164 cHAPTER4' EDUCATIoN

tm

1$

$r

Iil

li

i.l

and propose recommendations for addressing them' Cite at least two

,orrri., irom the Conversation in your response'

3. John Dewey, the father of experiential.education' described the interac-

tion of education and democracy as follows:

Democratic society is peculiariy dependent for its maintenance upon the use in

forming a course of 't"ay

of t'itt'iu which are broadly human' Democracy can-

not flourish where th]i.f ,rrflo.rr.., in serecting subject mxt] yf instruction

areutilitariant"a"t*'o*iyconceivedlorthemasses'and'forthehighereduca-tion of the few, the ,r"inr"", of a specialized cultivated class. The notion that the

"essentials" "f tlt-';;;;; educati'on are the three Rs mechanically treated' is

based upon ignorance of the essentials needed for realization of democratic

ideals....Acurriculumwhichacknowiedgesthesocialresponsibilitiesofeduca-tionmustPresentsituationswhereproblemsarerelevanttotheproblemsoflir-ing together, ""d

*;;;;;"'uutio'-t and information are calculated to develop

social insight and interest' -Democracy

and Education,lgl6

Write an essay explaining the extent to which you believe that high

schools today are preparing citizens to achieve Dewey's vision' Draw or'

your experie"tt u"i oU'er"vation' and cite at least three of the sources

from the Conversation to develop your argument'

4. Suppose you could choose to attend either a high school that emphasizes

vocational .a"tutiot' itJuding training in spec:ifit' 1ob skills and required

internships' "' ''"n'iin'"ftooithut t*phuii'"' the liberal arts' Which

would better prepare you to partlcipate rn a global economy? Explain whv

The following essay is one AP student's response to the following prompt'

Iames Baldwin delivered .A Talk to Teachers" to a group of educators in Ne.

York City in rso: - ;ver forty years ago' Do the problems and prejudices he d:'

cussed still exist, or are they history?

As you read, consider how the student explains and supports his viewpoint'

A Talk

In James Baldwin,s ,A Ta

schools and describes how the pilater. some of the problems BaLdr

a talk to teachers today, i wouldtypical school such as class level.Advanced piacement classes defilclass. Also, spofts are often domipredominantiy one race. Last, soc

In my school a link can b

classes enrolled in. Often in Ap ar

In regular classes, the students altrend reflects the experiences BaL

encounters the "whiter'. parts of Ipart of the city that he grew up irmeant for him. Baldwin writes, ,,y

is for you. You know this before yrshunned from this part of park Avfeel today towards advanced_ievel

students in upper-level classes carbrings up. Minority students belieiadvanced-level classes. Although e

can push himsetf. if students belie.not attempt to try them. African A

their expectations. Therefore, wheralready denying any chance for sucnot for them.

Another probiem in high sc

member of two varsity sports at mysports" and the "biack sports.,, part

(swimming and lacrosse) has show:rclasses. In the sports that I play, inessentiai for success. Swimming reqmembership to pools, while lacrossefootball. It is much harder for blackof the lack of opportunities. Baldwi:opportunity to succeed in life. Baldralmost all the doors of opportunity I

can do about it." African American c

sports such as swimming and lacross

l*

I

nces as Evidence

150

,. :r I ir"',i. r ..:,i.r:ii i,' i l':i.a':,iTl {}Vii} g POVef ty'

"- :a3 \-ictims of miser\- arou

-.:=:ials to be rvorked up in:

i suppose it to be the un

-,=:.: of benevolence u'ith th,

, r:dorring private fortune:-:::iness of the people in 'r

::- : leudalism of a nerv kinci

-: -re middle ages. The feud;

:-;rr retainers in a more abit

. -:;ign manufacturers and i

::3sent day. The means eml

,::'jiing. What force did thel

::d no spot of earth on rvhi

--. lord. The operative or la

---:refore no bread, uniess th,*:lter but such as his masi

: .glish operatives or farm-

-:erefore they must accept r

.;ribed his own terms to his

:rust submit or perish. The I,"'ages he will give to his rvc

:ietext he pleases; and the,v, t

-: some respects, indeed, the

:ran that ofthe correspondi:atriarchal relation did spri:arsh relations subsisting be

:ition of children, some rel:

:ecrepitude of age. But onlr.rnoothed the rugged reiatioiren of the work-people art

lrivations they suffer, and t}-,-et been able to secure thentrated by sickness, or eYentu

has all along been his destine

Now, surely nothing but

:o the domination of capita

',vealth and the education, r'

matters not by what name tltact and in truth, will be the

In a feudal society, a serfwho ha

ilffiffirffisw.*- \merican High stlg'

"91Focus on the I:..."..."''''."""'"

Each of the following texts presents a viewpoint on the American high school'

sources ^ t Report of the Massachusetts Board of Education

i. Horace Mann' Fron

" t"""ut,ttein, Lel Teen'agersrry Ad!hh?::

Todd Gitlin, Th' Li;;';f;'t' in on Age of 'Info-Glut

;*iTii,',#:i:y:l:lt:',1':.iiiii!:ternationatsurvevorMa'rhskittso. N or*u" no trt*"ll' ffiip" l"t' o1 n a" *t i o n (p aintrng)

After you have tead' studied' and synthesized these pieces' enter the conversation

with one of th" "tgg"'i"J

topitt on pp' 163-164'

l.Freirnfteltt:"rt*-itlitii-!\/:iL:':t'tti:y't,ti:)t:i'l'stss{etdofEdwcatiottHontceMaNN

