Dumbing Down Our Kids : Why American Children Feel Good About Themselves But Can't Read, Write, or Add

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Summary: A book every aspiring teacher should read.
Review: As a 30-year-old returning to school for teacher certification, I was distressed by the "cooperative learning" techniques currently trumpeted at the university I attend. After several courses in which I was encouraged to "discuss with my group" the objectives being tested (in lieu of a formal review), given "group tests" for final exams (which were also open-book), and being assigned in yet another group to divide up chapters of text and "discuss what was learned" with each other (without any input or insight from the Professor), I began to feel abnormal for being less than enthusiastic about the methods my instructors were promoting. By showing me that I am not alone in my criticism of such shallow techniques, and my desire to teach in a manner that focuses on skills and knowledge, Sykes' book has somewhat eased my disillusionment. What passes for instruction in schools of education across the country is nothing more than theory, rhetoric, and a lot of coddling that insults the intelligence - a simulation of what teaching has become in K-12 schools across the country. Something needs to be done about the schools of education that shape our nation's fledgling teachers, many of whom gobble up this nonsense eagerly, content with easy A's in their education courses and final exams that require little preparation. This book should be required reading on all college campuses where students are prepared to teach in our public schools, in place of the fatuous textbooks we are forced to consume.

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Summary: A New Teacher's View
Review: As a teacher with a few years' experience, this was certainly an "interesting" book to read. I almost felt like I was reading a book by the "enemy," but instead of sacrificially burning it, I tried to read it objectively. And, I am glad I did.

While I strongly disagree with several of Sykes' key conclusions, the book reaffirmed the need to keep student expectations high. I cannnot discount the key idea of this book that we expect too little of students and focus too much on non-academic ideas. It is always interesting and critical to "look at the other side of the argument." As a teacher, I expect that of my students. How can I not do the same? Although it is clearly a "right wing" look at education, I recommend this for educators, if for no other reason than to spur thought, discussion and debate on the status quo.

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Summary: Definite must read for teachers and teachers-in-training.
Review: I am a senior in college majoring in elementary education; this book is therefore very relevant to me. I was shocked and horrified at the things that some school districts classify as education.
I am not that long removed from my own elementary and secondary schooling, and I would like to say that self-esteem was never an issue with me. Doing poorly on an assignment did not make me feel so terrible that I just couldn't learn anything. In fact, if it had any effect on me, it simply made me work harder on the next assignment. Without a least a little negative feedback students are never motivated to try harder and do better, a very sad outcome indeed.
I was also displeased with the negative reviews of this book, although not at all surprised. The critics offer no hard evidence that the book is wrong, but rather use the typical, liberal practice of flinging unfounded, slanderous phrases such as "narrow-minded, right-wing bellyaching" and "typical bubble-brained right-wing blather."

Let me tell you, I am not even a teacher yet and I have seen these teaching methods in action; it is not fiction, it is real. I realize that these methods are based on bleeding-heart good intentions, but they are not what our children need. If a student feels all warm and fuzzy, that is a wonderful bonus; however, the purpose of schools is to prepare students for college and careers. Knowledge is required, good feelings are not. And what about the students who are capable of completing coursework that even goes above and beyond the traditional curriculum? If self-esteem is such a big issue, is it fair to sacrifice theirs by making them do degrading work that is completely beneath them?
This book is most definitely not a "misguided attempt by freak reactionaries to uproot one of the only public insitutions [sic] worthy of its existence," as one reviewer claimed. It is in fact a genuine attempt to offer criticism of America's educational system, and advice on how to improve it.

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Summary: Teachers! Read this book!
Review: I would like to mention, first of all, that I am a public school teacher. I teach science to grades 7-12 in a very small, very rural school in North Dakota. My degree is in Physics.

I first read this book when I was in college and then periodically after that. It was excellent because it reminded me of why I went into teaching. I had a horrible math teacher for two years in a row and entered college way behind. My current degree (which obviously involved taking a lot of math) is due to hard work.

