Assessment, Bureaucracy, and Consolidation: The Issues Facing Schools Today

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Description

American education has changed dramatically over the last century. The small, locally controlled school, supported by a concerned educational village fostered learning, personal accountability, patriotism and economic growth for a young nation. Today, however, American schools are typically large, consolidated, bureaucratic organizations controlled by state and/or municipal governments. The administration of these schools is hierarchical and corporate in form while its curriculum is oriented toward the needs of the business community. Assessment through standardized testing, moreover, has become the cornerstone of American education. Assessment, Bureaucracy, and Consolidation: The Issues Facing Schools Today examines this remarkable transformation in the form and function of education and assesses the problems and possibilities for the future of schools and our nation. Additional key features of this book include: A clear comprehensive history of the modern American school from the nineteenth century to the present and its impact on teachers, students, parents and the community at large An Explanation of the impact of bureaucratic organization and the movement toward large schools Critiques of past reform experiments in public education A Placement of the contemporary standardized assessment movement in historical context A reevaluation of the relationship between education and business An evaluation of returning education to locally controlled schools, reconnecting educational practitioners with the educational village

Reviews

"In a field characterized by fads and short attention spans, Issues Facing Schools Today: The Challenges of Assessment, Bureaucracy and Consolidation is welcome indeed. The Parkersons explore the origins of school and district consolidation, educational bureaucracy, corporate influence, and political meddling in an organized and readable manner. In combination, these factors have produced an educational system that is both alien to, and ineffective in educating, increasingly large number of our children. Although there is "much to be done" to reclaim the promise of education for all, the Parkersons remain cautiously optimistic." --Lorin Anderson, Carolina Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of South Carolina

"As a long-time student of politics, I can say without hesitation that Issues Facing Schools Today is a timely treatment of an extremely important topic of contemporary public and elite discourse. Where we are in our thinking about education policy, and how we have come to this point, are often forgotten in public debate, though ignorance of the past undoubtedly increases the likelihood of making the same mistakes over and over again. The Parkersons' systematic treatment of themes central to the evolution of education policy provides a crucial context in which to view present and future changes in education policy. Their historical analysis of "Assessment, Bureaucracy and Consolidation" will no doubt better inform our deliberations regarding future directions in these policy areas, as well as identifying pitfalls in the formulation of education policy. Issues Facing Schools Today will be highly thought-provoking, unquestionably controversial, and will no doubt become essential reading for those propagating and studying educational reform--it's a "winner."" --Glenn Parker, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Purdue University

"The Parkersons' work is a must read for everyone interested in the major issues effecting our schools. Through careful historical analysis they argue that the trifecta of assessment, bureaucracy and consolidation is ultimately responsible for the crisis in public education today. This book is timely and immensely intriguing." --Herbert J. Walberg, Professor Emeritus & University Scholar, University of Illinois Chicago

"As school systems naively accepted and endorsed the consolidation of their local schools to fit a cost-saving business model, they forgot about educating their children. Issues Facing Schools Today is a superb, thoughtful overview of how this happened and its devastating impact on our children." --William Grobe, associate professor, Department of Educational Leadership, East Carolina University; past president, The National Association of Secondary School Principals

Author Bio

Donald Parkerson is Distinguished Professor of Teaching in the History Department at East Carolina University. This is his fifth book focusing on the history of education with his colleague and coauthor, Jo Ann Parkerson. Jo Ann Parkerson is professor emerita of education at Methodist University. She draws upon her extensive teaching background as coauthor of five books on educational history.