Important Reading: Mike Rose Has Revised and Expanded “Why School?”
Mike Rose, UCLA professor and author of a series of books that champion public education, opportunity, equity, and excellent teaching, has just published a revised and expanded, 2014 edition of Why School?.
Why School? is a philosophy of education, a reflection on the public role of our schools and our responsibility to these schools as members of the public. Rose writes: “Citizens in a democracy must continually assess the performance of their public institutions. But the quality and language of that evaluation matter. Before we can evaluate, we need to be clear about what it is we’re evaluating, what the nature of the thing is: its components and intricacies, its goals and purpose.” “As our notion of the public shrinks, the full meaning of public education, the cognitive and social luxuriance of it, fades. Achievement is still possible, but loses its civic heart.”
In the 2014 edition, Rose has revised, updated, and expanded Why School? It now addresses the impact of President Obama’s Race to the Top program and other federal programs that have emerged since 2009—including problems with the waivers now being granted to address the lingering effects of the the No Child Left Behind Act, long over-due for reauthorization. A much expanded chapter on standards and accountability now explores the goals of the Common Core Standards as well as Rose’s worries about the Common Core testing and