He told a story of a math teacher whose students were behind due to their teacher the year before. Her principal told her to teach "Algebra 1/2". He did not deal with the true problem. This was similar to my experience. For years it had been known that this teacher was a problem, yet NOTHING WAS DONE!

I have tried very hard as a teacher to not be a subject for this book. I eventually left my first job because of the constant harassment from the Superintendent. The harassment was because I was too hard. He wanted multiple choice tests, true and false, and more A's. His belief was that students at that school were "above average." I refused to give in, which led to constant problems during the three years I was there.

This sort of thing is exactly what Sykes is talking about. Another thing is little "projects" that waste time, look good, but don't teach anything. I am a strong believer in hands-on learning, but he helped me realize, right from the beginning, that although this is a good way to teach, it is vital to evaluate your project in terms of time spent on it and learning outcomes. His example was a project where students picked up seeds with tweezers so they could understand how birds eat.

He also describes the frightening influence of the union. I am fortunate enough to work in a state where union membership is not required and union membership is in decline. I was a member for one year, before I knew better. I realized that my money was going to support abortion, gay rights, anti-American activity, and even keeping bad teachers in the classroom. The union says this doesn't happen. My experience says it does.

In the end, he does offer some hope. We are seeing a much greater interest in education. I get regular complaints that I am too hard. At first it bothered me, but now I realize that at least the parents care enough to come in. Most even give me a chance to present my side.

I believe I have come into education at a really bad time. My hope is that, thanks to books like this and changes in the culture, teaching will improve the longer I stay in it.

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Summary: Someone who's been there knows Sykes is right.
Review: My boyfriend (who is, it must be said, very clear-thinking) thinks that Sykes is biased severely to the right and he didn't even finish the book because he felt so strongly that Sykes had to be overstating many things, but then again, my sweetie went to a parochial school and has never had extensive contact with teacher education.

I, however, went to public school, and worked for many years in a well-known university's teacher education college (one which one reviewer here attended, but I won't name names). I worked with fledgeling teachers. I read their materials. I set up their AV equipment. I saw their lesson plans.

We are in very big trouble, America, is all I've got to say. If I ever have kids, they are getting home schooling or going to a reputable private school that values achievement -- and I'm not the only person who worked there who thought the same thing. Sykes is RIGHT ON, and the Amazon reviews of the book are totally accurate. My stomach turned as I read the book, because I knew from personal observation that he was writing the truth. I hope more people read this book and see what's going on in our schools.

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Summary: How many times can you make the same point.
Review: The book could have been reduced to the first few chapters. The remainder of the book is simply a rehashing of the same theme discussed at the beginning of the book. This should have been an article in a magazine and not a published book. Perhaps he should have titled the book "Dumbing Down Our Kids and Our Customers."

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Summary: How many times can you make the same point.
Review: There are far more thoughtful critiques of American education available than this pompous, right-wing-thing-tank funded diatribe. See, for example, Howard Gardner's The Unschooled Mind. Written by an intellectual with actual experience as teacher, Gardner at least understands the tradition in educational thought he critically engages.

Charles Sykes wants you to think otherwise, but it is not a significant insight of his that "progressive" education, as conceptualized by John Dewey and other turn of the century "educationists" (Sykes snide word for... um... educators he dislikes), has not always been implemented well. (And neither have phonics based reading or other "traditional" approaches that he uncritically praises.) Furthermore, it is no surprise that Sykes can issue an abundance of anecdotal "horror stories" proving the incompetence of certain teachers and schools caught up in the latest educational fads. As Sykes should be aware as a hack journalist himself, every profession has its pretenders, who leave behind them the wreckage of their inept work.

