Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Educational Issues

Unit 1 Basic Theoretical Issues

YES: John Dewey, from Experience and Education (Macmillan, 1938)

NO: Robert M. Hutchins, from The Conflict in Education in a Democratic Society (Harper & Row, 1953)

Philosopher John Dewey suggests a reconsideration of traditional approaches to schooling, giving fuller attention to the social development of the learner and the quality of his or her total experience. Robert M. Hutchins, noted educator and one-time chancellor of the University of Chicago, argues for a liberal arts education geared to the development of intellectual powers.

YES: Mortimer J. Adler, from “The Paideia Proposal: Rediscovering the Essence of Education,” American School Board Journal (July 1982)

NO: John Holt, from Escape from Childhood (E. P. Dutton, 1974)

Philosopher Mortimer J. Adler contends that democracy is best served by a public school system that establishes uniform curricular objectives for all students. Educator John Holt argues that an imposed curriculum damages the individual and usurps a basic human right to select one’s own path of development.

YES: B. F. Skinner, from Beyond Freedom and Dignity (Alfred A. Knopf, 1971)

NO: Carl R. Rogers, from Freedom to Learn for the Eighties (Merrill, 1983)

B. F. Skinner, an influential proponent of behaviorism and professor of psychology, critiques the concept of “inner freedom” and links learning and motivation to the influence of external forces. Professor of psychology and psychiatry Carl R. Rogers offers the “humanistic” alternative to behaviorism, insisting on the reality of subjective forces in human motivation.

YES: David Elkind, from “The Problem with Constructivism,” The Educational Forum (Summer 2004)

NO: Jamin Carson, from “Objectivism and Education: A Response to David Elkind’s ‘The Problem with Constructivism’,” The Educational Forum (Spring 2005)

Child development professor David Elkind contends that the philosophical positions found in constructivism, though often difficult to apply, are necessary elements in a meaningful reform of educational practices. Jamin Carson, an assistant professor of education and former high school teacher, offers a close critique of constructivism and argues that the philosophy of objectivism is a more realistic and usable basis for the process of education.

YES: Marc Tucker, from “Charting a New Course for Schools,” Educational Leadership (April 2007)

NO: Herb Childress, from “A Subtractive Education,” Phi Delta Kappan (October 2006)

Marc Tucker, president of the National Center on Education and the Economy, summarizes the work of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce on which he served as vice chairman. Herb Childress, director of liberal studies at the Boston Architectural College, argues for a completely different approach to improvement of our efforts to educate.

Unit 2 Current Fundamental Issues

YES: Kristan A. Morrison, from “Democratic Classrooms: Promises and Challenges of Student Voice and Choice, Part One,” Educational Horizons (Fall 2008)

NO: Gary K. Clabaugh, from “Second Thoughts About Democratic Classrooms,” Educational Horizons (Fall 2008)

Associate professor of education Kristan A. Morrison explores historical and theoretical bases for implementing democratic practices in schools that would make student experience more appealing and productive. Professor of education Gary K. Clabaugh examines such factors as top-down management, compulsory attendance, business world influences, and federal mandates to declare Morrison’s ideas to be “out of touch” with reality.

YES: Charles L. Glenn, from “Fanatical Secularism,” Education Next (Winter 2003)

NO: Paul E. Peterson, from “Victory for Vouchers?” Commentary (September 2002)

Professor of education Charles L. Glenn argues that the Supreme Court’s decision in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris is an immediate antidote to the public school’s secularist philosophy. Professor of government Paul E. Peterson, while welcoming the decision, contends that the barricades against widespread use of vouchers in religious schools will postpone any lasting effects.

YES: Sharon L. Nichols and David C. Berliner, from “Testing the Joy Out of Learning,” Educational Leadership (March 2008)

NO: Dianne Piché, from “Basically a Good Model,” Education Next (Fall 2007)

Education professors Sharon Nichols and David Berliner cite evidence of the negative effects of test-dominated schooling under the influence of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Dianne Piché, executive director of the Citizen’s Commission on Civil Rights, supports the testing and accountability measures of the federal law as the best way to advance the interests of the poor and minorities.

YES: Ruby Payne, from “Nine Powerful Practices,” Educational Leadership (April 2008)

NO: Mistilina Sato and Timothy J. Lensmire, from “Poverty and Payne: Supporting Teachers to Work with Children of Poverty,” Phi Delta Kappan (January 2009)

Ruby Payne, president of aha!Process, Inc., a company that offers guidance to educators in poverty-area districts, puts forth specific ideas for overcoming deficits in students’ lives. Assistant professor of education Mistilina Sato and associate professor of education Timothy J. Lensmire find that Payne’s approach offers only simplistic solutions based on a grossly overgeneralized, deficit-laden portrayal of poor children.

YES: Frederick M. Hess, from “What Is a ‘Public School’? Principles for a New Century,” Phi Delta Kappan (February 2004)

NO: Linda Nathan et al., from “A Response to Frederick Hess,” Phi Delta Kappan (February 2004)

Frederick M. Hess, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, advocates a broadening of the definition of “public schooling” in light of recent developments such as vouchers, charter schools, and home schooling. Linda Nathan, Joe Nathan, Ray Bacchetti, and Evans Clinchy express a variety of concerns about the conceptual expansion that Hess proposes.

Unit 3 Current Specific Issues

YES: William J. Brennan, Jr., from Majority Opinion in Plyler v. Doe (June 15, 1982)

NO: Warren Burger, from Dissenting Opinion in Plyler v. Doe (June 15, 1982)

Justice William Brennan argues that the action of the Texas state legislature to authorize local school districts to deny enrollment in public schools to children not “legally admitted” to the country violates the Fourteenth Amendment. Chief Justice Warren Burger, in dissent, counters that the Court has no business assuming a policymaking role simply because the legislative branches of government fail to act appropriately.

YES: David L. Kirp, from Big Ideas for Children: Investing in Our Nation’s Future (First Focus, 2008)

NO: Douglas J. Besharov and Douglas M. Call, from “The New Kindergarte n,” The Wilson Quarterly (Autumn 2008)

David L. Kirp, a professor of public policy and author of The Sandbox Investment, calls for expansion of federal support for universal preschool and other...