The Abyss: The Woeful State of the Nation's Public Schools and How Common Sense Can Save Them from Ruin [Paperback]

Dan D. Schinzel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2003

In The Abyss, Dan D. Shinzel, Ed.D., exposes the educational establishment for what it is: a tight-knit organization of arrogant bureaucrats adhering to a failed liberal philosophy that has doomed our public schools. Reform of the public school system is possible, but only if the establishment that controls it is overthrown. Dr. Schinzel concludes by offering a number of common sense solutions.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Veteran teacher Schinzel launches his focused plan to rescue America's failing schools by recalling an administrator's "obtuse," "disturbing" argument that "good teachers do not fail students." From that opening salvo, Schinzel argues convincingly that the concept of the teacher as scholar has been lost, replaced by a more personal, emotional notion of the teacher as therapeutic confidant and self-esteem booster. Schinzel alludes to (but doesn't cite) studies from the first half of the 20th century showing that the primary reason people entered teaching was interest in an academic subject. Studies from the second half of the 20th century, however, indicate that "fondness for children and favorable working conditions" are foremost in teachers' minds. Schinzel advocates a return to academic rigor, by increasing teachers' salaries, eliminating or modifying the teacher certification process (which, he says, fosters "a closed and intolerant society of bureaucrats all hailing from the liberal breeding ground called the college of education"), reducing the size and power of a school district's central office and enforcing meaningful codes of discipline, among other strategies. He fails to analyze broader cultural reasons to explain why America's high schools might not be as demanding as they once were, and he weakens his argument by fixedly attributing the ills of America's schools to administrative bureaucrats (whom he calls "educrats") and their progressive ideas. But still, this is an original and rather contrarian look at public education, and an impassioned call for reform.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Dan D. Schinzel, Ed.D., has taught in private and public schools at the high school level for the past eleven years. He became involved in public school reform during his doctoral studies, and hopes this book will provide a much needed fresh look at the American public school system.

Product Details

• Paperback: 164 pages
• Publisher: Fenestra Books (March 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587361493
• ISBN-13: 978-1587361494
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,891,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Schinzel is the MAN!, July 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Abyss: The Woeful State of the Nation's Public Schools and How Common Sense Can Save Them from Ruin (Paperback)

Dr. Schinzel was my high school chemistry teacher, and I would like to say that he is a great guy and a great teacher. I am ordering this book as we speak and I'm sure that it has some great insight into creating better public schools.