<![CDATA[Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing American Schools Back to Reality]]>

false <![CDATA[Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing American Schools Back to Reality]]> 3205941 2 With four simple truths as his framework, Charles Murray, the bestselling coauthor of The Bell Curve, sweeps away the hypocrisy, wishful thinking, and upside-down priorities that grip America’s educational establishment. Ability varies. Children differ in their ability to learn academic material. Doing our best for every child requires, above all else, that we embrace that simplest of truths. America’s educational system does its best to ignore it. Half of the children are below average. Many children cannot learn more than rudimentary reading and math. Real Education reviews what we know about the limits of what schools can do and the results of four decades of policies that require schools to divert huge resources to unattainable goals. Too many people are going to college. Almost everyone should get training beyond high school, but the number of students who want, need, or can profit from four years of residential education at the college level is a fraction of the number of young people who are struggling to get a degree. We have set up a standard known as the BA, stripped it of its traditional content, and made it an artificial job qualification. Then we stigmatize everyone who doesn’t get one. For most of America’s young people, today’s college system is a punishing anachronism. America’s future depends on how we educate the academically gifted. An elite already runs the country, whether we like it or not. Since everything we watch, hear, and read is produced by that elite, and since every business and government department is run by that elite, it is time to start thinking about the kind of education needed by the young people who will run the country. The task is not to give them more advanced technical training, but to give them an education that will make them into wiser adults; not to pamper them, but to hold their feet to the fire. The good news is that change is not only possible but already happening. Real Education describes the technological and economic trends that are creating options for parents who want the right education for their children, teachers who want to be free to teach again, and young people who want to find something they love doing and learn how to do it well. These are the people for whom Real Education was written. It is they, not the politicians or the educational establishment, who will bring American schools back to reality. Twenty-four years ago, Charles Murray’s Losing Ground changed the way the nation thought about welfare. Real Education is about to do the same thing for America’s schools. 3239381 19 8 2008 Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing American Schools Back to Reality total:58|5:15|4:26|3:13|2:3|1:1| 58 225 153 23 5 2 false false Sun Sep 21 21:06:55 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 21 21:16:40 -0700 2008
He discusses four truths of contemporary American education. I think his first two truths (ability varies; ha...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 18 16:07:05 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 18 16:11:11 -0700 2009
This book has introduced me to the pervasive "ideas based" education behind the current public school education. He makes the case that t...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 26 13:41:36 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 26 15:24:35 -0700 2009
1. Ability varies

2. Half of the children are below average

3. Too many people are going to college

4. America’s future de...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jan 12 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 17:00:28 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 17:04:55 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 17 10:42:09 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 17 11:19:48 -0700 2009
One of the four truths he lays out is that America's future depends on how the academically gifted are educated. He says the gifted need to be wis...more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Oct 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 11 20:30:47 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 18 00:36:49 -0700 2009 Real Education starts off solid; Murray points us in the direction of some much-needed realism with regards to the American educational system. We are indeed absolutely wasting our time by expecting that every child has the same innate capacity for academic achievement, or that expecting that every...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Oct 12 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 11 19:37:29 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 12 20:33:17 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Mar 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 18 05:10:18 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 18 05:32:09 -0700 2009
I agree with his premise. However, you have to wade through a bunch of statistical analysis to understand his reasoning. Just when you think you can't take anymore of it, though, up pops Murray's incredible wit and entertaining real-life examples.

A must-re...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jan 12 08:45:03 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 07:41:50 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 08:45:03 -0800 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Sat Sep 27 19:41:33 -0700 2008 Sun Dec 07 07:34:10 -0800 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 17 04:52:25 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 17 07:56:20 -0800 2008 It brings up some things I have thought, but rarely voiced. It brings up some "Facts" that I am not sure are all that factual, but have me wondering.

I will let you know what I think when I am done.]]> 4 0 false false Fri Dec 26 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 26 07:35:23 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 28 06:21:18 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Thu Jan 15 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 31 10:55:31 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 31 10:57:02 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Tue Oct 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 12:40:12 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 12 08:43:03 -0700 2009
1. Ability varies
2. Half of the children are below average
3. Too many people are going to college
4. America’s future depends on how we educate the academically gifted

I found #3 the most interesting, and completely agree ...more...]]> 0 0 false false Tue Jul 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 11:34:57 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 11:36:33 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Apr 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 08 21:56:36 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 01:41:22 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed Dec 03 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 15 17:07:01 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 05 05:27:47 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Wed Jul 01 14:58:52 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 01 14:59:20 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Fri Sep 25 05:23:18 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 25 05:23:52 -0700 2009 4 0 true false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Aug 29 12:19:26 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 29 12:22:34 -0700 2008
"1. Ability varies.
2. Half of the children are below average.
3. Too many people are going to college.
4. America's future depends on how we educate the acad...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=3205941