Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing American Schools Back to Reality

by Charles Murray

book data

49 ratings, 3.86 average rating, 19 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		26%
4		40%
3		26%
2		4%
1		2%

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published

August 19th 2008 by Crown Forum

binding

Hardcover, 256 pages

isbn

0307405389 (isbn13: 9780307405388)

description

With four simple truths as his framework, Charles Murray, the bestselling coauthor of The Bell Curve, sweeps away the hypocrisy, wishful thinking, and...more

[close] 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. [close]

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09/21/08

Vincent rated it:

bookshelves: current

I was in the bookstore on Saturday, saw that Charles Murray had put out a new book, and said, "Dammit," because I knew I HAD to read it and therefore shell out $25 for it.

He discusses four truths of contemporary American education. I think his first two truths (ability varies; half of all children are below average) are undebatable. Few would disagree with his fourth truth (America's future depends on the education of the academically gifted) on its face, but they might disag...more

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03/18/09

Haruko rated it:

Read in February, 2009

This book has been an eye opener and a good place to start in thinking about the direction I would like to take for my children's education.

This book has introduced me to the pervasive "ideas based" education behind the current public school education. He makes the case that this type of education does not foster critical thinking as expected or improve reading comprehension. He advocates for content based education such as the Core Knowledge curriculum by E.D. Hirsch. H...more

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06/26/09

Tom Marshall rated it:

Read in April, 2009

Charles Murray, social scientist extraordinaire, describes the problems with America’s educational system using four easy points:

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

Murray argues that these problems stem from our hopelessly romantic ideals involving education. I argue that many of the problems in the cou...more Charles Murray, social scientist extraordinaire, describes the problems with America’s educational system using four easy points:

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

Murray argues that these problems stem from our hopelessly romantic ideals involving education. I argue that many of the problems in the country today stem from our romantic ideals and our lack of substance to back them up anymore, but that’s a blog for another day. Many of the programs in the U.S. school systems are products of educational romanticism. The most obvious is No Child Left Behind, which sets dates for 100% of all children in schools to pass a standardized test. Most teachers will tell you that the only way that will ever happen is if they only grade whether the children can write their names on the answer sheet- not absolutely correct mind you, but close enough that they know the child was trying to write his or her name. And even then they would have to give the ones who forgot to write it a second chance.

Murray’s first premise is that ability varies. Not all kids are academically bright. Some just aren’t bright at all. Everyone realizes that not every child is athletically or musically gifted and no one has a problem with that. We don’t say we can turn every child into an athlete or a concert pianist. The same principle applies to mathematical and linguistic ability. The U.S. educational system ignores this and says that we can raise every child’s mathematical and linguistic ability to a set standard. All kids can do it. Well, all kids have a ingrained linguistic and mathematical ability, and once they hit that wall, that’s it. We just don’t want to admit that not all of our children have great academic ability.

Murray talks about the Coleman Report that began in the 1960s to study the discrepancies and inequality in segregated schools and how it affected student achievement. Congress was so certain the results would show a correlation between crappy schools and student achievement that they began Title I programs and threw money at the problem before the report was complete. When the results came back, it showed that the schools and teachers had almost no affect on student achievement. It didn’t matter if the school was run down and had mediocre teachers or had all the best resources and the best teachers. Student achievement was relatively the same. What mattered was what kind family background the kids had. Now a really good teacher will make a difference in a individual student’s educational experience, but looking at the numbers as a whole, schools have little affect on achievement.

This leads to half the kids being below average. It seems like common sense, but educational romantics will refuse to accept it. I worked for a principal who refused to have a basic English class in the curriculum because “None of our students are below average.” So, students who could not do the work in a grade-level English class were forced to stay in the class. They felt hopeless, misbehaved, failed, etc. Not everyone has the same mathematical and linguistic ability. Not everyone is an athlete or musician. Accept it.