The following selection is tqken from on officiql policy document by Horoce

Monn (17e6-t 8;;i' il: ';

k;"*" "' th";;h* oi Amu'i'on public educotion

l:T#;;"'*.'"*i*:T::I::::'fi :ii:'ff j#Jff:i'i,?;J""ff :'l

:?lltl*:,'"['J":;."fi xli:]:l^i::'1:"il:"'-il::'*-"1 j"'men'ior

what thev earn' The '"iil;t;;;

.o "ft"ii'v ol tlnJition; the former' to the gross-

est inequalities" ' 'But is it not true that Massachusetts' in^some respects' instead of adhering

more and *o" 'lo"lv';;;;;"*' theorv' * ffi;#l-.l1:^''l'he banetui

examples of Europe? t;:;#; tetween tnti*o t"t'""1es of 1"'tl:tv

is length-

*: r;,1;:1,1":t':x'"ffiifi'ffi trtffi 'J}ti.'n tf*

';ililTh'I";'ilinil",,!!'ji'1:5y,5l*i,::Till;i',,?i.'J,l:J:;i;,'n" .ilitit i" outuin them' makes men wolnsr

l

CONVERSATION I5I

ce

)-

al1 the victims of misery around it, not objects for pity and succor, but only crude

naterials to be worked up into more money'

Isupposeittobetheuniversalsentimentofallthosewhomingleanyingre-lient of benevolence with their notions on political economy' that vast and over-

'hadowing private fortunes are among the greatest dangers to which the

.uppln.rJoithe people in a republic can be subjected' Such fortunes would cre-

ate a feudalis- oi u new kind, but one more oppressive and unrelenting than that

oi the middle ages. The feudal lords in England and on the continent never held

:heir retainers in a more abject condition of servitude than the great majority of

rcreign manufacturers and capitalists hold their operatives and laborers at the

,r.r."n, day. The means employed are different; but the sin-rilarity in results is

striking. what force did then, money does now. The villeinl of the middle ages

had no"spot of earth on which he could live, unless one were granted to him by

ris lord. The operative or laborer of the present day has no employment' and

:herefore no bread, unless the capitalist will accept his services. The vassal had no

.helter but such as his master provided for him' Not one in five thousand of

:nglish operatives or farm-laborers is able to build or own even a hovel; and

:helrefore they must accept such shelter as capital offers them. The baron pre-

.cribed his own terms to his retainers: those terms were peremptory, and the serf

nust submit or perish. The British manufacturer or farmer prescritres the rate of

',rages he will give to his work-people; he reduces these wages under whatever

:.."te"t he pleales; and they, too, have no aiternative but submission or starvation'

-nro-"respects,indeed,theconditionofthemoderndependentismoreforlorn:han that of the corresponding serf class in former times. Some attributes of the

:atriarchal relation dii spri"! up between the lord and his lieges to soften the

iurrh ,.lutlons subsisting between them' Hence came some oversight of the con-

:ition of children, some" relief in sickness, some protection and support in the

Secrepitudeofage.Butonlyininstancescomparativelyfewhlvgkindlyoffices,-oih"d the rugged relation between British capital and British labor' The chil-

jren of the work-people are abandoned to their fate; and notwithstanding the

:rivations they suifer, and the dangers they threaten' no power in the realm has

.''etbeenabletoSecurethemaneducation;andwhentheadultlaborerispros-

:rated by sickness' or eventually worn out by toil and age' the poorhouse' which

ras all aiong been his destination' becomes his destiny' ' ' 'Now, sirely nothing but universai education can counterwork this tendency

:o the domination of cipital and servility of labor. If one class possesses all the

..ieaith and the education, while the residue of society is ignorant and poor, it

:ratters not by what name the relation between them may be called: the latter' in

iact and in truth, will be the servile dependants and subjects of the former' But, if

Ito. alltof]SS.

ringeiulgrh-r the'1TO-'r5

nan-houtes, in In a feudal societn a serfwho has the right to own property'

152 cHAPTER4' EDUCATIoN

educationbeequablydiffused,itwilldrawpropertyafteritbythestrongestofal'attractions, for such

" itti"g never did ttupp""' and never can happen' as that an

intelligent u.rd pru.tl.uli"?/"r -"1 'ttooia be permanently poor' Property and

labor in different classes are essentially antagonisiic; but property and labor in the

same class are essentially fraternaf ihe peopl" of Massachusetts have' in some

degree, appreciated the iruth, that the unexampled prosperity of the State - its

comfort, it, .o-p"t.,t.t, i" gt"tt"f intelligence and virtue - is attributable to

the education, more "t

lt";n;*tt' which ull itt people have received: but are ther

sensible of a fact .q"dl;;;;rtant; namely' that it is to this same education that

two-thirdsofthepeopleu"i"dtbt"dfornotbeingtodaythevassalsofassevereatyranny, in the form

"; t;;il, ;t the lower classes of Europe are bound to in the

form of bru te force?

Education'then,beyondallotherdevicesofhumanorigin,isthegreatequal.izer of the conditions of *.n, -

the balance-wheel of the social machinery' I dc

notheremeanthatit,o.l.*t.,themoralnatureastomakemendisdainancabhor the oppression of tftti' fellow-men' This idea pertains to another of it'

attributes. But I mean that it gives each man the independence and the means b'''

which he can resist the selfish"ness of other men. It does better than to disarm th'

pooroftheirhostilitytowardstherich:itpreventsbeingpoor.Agrarianismisth;revengeofpovertyug.,t,twealth'Thewantondestructionofthepropertyc:others -

the Uurnl,ti oittuy-ricks and corn-ricks' the demolition of machiner''

because it supersedei handilabor, the sprinkiing of vitriol on rich dresses - r.

