Education Reform: A Self-Scrutinizing MemoirProfessor Sarason candidly confronts his errors of omission and commission, mistakes, and emphases in his half-century involvement in educational reform. No other major figure in this arena has made public such a searching self-critique. Sharing his thoughts about the future of education, Sarason discusses his thinking on: charter schools, productive learning, motivation, high-stakes testing, the need for teachers to relate differently to each other and to parents, the importance of working through change, and the mistaken idea that we can clone reforms. Although written before the September 11th World Trade Center tragedy, the last chapter of this book is extraordinarily relevant to the subsequent national importance of societal values and responsible citizenship. Although this is a deliberately personally revealing book, Sarason s self-scrutiny will be stimulating and invaluable to anyone interested in reform as concept, action, and values. This is a book that deserves the label courageous. A tour-de-force which reveals not only Sarason s in-depth knowledge of virtually all contemporary reform movements but also his incorruptible personal integrity. This book is a must-read for all would-be reformers, and especially for those based in colleges and universities. Seymour Sarason takes us on an intellectual journey through his life s work, dedicated to understanding schools and their resistance to change. By reflecting out loud on his own thinking, he brings us to a higher level of insight and understanding. In typical Sarason fashion, he forces readers who are pushing for closer collaborations between researchers and practitioners to face the formidable challenges of bridging these two cultures. |
Contents
1 | |
6 | |
27 | |
Time Perspective The Disconnect Between Fantasy and Reality | 43 |
Educational Reform and Foreign Aid Similar Problems Different Labels | 62 |
Teacher Unions Part of the Problem Not of the Solution | 85 |
Again Are Teachers Professionals? | 103 |
Failure of Nerve Or Why Bang Your Head Against the Wall? | 117 |
What Constitutes a Case History of a Reform Effort? | 177 |
Math Music and Learning | 193 |
What I Want for Students and Why Or We Have Met the Enemy and It Is Us | 211 |
Ending with Starting Points | 237 |
The Continuity Value | 252 |
281 | |
285 | |
About the Author | 293 |