Inside American education
by Thomas Sowell · first published 1992
4mentions
1recommended by
4HN commenters
2009–2022first – last mentioned
25% recommend75% neutral
Our educational establishment -- a vast tax-supported empire existing quasi-independently within American society -- is morally and intellectually bankrupt, charges distinguished economist and social critic Thomas Sowell. And in this top-to-bottom tour of the mismanaged institutions, cynical leadership, and tendentious programs of American education, Sowell exposes the numerous "deceptions and dogmas" that have concealed or sought to justify the steep and very dangerous decline in our educational standards and practices across the board. Among the more serious ills of American education are th
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He's right about the importance of education and the poor state of it in the US, but I'm not convinced that the private sector can't handle it. Inside American Education (http://www.amazon.com/Inside-American-Education-Thomas-Sowel...) is a really interesting book on what our current system is like (although a bit dated, it's from 1992).
on “"There's no reason only poor people should have the experience" - TED video of Bill Gates” ↗…our tiny liberal arts college was way better than any college resources of europe. Even public universities here spend tons on non academic costs. Way more than other countries. Sowell covers this in 'inside American education'. Alleviating debt and making it easier to pay more expensive loans incentivizes colleges to compete to attract students who can now affors higher price points
on “Net worth of Americans aged 18 to 35 has dropped 34 percent since 1996: study” ↗…courses are negative barriers, in the sense that they keep out the competent. It is Darwinism stood on its head, with the unfittest being most likely to survive as public school teachers." Thomas Sowell, Inside American Education, p.25-6
on “Why Do Schools Fire Losing Coaches But Not Bad Teachers?” ↗> Taking Calculus at not-Stanford may have led to a very different result. Thomas Sowell, in Inside American Education, argues that promoting students to more difficult colleges while ignoring SATs is not doing those students any favor. A firehose-pedagogy accepted by those with SAT scores 200-300 points higher can completely…
on “Grade Inflation: Over 82% of Harvard '22 Graduating With Over a 3.7 (A-) GPA” ↗