only agrarianism run mad' Education prevents both the revenge and the mac-

ness.ontheotherhand,afellow-feelingforone'sclassorcasteisthecommor.instinct of hearts "";;h"lly

sunk in selish regards for person or.for family. The

spread of education, uy ."ilrgr"g the,cultivated class or caste, will open a wide:

area over which the #il r..iir.is will expand; and, if this education should b.

universal and complete, it woulJdo more than all things else to obliterate factr-

tious distinctions in society' ' ' 'For the creation oJ wealth, then, -

for the existence of a wealthy peopl.

andawealthynation,-i"ttttigt"ceisthegrandcondition'Th,enumberofim-provers will increase as the intJllectual constituency, if I may call it, increases. I:

former times, and in most parts of the world even at the present day, not one ma:,

in a million has ever had such a development of mind as made it possible for hin

to become a contributor to art o, ,.i"r... Let this development precede, anc

contributionr,nr,-b"tlt's,andofinestimablevalue'willbesuretofollow'Tha:political economy) therefore, which busies itself about capital and labor, suppi-'

anddemand,interestandrents,favorableandunfavorablebalancesoftrade,bu:leavesoutofu..orrrrtth"elementofawidespreadmentaldevelopment'isnough:but stupendo", f"lly. ih. greatest of all the arts in political economy is to chang.

a consumer into u iroau."..; ,nd the next greatesi is to increase the producer '

producing power, -.' un .nd to be directly aitained by increasing his intelligenct

For mere delving, u" ig";tu"t man is but little better than a swine' whom he sc

much resembl., in hi,"uppetites, and surpasses in his powers of mischief'

- -.,U. \Iann's snle rn i

- :;t Teenagers Trt-:LT\

BOTSTEIN

--e lollowing opinicnl: ege ond outhor c: -ericon Culture | 9a

-": ..riional outpourrn: .

. - . shootings has -.c:..- - .:-re: the America- :

month fafter the =._- :.:d rvith stories abou:

- '-iers and outsider:. -

-,,'---:ions of good looks ar

- -r3 team sports oi l:::- --, s loyaltytothe lri:...-:,-; ieams succeed. Hte:

-:r roaches, and thl ;; .

- :. - r\'. The result is th.:- - ' in the school. lnd:'. r-

:.rt the rules of hieh .:' 'l outsider become. :i- ::culinity and femin-. -

*-. of popularity in hi,_-

- .. or old is confinec :l' : :i individuals of the ::: .-::. not even in colieges ..

:: -:.lology.

'riven the poor quaiin-. ro wonder that the cu;

' r'.'oYer young people. \\-:

CONVERSATION I53

i ailianand

r theome

- itsrle totheY

r that;ere a

ii'r the

:qual- 5

r-. I don andof its

ans bY

rm the

r is the

erty of:i-rinery

es--ise mad-)i]1monilv. The

a rviderould be

re facti-

, peoPle

:i of im-:ases. Inone man: for him:ede, and

,oiv. Thatrr, suPPlY

:iade, butrs nought;o change,ioducer's

teliigence'rom he so

:i.

G$estioExs

1, V\4ay does Horace Mann begin with a description of the ..feudal lords in England

and on the Continent" (Para. 3)?

2. What does Mann mean by "Property and labor in different classes are essentially

antagonistic; but property and labor in the same class are essentially fraternal"

(para.4)?

3. \vhat metaphor does Mann use to describe education in a democracy? Is it effective?

-1. When Mann uses the term intelligence,does he mean innate ability or developed

skili?

S.DescribeMann'sstyleinthisexcerpt.Inwhatwaysisitappropriateforhisaudience?

l, l-et fEs*ag( '; '

LnoN BorsrEm

The following opinion piece wos written by Leon Botstein, president of Bord

College oni outhor oi J"ff"rron's Children: Education ond the Promise of

Am eri cq n C ultu re l1 997lr.

lhe national outpouring after the Littleton fColumbine High School in col-

_-rado,] shootings has foiced us to confront something we have suspected for a

."ng iir,'., the Imerican high school is obsolete and should be abolished. In

..1 . . month Iafter the shoJtings] high school students present and past Icame]

. rr},ard with stories about cliques and the artificial intensity of a world defined

:.,, insiclers and outsiders, in wiich the insiders hold sway because of superliciai

::hnitions of good looks and attractiveness, popularity and sports prowess'

The team sports of high school dominate more than student culture. A com-

,:;nity,s loyalty to the hilh schooi system is often based on the extent to which

.:s1ty teams succeed. Hig'h school administrators and faculty members are often

_:mer coaches, and the c"oaches themselves are placed in a separate, untouchable

_:iegory. The result is that the cuiture of the inside elite is not contested by the

. -.[. in the school' Individuality and dissent are discouraged'

But the rules of high school turn out not to be the rules of 1ife" often the high

,:_ool outsid.r b.coJ., the more successful and admired adult. The definitions

- rasculinity and femininity go through sufficient transformation to make the

:,:re of popularity in high t.tt"oot an embarrassment' No other group of adults

. -,r-tg o, old is confined to an age-segregated environment' much like a gang in

=,.1i irrdiuid.rals of the uu-. u!. group define each other's world. In no work-

: -.-e, not even in colleges o. .rniu.tiities, is there such a narrow segmer"rtation by

.._rno1ogy.

