 50 years ago. He argues that every word of it is a lie. Only tough no-excuses policies, standardization, and innovative reforms like charter schools can save it, as shown by their stellar performance improving test scores and graduation rates. ĭeBoer starts with the standard narrative of The Failing State Of American Education. ![]() I disagree with him about everything, so naturally I am a big fan of his work - which meant I was happy to read his latest book, The Cult Of Smart. Socialist blogger Freddie DeBoer is the opposite: few allies, but deeply respected by his enemies. Oscar Wilde supposedly said George Bernard Shaw "has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends".
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