Not everybody use to go to college. Now employers use it as a basic aptitude test. Do you have a college degree? I don’t care what it’s in, just as long as you have one. It proves you were able to pool enough resources to pay for it and you managed to put forth enough effort to get the piece of paper. Murray argues that since at least two-thirds of the population are not academically gifted and are going to join the work force at positions that require on the job training rather than a formal liberal arts education, only the top 10% of students should go to college. Now I have issues with this one because I think as a representative democracy people need to get a liberal arts education to be intelligent enough to make good decisions, etc. I am a romantic in that I think people should value education for education’s sake rather than as a means to some other end (a job). But I’m one of those people who needed a liberal arts education. I like learning difficult things, abstract things. I like reading. If you don’t like those things, then you shouldn’t go to college according to Murray. This sounds elitist, but he argues that the problem with everyone going is that only about 10% of the population really get anything out of it. Sure, more than 10% can flounder through a BA as they drink like a fish, screw everything that moves, and get a piece of paper, but how much do they really learn? Then they get a job where they never use anything they took in college and forget it all anyway.

And we segue into the last point, how we educate the gifted is important to the country because it is the academically gifted that go on to be doctors, corporate leaders, lawmakers, scientists, etc. If we do not teach these people the basics of the liberal arts education of old- what is a good life, what is happiness, how to be humble, how to make decisions involving the welfare of others, how to effectively communicate- they enter positions of power lacking ethics, critical thinking skills, introspection, etc. When we force these students to sit in classes bored out of their minds because the teacher is trying to raise the academic ability of the other students who are below average, we miss giving them the opportunity to find how far their own ability goes and even how to fail and be humble. Some of these kids leave high school thinking they can do no wrong simply because they were smarter than the majority of their peers. I’ve seen it happen.

Murray finishes the book by giving recommendations for how we can fix some of these problems, but I’m afraid the system is so ingrained that it will take a disaster to change. Otherwise, the educational system is like a biological organism. When something foreign comes into it, it makes it assimilate or it destroys it. But looking at the economy, the disaster needed to change the system may be on the way.(less)

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01/12/09

Brian rated it:

bookshelves: currentevents

Read in January, 2009

Known most for co-authoring the controversial The Bell Curve, in the 1990s, Charles Murray has produced what I hope will be a less-controversial look at the state of America's educational system. Using Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences theory as a platform, Murray argues for a more stringent focus on helping the academically (i.e, linguistic, mathematical and logical) gifted students thrive while providing those uninterested in a liberal education the means to pursue career interests that ...more

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03/17/09

Haruko rated it:

Read in February, 2009

This book has been an eye opener and a good place to start in thinking about the direction I would like to take for my children's education.

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 wise. They need to have rigor in verbal expression, rigor in thinking about virtue and rigor in the good and forming judgements. He also says that a true sense of humility is needed.

I can...more

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09/11/08

Carmie rated it:

Read in October, 2008

I really enjoy reading about all aspects of education. So, a book like this totally appeals to me. This is a short tome which touches on a variety of topics like the theory of multiple intelligences and the modern university abandoning solid liberal education as a core curriculum. In short, Murray thinks that our educational system is broken because we refuse to believe that 1. ability varies 2. half of the children are below average and there are limits to what can be done. Many children can...more I really enjoy reading about all aspects of education. So, a book like this totally appeals to me. This is a short tome which touches on a variety of topics like the theory of multiple intelligences and the modern university abandoning solid liberal education as a core curriculum. In short, Murray thinks that our educational system is broken because we refuse to believe that 1. ability varies 2. half of the children are below average and there are limits to what can be done. Many children cannot learn beyond basic and rudimentary reading and math. 3. Too many people are going to college and 4. America's future depends on how we educate the academically gifted. Murray addresses all these things. He's honest in his critique of standardized testing. There's so much more to learn than how to take standardized tests well and sometimes a school has no choice but to leave a student behind. It's tough to read that half of the children are below average academically, but the flip side to that sad statement is that there are multiple intelligences like musical ability or interpersonal skills that can make up for academic deficiencies. Murray suggests that some below average children's scores can be improved, but only modestly and it's nothing but educational romanticism that makes us believe that everyone can have the same academic gifts.