Given the poor quality of recruitment and training for high school teachers'

. ro wonder that the curricuium and the enterprise of learning hold so little

:' oYer young people' When puberq/ meets education and learning in modern

154 cHAPTER4' EDUCATIoN

America, the victory of puberty masquerading as popular. culture and the

tyranny of peer groups bu'"d ott ludicrous values meet little resistance'

By the time those *ftt gtJ""te from high school go on to college and realize :

what really is at stake n UJt"-i"g an adult' too many opportunities have been

lostandtoomuchtimehasbeenw-asted.Mostthoughtfulyourrgpeoplesufferthehighschool"n',riron,,,""tinsilenceandintheirjuniorandsenioryearsmarktime waiting fo, .ott"g"io legin. 1.he Littleton killers, above and beyond the psy-

chological demons th";;"r;;;hem to violence, felt trapped in the artificiality of

thehighschoolworldandbelievedittobereal.Theyengineeredtheirmomentofundivided attention ""Ji-p"r"nce

in the absence of any confidence that life

after high school could have a different meaning'

Adults should fu." itr. iult tnut they don t like adolescents and that they have

usedhighschooltoisolatethepubescentandhormonallyactiveadolescentawayfromboththepicture-bookidealizedinnocenceofchildhoodandthemoreaccountable world of adulthood' But the primary reason high school doesn t

workanymore,ifiteverdid'isthatyoungpeoplematuresubstantiallyearlierinthe late 20th century tf,*'tttty did when th; high school was invented' For

example, the age of n"i-t"ttruation has.dropped at least two years since the

beginning of this century, and not surprisingly' tttt o1191 of sexual activity has

ar3pp"al" proportion' An institution intended for children in transition now

holds young uaoft, Uutft *"U U"yotta the developmental point for which high

school was originallY designed'

Furthermore, *h;;;;;; constraints to the presumption of adulthood among

yo.rtg p"opt. -uy hutt existed decades ago have now fallen awa}' Information

and images, as well u, iht '"ul

and virtual freedom of movement we associate with

adulthood,arenowaccessibletoeveryl5-and16-year-old.Secondary

"a.r.uiior, -ust be reihought. Elementary school should begin at

age 4 or S and end witi the sixth grade. we should entirely abandon the concept

of the middl. ,.r,ooiurrJl""i", frigh school. Beginning with the seventh grade,

there should be four;;;;J;ir.."r,iury "do.ution that we may call high school'

Young people should graduate at 16 rather than 18'

They could then lnter the real world' the world of work or national service'

inwhichtheywouldtakeaplaceofresponsibilityalongsid.eolderadultsinmixedcompany. They could**t; no-9 u1$ attend junior college' or they could go

away to college. po, Jt the faults of college, at least the adults who dominate the

*oria of .od.g"r, the faculty, were selected precisely because they were excep-

tional and different, not because they were popular. Despite the often cavalier

attitude toward t.Ji;; in college, at least physicists know their physics, mathe-

maticians f.ro* ura-ioi.itr"lr riutn"mdtics, and music is taught by musicians'

notbygraduatesor.a,'.utio,'schools'wherethedisciplinesaresubordinatedtothe study of classroom management'

For those 16-year-olds *ho do not want to do any of the above' we might

constructrr.*kind,ofinstitutions'eachdedicatedtooneactiviryfromscience

,rtm, finm;=- :o r,rhich adolesc,

wlllh :"r:,-etsioraa-Is in thoxr; -:. lrolfl-q -{meri;at

t!u@mnrmc';-i ara,i i.nrerest:Wtts & -*Plnd rr*lere ther a

rmurm :ner age woups andrxrri rruflr[Ed utopian about trunmqrss.-rafion is long or,@[ Jr.]urua:F the lift ot a fla

fomdlnons

", Lm :c:rst paragraph. l"e

l-e a:d shLould be abolisil. ,ri{hji'Er;oa; Bot5teil rnea]

rr.ure" para- -1 Ii:, rmrtlS6g; Botsteil's ploF\o:.{L u-tlff3 ioes Botsteln a,i;

*1ffi;ient detail to be per'

:- '*'l';- pars of Bolsteui.ry.w="

tr" Tke Liberal Arts i

T-.CIo Gmsm te lollowing setecf{r

tlcr. sr;dying the iioe"onr€c|o-

ilhc gr.:: of images is. in nru

murm :or education anci tiljn

"nfls lrasence, tbr more ihmr rsen up irith rrork a-n

Jt[ i:fJid that. duri-ile --:

ldEms--,Jr-o runes in to sL\

rqflmrr:ie:r hour-lo n g d-rr nru

.uumr:i ierices, manr- rigu'wl*r::rls of cable subs-rilrl$er *:r?.

!-rr. simplicin-'s salie. amur:i chamels

- sa.!,-,4,11

CONVERSATION I55

to dance, to which adolescents couid devote their energies whiie working together

rvith professionals in those fields.

At i6, yo.rrrg Americans are prepared to be taken seriously and to develop the

motivations and interests that will serve them well in adult life' They need to

enter a world where they are not in a lunchroom with only their peers, estranged

tlom other age groups and cut off from the game of life as it is really played' There

is nothing ,rtopiutt about this idea; it is immensely practical and efficient, and its

r-pi"rn.itution is long overdue. We need to face biological and cuitural facts and

noi p.olong the life of a flawed institution that is out of date'

-,.lr:;rilrt tL. In the first paragraph, Leon Botstein states, "[T]he American high school is obso-

lete and should be abolished." why? what specific reasons does he provide?

l, What does Botstein mean by "the rules of high school turn out not to be the rules

oflife" (para.3)?

i. \\4rat is Botstein's proposed solution?

+. \Vhere does Botstein address a counterargument? Does he refute (or concede) in

sufficient detail to be Persuasive?

-:, Which parts of Botstein's reasoning do you find the strongest? the weakest?

Explain.

;t , '-ti,,e I':tCa','Ji; '|.:,;:) l:.',1, li:l::

":,1i (

': -'':tt. -

"

Toop GIrrnl

ln the following selection, outhor ond university professor Todd Gitlin orgues

thoi studying t[e liberol orts is even more irnportont now in this oge of moss

medio.

