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Sto caricando le informazioni... The Blackboard and the Bottom Line: Why Schools Can't Be Businessesdi Larry Cuban
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"Ford Motor Company would not have survived the competition had it not been for an emphasis on results. We must view education the same way," the U.S. Secretary of Education declared in 2003. But is he right? In this provocative new book, Larry Cuban takes aim at the alluring clich©? that schools should be more businesslike, and shows that in its long history in business-minded America, no one has shown that a business model can be successfully applied to education. In this straight-talking book, one of the most distinguished scholars in education charts the Gilded Age beginnings of the influential view that American schools should be organized to meet the needs of American businesses, and run according to principles of cost-efficiency, bottom-line thinking, and customer satisfaction. Not only are schools by their nature not businesslike, Cuban argues, but the attempt to run them along business lines leads to dangerous over-standardization--of tests, and of goals for our children. Why should we think that there is such a thing as one best school? Is "college for all" achievable--or even desirable? Even if it were possible, do we really want schools to operate as bootcamps for a workforce? Cuban suggests that the best business-inspired improvement for American education would be more consistent and sustained on-the-job worker training, tailored for the job to be done, and business leaders' encouragement--and adoption--of an ethic of civic engagement and public service. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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Google Books — Sto caricando le informazioni... GeneriSistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)371.19Social sciences Education Teachers, Methods, and Discipline Teachers; Teaching personnel; Professors, masters instructors Other topicsClassificazione LCVotoMedia:
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>>From the title, this book suggested an interesting reading, as I am always interested in books about education. This one was written in what can only be described as a soporific and sluggish writing style.
I found interesting the historical parallels between the progressive movement of the late 19th century and the reform movements of the 1970s, both driven by business interests. Who says history does not repeat itself? Santayana was definitely right about those who fail to study history. Interesting also, to say the least, is the fact that business often tries to drive reforms in the midst of its own problems: mismanagement, bad CEOs, failures, so on, but people overlook these and keep believing for some reason that escapes me. People, some with good intentions, others with self-interest seem to be conveniently forgetful when it comes to the business community. It must be noted also that very often schools are blamed for social ills, and then society's "experts" turn around and expect those schools to fix those same social ills they decried. Talk about ironic.
And thinking about it three years later or so, clearly the situation has not changed. If anything, it has gotten worse, and yet we keep bailing big corporate interests instead of letting them fail as they should be allowed to do. After all, if they can be big boys when the times are good, when they screw up, let them fail and suffer the consequences of the risks they took instead of whining to the government to save them. And they, of course, are the same ones whining about how kids are poorly educated, etc. Is their example really what is needed to fix education? Food for thought, but this is not the book to really think about these issues. ( )