The Educated Child : A Parents Guide from Preschool to Eighth Grade

Rating:
Summary: Great guide for parents
Review: As a member of a public school board of education, one thing I look for is parental involvement. I like to see large crowds at school board meetings. This book is a valuable guide for parents of children up to 8th grade. Bennett stresses parental involvement. Parents should get to know their childrens' teachers and inquire about the content of the curriculum. Much of the book sets forth what children should learn in each subject area in each grade level. I found the chapter on social studies particularly interesting because that is the subject area where "multiculturalism" and revisionism can most water down the curriculum. Clearly, we should not white wash warts in our past, but we should teach history in a positive manner, while recognizing that no culture, including ours, has a perfect past. We should teach our commonality as citizens without over empahsizing our differences. Parents should know what is being taught in schools and, where children are not being taught what children should know, the parents should be active in correcting the matter.

Bennett points out that the home, as well as the school, should be a center of learning. He gives examples of activities that parents can do with children to increase their learning. He also discusses dealing with difficulties that may arise in schools, such as disciplinary problems, etc. This book also discusses innovative and controversial issues such as charter schools, home schooling, how religion should be addressed in our schools, etc. I highly recommend this book and hope that it will spur parents on to close involvemet with their children's education.

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Summary: Practical help for concerned parents
Review: As a mother of three -- one in public school, one in private and one home-schooled -- I am deeply concerned about my children's education. I've lost count of the number of books I've read in the past 16 years on educating children. Some books were worth my time, many were not. Mr. Bennett's book is standing tall at the top of my list of "best reads". I'm sure we all have horror stories coming out of our kids' education (i.e., the huge amount of wasted time in the classroom, the lack of control in the class, the political correctness of revisionist history), but this book really can help. Mr. Bennett begins by explaining the importance of a solid education that engages a child's imagination by first making sure that child can read well. He builds on that by reminding parents that the main responsibility for educating our kids rests on our shoulders, not the school's. The book goes into detail about more than the Three R's, but covers those subjects extremely well, also. He reminds us that as parents it's up to us to speak up and go to bat for our kids throughout their education thus insuring they get the help they need. Throughout the book are checklists, questions to ask your child's teachers, book lists for you to insure that your child reads what is truly worthy of his time, and tips for incorporating the arts into your child's life. This book is like having a one-on-one conversation with a great educator who will give you the confidence you need to take control of your child's education. Help your child succeed by reading this book and then putting it into practice!

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Summary: Publishers Weekly Review of The Educated Child
Review: From Publisher's Weekly - Publishers Weekly Former U.S. Secretary of Education Bennett (The Book of Virtues) and his colleagues (Finn, author of We Must Take Charge; Cribb, formerly of the U.S. Department of Education) offer American parents an impassioned and straight-shooting reference for educating their children. In prose free of academic rhetoric, the authors state: "[I]f your school is inflicting a mediocre education on your child, the sooner you know about it the better." They then present a "yardstick" by which to judge the academic quality of any school (public or private). A model core curriculum organized by grade level--primary (K-3), intermediate (4-6), and junior high (7 and 8)--presents the material clearly and logically, and helps readers assess whether a child is getting a thorough dose of English, history and geography, the arts, math and science. While blunt in their criticism of decaying academic standards (evident in grade inflation, lowered expectations for students and terrible international rankings), the authors are unequivocal in their support of dedicated educators and all those willing to hold children to the highest possible standard. Parents may question some of the model curriculum's expectations (e.g., that second graders dramatize the death of Socrates), but the authors are quick to reassure readers that the book's purpose is not to serve as a list of must-haves but rather as "inspiration and general guidance" in gaining a sense of "the knowledge and skills that should lie at the heart of a solid elementary education." Bennett is a controversial figure because of his passionate cultural conservatism. But this book, despite a brief word in favor of school vouchers, is about padagogy, not politics. It's an ambitious and commonsensical guide that will inspire both parents and educators. 100,000 first printing; 25-city radio satellite tour. (Nov.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Rating:
Summary: Unimpressive and unhelpful
Review: I purchased this book to help me with ideas for homeschooling my children. This book is the longest in my collection but it is the least informative. The first 100 pages or so deride the current efforts of public schools, yet offer little advice except "turn off the television" and "read to your children". The most interesting and helpful information in the book was taken directly from the Core Curriculum Series, which is a useful resource for parents who want to ensure that their child is receiving a good education. This book is preachy and redundant.

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Summary: Strike three against the "Unschoolers"
Review: This book is a must for anyone interested in the education movement. However, after such reports as "Why Johnny can't read" and a plethora of other well documented works, many have come to the conclusion that the public schools are not working and are beyond help; therefore, a work of this nature is wasted upon that system. This book's value lies in providing the objective research that supports a structured curriculum based educational system for those who have jetisoned the public schools as a failed and irrepairable system and now or in the future will home school thier children. However, within the home school movement there is a very small but vocal group that call themselves "unschoolers". They adhere to the philosophy that the child will learn whatever he needs just by allowing the child to select his own curriculum content. Bennett, in this work, lays the coup de grace at the root of that theory, and I hope for ever more settles the issue of whether the "unschooling" mindset is a viable alternative to a curriculum directed home school.

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Summary: Essential Guide for Parents. Use It... for Your Children
Review: This book is an essential guide for parents. It tells us what we need to know and do to make sure our children receive excellent educations. Use this book as a valuable guide. Your children will benefit greatly.

Parents are primarily responsible for ensuring that their children receive a good educational experience. You need to devote your time and intellect to this goal. And that starts in the home. This book gives you a general guideline of what you need to do to supplement your children's learning.

This book also gives you an excellent blue print of what a good school district should be like. The ideas are proven, common sense, and based on firm empirical research. I didn't find them rigid at all. Compare the learning experience in your children's schools to what you read in this book. Hopefully, your childen are experiencing a quality educational experience.

Luckily, the portrait of a good school vividly describes the elementary school my seven-year old child attends Cedar Ridge). My wife and I have observed and participated in numerous classes, and I can tell you that it feels good to know that our children live in a great school district, (even if the class sizes could be just a little smaller).

And a reminder... we starting educating our children long before they started school. The earliest years of life are the most important. That's when you need to work on vocabulary, thinking, reading, learning, etc.

Despite the fact that William Bennett is a social conservative, I found nothing obviously conservative about this book. The materials in the book are well respected, practical, and accurate. Use these guidelines to make sure your children learn what they should.

Some activist types might consider some of the study topics liberal or conservative, such as civil rights and the classics, respectively. But I see them as simply what our children need to know. I really don't see anything political about this book. I suspect that the meat of this book really comes from the work of other education experts, with Bennett the visionary to bring this core knowledge to the public through mass publication. After all, he was the Secretary of Education, a position of leadership.

I praise Mr. Bennett and his colleague for putting together an outstanding book grounded in excellent education fundamentals.

I also recommend the excellent books by E. D. Hirsch (editor) on what your children need to know at various stages of education. (What Your First Grader Needs to Know, etc.) Do a search for E.D Hirsch. The books include great children's stories, fun poems, songs, basic history, art, and much more. We've been reading the first grade book at bed time for awhile now, and both my seven-year old and four-year old enjoy different parts of it. Next year we'll buy the kindergarden and second grade books.

I also strongly recommend the outstanding children's music by Raffi, the Mr. Rogers of children's music. "Singable Songs for the Very Young; Great with a Peanut Butter Sandwich" would be my first choice for precious young children. It has sales surpassing the Triple Platinum mark in North America, and it's just right for little ones. Do a search for "Raffi."