- he glut of images is, in many respects, unprecedented' and so is the challenge it

ror., fo, education and the arts. On average' Americans watch television, or are

-n its presence, for more than four hours a duy - half the waking hours that are

11ot taken up with work (and sometimes even then). For the sake of argument, let

-rs suppose that, during those hours of watching television, the representative

\nerican tunes in to iix fictional programs. Those might include half-hour

:omedies, hour-long dramas, and two-hour movies. (Actually, thanks to remote-

:ontrol devices, many viewers see more than one program at a time. More than

ivo-thircls of cable subscribers surf channels, and the younger they are, the more

.ley surf.)For simplicity's sake, assume 16 minutes of commerciais per hour on com-

:tercial channels say, 40 distinct commercials per hour. That gives us roughly

156 cHAPTER4' EDUcATIoN

r60 more short units of mass-mediated message per day. For viewers who watch

news shows, throw in, as a conservative estimate' 30 separate news items every

Juf e,aa trailers for upcoming shows and trivia qttzzes' Add sporting events'

Add videocassettes. Adi iittuou'ra, along the highway, on street.corners, on buses.

eJJ n.*rpuper and m,agazine stories a=nd advertisements, video and computer

games, book, _ .rp".iufiy Hghtweight fiction. Add the photo-studded displays of

wiggling, potentially "*"'"itigf"f u"nits-ofinformation and disinformation that

flood into millions or rrorrrJt otds and offices through the Internet. Read me!

Notice mel click on me! All told, we are exposed to thousands of mass-produced

storiesamonth,not*ontlngthorrrundr-orefreestandingimagesandlabelsthat flash into the corners of our consciousness'

Note, too, tfrut tfrl,^irnug""upt has a sound track-the vast quantities of

p*for-.d -usic and other ;dito;y stimuli' including songs',sound effects' tapes'

compactdisks,voice-mailfiller-allthecurrentsandejaculationsoforganized,oorrd that have become the background of our lives'

Now it is true that no one but impressionable psychotics could be held

in thrall for long Uy -o't of the minuscule dramas and depictions we find in

popular culture' W" ""pJ"*e most of the messages minim-ally' as 'sensations of

the moment. But some part of the imagescape ii ne-arly alw1rs clamoring for

attention. Caught ln ti. .,o,' hairs of wliat the comedy writer Larry Gelbart has

called "weapons of mass distractionj' how shall we know' deeply' who we are?

Howshallwefindstillpointsinaturningworld?Howshallwelearntogovernourselves?

What does it mean, this information for which we are to be giateful and

upgradeourfacilities?Whenaneo-NazicreatesaWorld.WideWebsitethatmaintains that Auschwitz was not a death camp, he is, technically, adding as much

..information" to the gross informational product as when someone posts an

analysis of global *";i;;. Curbug. in, gaibage sloshing around. When people

.,chat,, about the weather in phoenix or paris, they are circulating information,

but this does not -"* th"y are either deepening their sensib-ilities or improving

their democr utirrapa,ityto gover" themselves' Long before Hollyr'vood or com-

f,rt.rr, the French otr""'"' A]"xis de Tocqueville wrote of America: "What is gen-

erally sought in ttre- froductions of mind is easy pleasure and information

without labor." to*u.i that very end' the genius of our consumer-oriented mar-

ketplace has been to f,odt"" the Walkman' the remote-control device' and the

comPuter mouse.When information piles up higgledy-piggledy - when information becomes

the noise of our ..rltur" - the .r..a to teaih the lessons of the liberal arts is

urgent. students ,r""a l.nuff detectors.,'.They need some- orientation to philos-

ophy, history, language, literature' music,' and arts that have lasted more than

15 minutes. fn u nlff;-"Jocity culture, the liberal arts have to say, "Take your

time.,, They have to'tell students, ,.Tiends are fine, but you need to learn about

what endures"'

:acuifv members in the

',itlr*- rformation glut, we \\?llm :,: rrhat you wiil see.,{mirsc i Jane Austen on ps\-crr,luir*:ze. Here is Dostore.i-slll*sr.a-r655 rvith slavery. Here irx(s-r..-:;e, Beethoven's longing.

- re point is not simpir- tiL\: :-r Frelp new generations

-:xrr*ron run of humanin-. Chr*:-::" beauty and ugliness pe'mri -l'rout our American relin:r:{s that we must shape itr,'t ratil1- need continuities trffin:=eh careers and cultural ci

:::.allv, rve need to cultir atitiirr.i.::-r tbr the sake of pien b

m.l[ . ]-ut to pry us out of paro,uru :lL us that human beings I

n.rrre -ranaged, well and badh-.,*r-----l itill help our studenrillnr.rr--ag a common core of nE

Jm:E:rsj it rvill challenge or bclicTr: -: anv case, help them und'ltrsi ;{f,m.} agrees with them.

--;eardless of one's vierr-s oruTr: . hteilectually serious car* ;; -:.ge rr-ith shallow and scape*:; br budget pressures an('rl.;uu;:r could teach them aboulfunLir-'; cOrTUnOn CurriCUlUm lr,rllh -rat of 1900. What oreriap"rurau :allast. Surely the acadenlrJrrmtrrulfl ground in the quest trurugr.u" ;rtizenly, and smart.