My favorite part of the book actually addresses the shortcomings in a modern university education. "I cannot predict how long it will take, but the greatest work must ultimately come back into scholarly fashion." What he's talking about is the importance of a foundational solid liberal education giving students the best of civilization- Plato, Aristotle, Shakespeare, etc. except that there's too much distrust of a Canon usually comprised of "Dead White Males". At this point, it's not PC to put this curriculum back in its place as a foundation to other academic pursuits.
He sees the need for academically gifted college students to challenge themselves and not get by with easy coursework. Students need a curriculum built that helps them systematically study the meaning life and there's plenty to keep them busy. "...the stuff of a liberal education is truly wonderful. At scattered moments and places in the course of human history, Homo sapiens has created works that speak to the human condition with depth and insight that place them qualitatively apart."

I believe this book was meant to be simply an overview of the problems facing education today from kindergarten to
college. He touches on so many things that this will lead you to read more whether it be on the theory of multiple intelligences, standardized testing, the debate on liberal education within college core requirements, or whether you agree that too many kids are attending college today instead of finding other avenues of learning something really well. It's a lot of food for thought packed into less than two hundred pages. (less)

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03/18/09

Cate rated it:

bookshelves: currently-reading, history-politics, school

Read in March, 2009

Very illuminating.

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-read for educators, in my opinion.

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01/05/09

Catherine rated it:

Read in January, 2009

I loved this book. I know that he authored the Bell Curve and all that. I think that he is spot on with his four simple truths: ability varies, half of the children are below average, too many people are going to college and America's future depends on how we educate the academically gifted. I would love to be involved in an educational system that realistically addressed these issues.

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09/27/08

Skylar Burris marked it as to-read

bookshelves: to-read

I skimmed this in the bookstore and will be interested to read it. I know Murray recently caused a stir by proposing to replace much of higher educaiton with examinaitons anyone is free to take, along the lines of the CPA exam, since a B.A. doesn't prove a graduate actually possesses basic competence. This book, from what I can tell from my skimming, seems to tackle one particular problem I agree exists in modern education: the belief that any kid can (or should) excel in any and all subjects, t...more

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12/17/08

Joe is currently reading it

bookshelves: currently-reading

Read in December, 2008

An interesting book... not sure what I think/believe about some of it.
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.

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12/26/08

Siri rated it:

Read in December, 2008

Great insight into problem with our educational system. The author is somewhat provocative in trying to propose new thinking about education in the US. I am on a new journey now to understand the educational system better.

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01/31/09

Psfwilson added it

Read in January, 2009

A great book about why education sucks in this country, or more accurately, that it's not so much bad teachers as bad students. And these students should not be going to college.

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04/08/09

David Robins rated it:

Read in April, 2009

Ability varies; half of the children are below average; too many people are going to college; educate the gifted; let change happen.

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11/15/08

Mike rated it:

Read in December, 2008

Good book, easy read (though I imagine easy to hate--very interested in reading some negative reviews). I don't think there is much I disagree with. Too many people go to college. And four years is too long. Teach kids lots of facts in k to 8th. Give smart people a chance to fail.

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07/01/09

Allison is currently reading it

bookshelves: currently-reading

I will be reading this for some time... Very text book so far but the ideas are interesting to me

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08/29/08

Briana rated it:

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in January, 2008

recommends it for: anyone with any interest in education

Ya gotta love the controversial subject matter of this book, summarized nicely on the back of the dust jacket:

"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."

The only one that perhaps isn't totally obvious is item 3, but he makes a strong case. Defintely recommended.

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09/08/08

Jodi Marvel rated it:

Read in September, 2008

I thought this book made some interesting points, I'm not sure how much of it I buy into though. I'd be interested to see what others-especially those involved in the education process think of it.
A note, the going gets a bit tough in the second or third chapter, if you don't think you can make it through, skip to the last two chapters. I think they are key.
Interesting and a bit scary!

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10/10/08

Bob rated it:

Read in October, 2008

An excellent and well researched treatise on what's wrong with today's education system and what can be done to correct it. And the problems are not what you've been told by today's media, educators, or politicians. A Very enlightening book by one of the author's of "THE BELL CURVE".

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11/05/08

Kim rated it:

Provocative analysis of what's wrong with our public education system. I find this libertarian annoying and lacking in compassion, but yet enjoy considering lesser-considered alternatives to our failing schools.

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07/03/09

Nicole added it

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