Education Myths: What Special Interest Groups Want You to Believe about Our Schools--And Why It Isn't So

by Jay P. Greene

Book Overview

How can we fix America's floundering public schools? The conventional wisdom says that schools 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?

In Education Myths: What Special Interest Groups Want You to Believe About...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0742549771
• ISBN13: 9780742549777
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Thank you Mr. Greene

Jay P. Greene has an agenda: the beginning of a modern system of public education. Wake up America, we need change in Public Education and Greene is right on point. Some of his points can be offensive (to teachers), but sometimes the truth hurts. Everyone agrees there exists a problem, and when Greene asks the reader to look at the facts that lead to the roots in order to get to the solution, I am inspired that there is hope. We all have agendas in life that govern the decisions we make from the time we wake to the time we sleep. Some of the agendas we choose in life are selfish and regressive for our great country. We can only hope that more are interested in progress. Greene is a true American who has put the progress of his country at the front of his agenda. "Education Myths" is clearly written from the hearts and minds of men who care and I look forward to reading more from Greene and others from his school of thought.

Important Material!

Education Myths" reviews 18 widely held beliefs, unmasking self-interests that block improvement while bleeding the nations' taxpayers. Greene begins by tracking education spending/pupil from the end of WWII to '01-'02, in '01-'02 dollars. The initial figure was $1,214, rising to $4,479 in '71-'72, and ending up at $8,745. During the '71-'72 - '01-'02 period, pupil achievement measured by the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) rose only 3 to 5 points on a 250-300 point scale. Thus, more money does not equate to more achievement, in any sort of useful manner. Greene then goes on to refute the common "excuses" for lagging performance - special education draining away funds and social problems like poverty, before going on to address the most expensive myth of all - reducing class size improves pupil performance. Other myths addressed that are of particular interest include the value of teacher certification, the value of increased teach pay (along with its corollary - teachers are underpaid), and the case that charter schools drain needed funds from public schools - thereby hurting them (actually the evidence shows that they benefit from the competition). An important work, especially for school board members and legislators constantly assailed by sad stores about "if only we had more money . . .." Reality is that if educators returned to prior productivity levels we would save about $200 billion/year.

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!

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.