@ilresgio'ns

,. ,,u\: does Todd Gitlin erplai:*":lcicans? Holv does this irit-c

- -:'^ ioes the sflle of parasrag

-..-:::t? Par.special aftention r

CONVERSATION 157

Faculty members in the liberal arts need to say: "We don't want to add to

-',lr information glut, we want to offer some ground from which to perceive the' ::t of what you will see. Amid the weightless fluff of a culture of obsolescence,'..:e is Jane Austen on psychological complication, Balzac on the pecuniary

- jeeze. Here is Dostoyevsky wrestling with God, Melville rvith nothingness,

- rglass with slavery. Here is Rembrandt's religious inwardness, Mozart's exu-

:r.rnce, Beethoven's longing. In a culture of chafl here is wheat."

The point is not simply to help us find our deepest individual beings. It is, to help new generations discover that they are not that different from the

r--mon run of humanity. Common concerns about life and death, right and

:e, beauty and ugliness persist throughout the vicissitudes of individual life,' -rghout our American restlessness, global instabilities, the multiple live-

-'ds that we must shape in an age of retraining, downsizing, and resizing.

, :ad1y need continuities to counteract vertigo as we shift identities, careen' '-rgh careers and cultural changes.

- inally, we need to cultivate the liberal arts in a democratic spirit - not nec-

, '.,r' for the sake of piety before the past (though that spirit is hardly ruledrut to pry us out of parochialism. In preparation for citizenship, the liberal

' ,:ll us that human beings have faced troubles before; they te1l us how people

. ,ranaged, well and badly. Access to a common, fuii-blooded humanities cur-

-.n rvill help our students cross social boundaries in their imaginations.

-,. ng a common core of learning will help orient them to common tasks as

,. s; it will challenge or bolster - make them think through - their views

I any case, help them understand why not everyone in the world (or in their, :om) agrees with them...-Eardless of one's views of the curricular conflicts of our time, surely no one L0

, intellectually serious can heip but notice how students of all stripes arrive.ge rvith shallow and scattered educations, ill-prepared to learn. They are

, .: bvbudget pressures and shortsighted overseers. A strong liberal-arts cur-. ::r could teach them about their history, their social condition, themselves.

) .ommon curriculum would not be that of 1950 - anymore than 1950's',.r of 1900. What overlap it would have with the past would generate cul-

..ilast. Sureiy the academic 1eft and right (and center) might find some

r ground in the quest to offer a higher education that is democratically:-tizenly, and smart.

:oes Todd Gitlin explain in detail the television-watching habits of most

: ..1ils? How does this information 1ay the foundation for his argument?

.-res the style of paragraph 2, which begins "For simplicity's sake," reflect its

' --:: Pav special attention to the sentence structure.

158 cHAPTER4 . EDUCATIoN

3. What effect does Gitlin's use of such emotional terms and references as "impres-sionable psychotics" and "neo-Nazi" have on his audience?

4. Why does he quote nineteenth-century critic Alexis de Tocqueville (para. 5)?

5. Gitlin offers several reasons for the importance of the liberal arts. What are they?Why does he present them in the order that he does?

6. This selection is from a longer article about the need for a common core cur-riculum in colleges. Do you think that its argument is relevant to high schoolsas well?

4. A Model for High Schools

Dnvlo S. BnooEn

ln the following orticle, Pulitzer Prize-winning iournolist Dovid S. Broder, q

politicol correspondent for the Washington Post, discusses olternqiive highschools.

The assigned readings for Aurora del Val's students . . . were sections of the writ-ings of Greek philosopher Plato and black nationalist Malcolm X. For 90 minutesher 14 young scholars wrestled verbally with twin paradoxes: Plato's insistencethat prisoners in a cave might find the shadows on the wall more real than theoutside world, and Malcolm's declaration that his intellectual freedom beganwhen he entered prison.

Prodded by their teacher's questions, the students grappled with the issues ofappearance. The oddity is that these teenagers were all high school dropouts, kidswho had walked out or been tossed out of their previous schools, kids with atti-tude problems, behavioral problems, drug or alcohol problems, kids whoseteachers and families had often marked them offas hopeless losers.

And here they were in a voluntary program, run by the Portland CommunityCollege [in Oregon], where a single breach of discipline-an unexcused ab-sence, an unfinished assignment, a blown test - would mean automatic expul-sion, but where the curriculum was stiff enough to challenge an undergraduate atany of Portland's elite private colleges.

The Gateway to College program. . . is one of eight "early-college highschool" programs supported in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundationand four other charities. They represent diverse approaches to a problem drawingincreasing attention from the Bush administration and governors of both parties:how to make high school education more rigorous and ease the transition fromhigh school to college or the workplace.

[In 2005] in Washington there [was] an "education summit" sponsored b.r-

the National Governors Association and Achieve Inc., a business-backed schoolreform group trying to stiffen high-school graduation requirements and impro.rrthe quality of the workforce.

f,teir concern [was] pr<l:-E our of high school, borrt:r,ue rfho graduate lack the;{-€e, need remedial classe:

. The Gateway experimeni

rr*':-_n tew credits, Iow grade_p,.:rllsngs of a tough.u..i.ul:l!een- of perronul .ounr.li.rg

Each new cohort of 201"m:eusire focus on basic skillrrii:-nication. Bonding during tr-;dents to keep up their rvJrn_:,,jenb. ,.They

are real suppo-{fter one term, the rtuj.,

:_i_sses, with the goal not onJr_ItYg up enough college crec

The program has beJn judgmendance in the first term ar€tp,eled it. dmost nine out of lI+n_.rking toward their diplomas

The Gates Foundation rr_as.urn grant [in 2}}4],enabling G:Tlnpuses to 17, including orr. i,

But the most important te5el::, changed. Kathy Krau&u, r ne teachers here have entrr*"j that."

Scott Weidlich said he was bt;ared and I wasn't modvated.. /em,is and most of the teachers di<13e

"roWd."