What is most disturbing, however, is Sykes truly destructive and reactionary vision of reform. Eliminating undergraduate schools of education is, to education, what killing the patient is to medicine. Unless one foolishly devalues over a century of amassed knowledge, from disciplines as diverse as linguistics, philosophy, and psychoanalysis, that could be useful for improving the education of children, one would think schools of education uniquely useful instruments in assimilating this knowledge and applying it to the practical concern of enhancing teaching and learning in our schools. If one takes the intellectual and practical merit of this mission seriously, wouldn't one think ed. schools best improved by more rigor and higher admission standards? In my opinion, Sykes recommendation that education should be exclusively studied on the graduate level is not being made in good faith, for he clearly prefers to undermine teacher education altogether with "alternative" means of certification that will ensure a larger supply of expendable labor. This is exactly the kind of teacher work force the right prefers, for the main offense of public schools in this country is that they cost money which the wealthy would rather keep for themselves and their privately educated children.

Finally, Sykes appreciative statment, near the end of his book, about Mortimer Adler's Padiea program for schools is deeply incongrous with his vitriol against progressive education. For Adler, who admired John Dewey and even dedicated one of his books on this program to Dewey, saw himself as a progressive educator who was committed to replacing the rote and stifling dogmatism of certain ways the humanities are taught with an inquiry based, participative, and process oriented approach to reading, writing, and thinking.

Given its low quality sources, a near complete absence of any attention to scholarly research and quantitative analysis regarding actual school performance, and vitriolic tone, this book merits little respect or attention by educators who already have enough ignorant criticism to shrug off as it is.

But the crowd of think-tank faithfuls, who somehow distrust academic research from university faculty while believing every word that comes forth from the pens of "fellows" funded by think tanks supported largely by corporations and rich reactionaries, will lap this book up regardless of its defects, as all their positive remarks here show.

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Summary: The truth hurts
Review: Well, first of all, we need more books like this one and more parents (and would be parents) need to be reading them. It's high time we, as a country, faced up to the fact that our school system is in dire need of substantial modification ... starting with a serious evaluation of current and prospective teachers. To be sure, there are good ones, but there are many in the system who have no business being there at all. I suspect the few negative reviews come from the latter group. Too bad. With that kind of provincial, naive "thinking" we are destined never to craft an effective educational system in this country.

Read the book ... it's worth every cent!!

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Summary: Extremely revealing and very disturbing
Review: What I found most impressive about this book wasn't the dead-on accurate analysis of progressive educational movements like "Outcomes Based Education" or "Whole Language," but the discussions of the incredibly bloated, monopolistic beaurocracy that is the American public education system. Sykes not only points out what is wrong with the curriculum in our schools, but he also reveals why the System is so resistant to measures that raise standards and create accountability.

Some of the negative reviews of this book are perfect illustrations of what Sykes is talking about in his book. Faced with a well-reasoned, research-based criticism, proponents of the System respond not with a rational defense of their views or with civilized discourse, but by calling Sykes a "freak reactionary" and denouncing his book as "typical narrow-minded, right-wing bellyaching." Another reviewer calls it "bubble-brained right-wing blather." This just demonstrates how politicized and anti-intellectual the public education system is - and these are the people to whom we entrust our children's education.

This book is extremely well-written and well-researched. The "Scenes From the Front" break up the barrage of statistics with compelling anecdotes that serve to put a face to the statistics he sites in previous chapters. Anybody concerned about the education of their children or of America's children in general should read this book. I just graduated from college with a degree in music education, and now that I've read it, I won't even consider working in a public school.

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Summary: A compelling, informative read
Review: With over two hundred studies conductednationwide showing the tenuous relationshipbetween school spending and quality education, you would think those who make school policy would look elsewhere for a reason why our schools are such failures. In this compelling and informative book about our educational decline Charles Sykes gives us a glimpse into the insanity of a system which rewards political correctness, student failure and poor teaching habits. Dogmatic iberals won't like it, but concerned parents and others should look at this study before pouring any more funding into a failed system. Paul J. Walkowski, Co-Author, "From Trial Court to the United States Supreme Court"