:: Chris Marks said, ..My high si:ere, I feel a real ,arrr" of r"r oo

md r-our life, and you either mak,Jtr t0 you."

Del Val, who almost abandontmenvorked,, her friends *"r", ,i.rn npical high schools in CaiifoJnrdlnts respond in this environm,

It is clear that even hlgh scicmst of them are being asked to ,dord to waste their talents.

CONVERSATION I59

Their concern [was] prompted by the fact that too many students are drop-

ping out of high school, bored or dissatisfied with what it offers, and too many ofthose who graduate iack the skiltrs needed for well-paying jobs or, if they go on to

college, need remedial ciasses in English and math.

The Gateway experiment suggests that even for the hardest cases - teenagers

with few credits, low grade-point averages and a host of personal problems - the

challenge of a tough curriculum, backed by skiiiful teaching in small classes and

plenty ofpersonal counseling, can be a path to success'

Each new cohort of 20 or fewer students spends a semester together, withintensive focus on basic skills, including study techniques and classroom com-

munication. Bonding during this term buiids mutuai support and helps motivate

students to keep up their work. "They've become like family," del Val said of her

students. "They are real supportive of each other."

After one term, the students move into the regular community-college adult

classes, with the goal not only of compieting their 12th-grade requirements butpicking up enough college credits to qualifr for an associate (two-year) degree.

The program has been judged a success. Among the first 600 students enrolled,

attendance in the first term averaged 92 percent, andTl percent successfully com-

pleted it. Almost nine out of 10 continued in regular community-coilege classes,

working toward their diplomas and two-year degrees.

The Gates Foundation was impressed enough to double the original $5 mil-lion grant Iin 2004], enabling Gateway to expand its national network from eight

campuses to 17, including one in Maryland's Montgomery County.

But the most important testimonials come from the students whose lives

have been changed. Kathy Kraus, dressed all in black and wearing a bowler hat'

said, "The teachers here have encouraged me to write poems and essays. I never

had that."Scott Weidlich said he was being home-schooled but his parents "never really

cared and I wasn't motivated." ]essica Smidt said, "My old ciasses were so full ofkids and most of the teachers didn't want to be there. Here, you don't get iost in

the crowd."Chris Marks said, "My high school \,vas swamped with drugs - and so was I'

Here, I feel a reai sense of responsibility. You're not being watched. It's your ass,

and your life, and you either make the most of this opportunity or you don't. It's

up to you."DelVal, who almost abandoned teaching after seeing how"overwhelmed and

overworked" her friends were, shuffling students through five large ciasses a day

in typical high schools in California, said it is enormously satisfying to see the way

students respond in this environment.It is clear that even high school dropouts are capable of much more than

nost of them are being asked to do. The question is whether the country can

:fford to waste their talents.

15

iDY :

roolro\:e

2.

3.

4.

5.

160 cHAPTER4 . EDUCATIoN

Questions

1. How do the first two paragraphs serve David Broder's purpose of writing about

alternative high schools?

What does Broder do to emphasize the academic rigor of the Gateway to College

program?

How does he dispel or at least challenge the image of these students as "hopeless

losers" (para.2)?

According to Broder, why is it important to the community, even on a national

level, to keep students from dropping out ofhigh school?

In paragraph 10, Broder claims that the program he is describing "has been judged

a success." How does he support this claim?

5. U.S. Students Fare Badly inlnternational Surveyof Math Skills

Frovn Nonrus

ln the following orticle, Floyd Norris reports on o study comporing the moth

skills of Americon students with those from different countries.

High school students in Hong Kong, Finland and South Korea do best in mathe-matics among those in 40 surveyed countries while students in the United States

finished in the bottom half, according to a new international comparison ofmathematical skills shown by l5-year-olds.

The United States was also cited as having the poorest outcomes per dollarspent on education. It ranked 28th of 40 countries in math and 1Sth in reading.

The study, released [December 7,2004) by the Organization for EconomicCooperation and Development, a group based in Paris representing 30 nations,

used tests given to students in 2003 and was intended to assess relative perfor-mance and to try to determine reasons for it.

"The gap between the best and worst performing countries has widened,"

said Andreas Schleicher, the official who directed the study and wrote the report.The study compared student performance in 29 of the 30 countries in the

organization, which includes all major industrialized nations, and in 11 othercountries that chose to participate. Because of insufficient participation in the

study, figures for Britain were not reported.The study devoted less attention to reading than did a previous one in 2000,

but it provided rankings that showed relatively little change.

Over all in reading, the top countries were Finland, South Korea, Canada and

Australia. The United States finished 18th, higher than nations like Denmark,Germany and Hungary, all of which had students who performed better in maththan American students did.

Fvzry on f,lqrQesuhs of inlernolionoshow the skills of teen,:creign

counterports.

rercentoge of sfudents

:: 'rfre boffom two;

(MliKlPU(E T

{lJ Hong Kong I(2) Fin/ond I

[3) Sourh Koreo Ii4) Nerherlonds Ii5J Liechtensrein I

(6)Jopon I(Z)Conodo I

2gl Uniled Stores I:

_i:,_-:e Orgon,zci;o- -:- !::..:i"e \e-w y91ft fipg5.

lle studr-looked not ontrrmrr ::a;tl- from each coufitilhr-=

=.trups. ranging from -"rr ; ----;nal ler.el oi comF.etutrir.' i .ategon- that inc]udo

u4lrrJ. _ -.-lsla--- *e L-nited Stares. 10 r$n[urs.,ess than ha]l a. rnalmrms L-ng, rrfuch had 3Cr.. p

-::-arrd had the smallert

li: er-ajuation asked qua.urunnr :a recognize ithat matlnrry:r.:r:: inem, and to dea.i rirLu'rrn _*r:cher said that studen

r|luillit;urTr,tr{ :eilded not to do as Ilfdllfrltue'"-:i .-rl mathematics.

I-_: =lnev also questioneilErllrfl :rfl: Irork, and fbund tha

CONVERSATION I6I

Fvzzy on MqthResults of internotionol testing on the molhemotic skills of 15-yeor-olds

show the skills of teenogers in the United Stotes troiling those of their

foreign counterports.

Percentoge of students whose scores fell into the top two scoring groups

or the bottom two:

(r)

(3)

l4l

(5)

ral

led

(RAliK) PTACE

Hong Kong

(2) Finlond

South Koreo

Netherlqnds

Liechtenstein

(6)lopon

{Z) Conodo

(28) United Stotes

TOP:

i,:!,i:i:i:i:S:F : so.z'l.

ix+-.tl:1'l:'!!::i z s.l Yoii::r:i:l:r liil 1-::!!

!.itliii;:,i:it,'! 24.s"/'

..,1.-., "- ..,lZS.Soto

li .!r;-ri.{:'fj z s'ov.

. .::i. 24.3o/o

,"':. --i20.3olo: :-jj

i,,r,:c tOvt

tll0 20% 40%

BOITOM

:

l0'40/o

6.8o/o

9.60/o

llo/o

12,3o/o

13.3olo

I 0.1 o/o

25.7o/o

.rroth

athe-

States

rrO Of

dollariing.1lomicltions,r erfor-

lened,"i eport., in the

, otherr in the

in 2000'

irda and

3nmark,in math

I

607"tl

80% 100%

source: orgonlzotion for Economic Cooperotion ond Developmeni. Reprinted by permission of

the New York limes.

The study looked not only at the average performance of students' but also at

how many from each country were top performers. It separated students into

seven groups, ranging from Level 6, the best, to Level 1, which the authors viewed

., a minimal level of competence. The remaining students were below the first

ievel, a category that inciuded more than half the students in BtazrI, indonesia

and Tirnisia.In the United States, 10 percent of the students were in one of the top two

sroups, less than half as many as in Canada and a third the total of the leader'

,{ong Kong, which had 30.7 percent of its students in the top two categories.

Fitrland had the smaliest percentage of underperforming students, with 6.8 10

fercent.The evaluation asked questions that were intended to test the abiiity of stu-

;ents to recognize what mathematical caiculations were needed, and then to

r.rform them, and to deal with questions that they would confront as citizens'

\Ir. Schleicher said that students in countries that emphasized theorems and rote

-earning tended not to do as well as those that emphasized the more practical

tspects of mathernatics.The survey aiso questioned students abor.rt their own views of themselves

,nd their work, and found that while good students were more likely to think

162 cHAPTER4 . EDUCATToN

they were good, countries that did well often had alarge number of students whodid not feel they were doing well. In the United States, 36 percent of the studentsagreed with the statement, "I am just not good at mathematics," while in HongKong, 57 percent agreed. In South Korea the figure was 62 percent.

Of the United States students,T2 percent said they got good grades in mathe-matics, more than in any other country. In Hong Kong, only 25 percent of thestudents said they got good marks, the lowest of any country.

The study said that while girls typically did only a little worse than boys onthe test, "they consistently report much lower interest in and enjoyment of math-ematics" and "much higher levels of helplessness and stress in mathematicsclasses."

Regarding spending, the study concluded that "while spending on educa-tional institutions is a necessary prerequisite for the provision of high-qualityeducation, spending alone is not sufficient to achieve high levels of outcomes."

It noted that while the Czech Republic spent only one third as much per stu-dent as the United States did, it was one of the top 10 performing nations in thestudy, while the United States performed below the average of the nations sur-veyed.

Questions

1. Summarize the major findings of the study reported in Floyd Norris's article.Identi$' who was assessed, how, and by whom.

2. What were the major findings in this study regarding both the performance andattitude of U.S. students?

3. According to this study, how did money spent per student correlate with studentperformance?

6. The Spirit of Education (painting)NomreN Rocrwnrr

Following is o Normon Rockwell pointing, The Spirit of Educotion. thot wosfeqtured on the cover of The Soturday Evening Post in 1934. A populor ondprolific ortist in his own fime, Rockwell wos known for his depiction of positiveAmericon volues.

Questions

1. Examine the props carefully. What are the "tools" of education, according to Nor-man Rockwell's image?

2. On the basis of the visual depiction alone, who is excluded from Rockwell's visionof education?

,l{lil.

--/ ta

mha- rs:-_--: _- :_o,i:, _: =_--fir si,{". ::e --:::i Sii:df -4.ns

;,:rii:::::€ =t.: _-,J: :_ :::__i

6nr,imrg fhe Cqrversotio

,ii4l-rr -- ----___ a_ :\_. i-I:_a__-_:irr ::e -a-:c:a- arga jcoo

- --< -.= .=_:. *. _: L._-_::3::*- .*= ;-_ _: a:r: ,-s-lr-:= :

CONVERSATION I63

@

E

:: tssumptions about education does Rockwell make in this illustration?:,.-i. the United States was in the midst of the Great Depression. How does this

. -: encollrage an optimistic outiook on the future?

:: --.rDd to the following prompts, support your argument with references

,: ..lree of the sources in Conversation: Focus on the American High

. : :elp using sources, see ChaPter 3.

an essay explaining whether you agree with Leon Botstein's critique

-\merican high school (p. 153).

the texts in Conversation: Focus on the American High School, as

vour olvn insights into high school, identify two serious problems,