Customer Reviews

The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Diane Ravitch's The Language Police shines a light on a dark secret in k-12 education, namely the scandalous undermining of content standards in k-12 textbooks due to a collusion between textbook publishers and censors aimed at shielding children from anything that even remotely could be considered harmful or offensive to potential educational consumers. I had heard a few "Ripley's Believe It or Not" stories about this phenomenon -- for example, a university colleague of mine who had written a widely used high school civics text told me recently how he was asked by a California textbook review board to eliminate a diagram depicting the classic "layer cake" model of American federalism, lest it encourage kids to eat junk food -- but only after seeing Ravitch's book did I realize just how far this sort of lunacy had gone. The book meticulously documents its argument with an enormous amount of scholarly evidence, and equally meticulously tries to demonstrate that both liberals and conservatives are at fault for this problem. Ravitch has no ideological axe to grind here. She takes shots at both political correct feminists and others on the left as well as religious conservatives and others on the right, and anyone in-between who would deny our children a subtantively strong, academically sound education. It is a must-read for anyone concerned about the dumbing down of American education and the movement away from serious, free inquiry in our schools.

THE LANGUAGE POLICE is a good read and a fascinating read recommended to anyone who is interested in the "censorship" of style and content of the politically correct be they of special interest groups of the left or right. With the LANGUAGE POLICE, Diane Ravitch may have struck a powerful blow for education, common sense and freedom of expression in America a cherished first amendment right which could be eroded and undone word by word by unelected "committees" of political correctness.

The range of research and quotations is impressive covering a wide swath of famous authors present and past whose works have been banned or quietly bowdlerized or edited by testing companies and publishers without comment. Ravitch quotes an indignant Ray Bradbury who became aware of bowdlerized versions of his book Fahrenheit 451.I like the lists of censored books and the CENSORSHIP on the LEFT chapter particularly the quote on Mark Twain. Ravitch never wrote anything truer: "...Teachers and students alike must learn to grapple with this novel WHICH THEY CANNOT DO UNLESS THEY READ IT." Ravitch quotes Orwell " Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?" Has it every occurred to anyone that insipid dumbed down texts play a role in school house boredom and low achievement? Ravitch's well-researched APPENDIX of BANNED WORDS and PHRASES was great (but chilling). "Sportsmanship" and "lumberjack" are out -VERBOTEN- in favor of the gender neutral and extremely weak and uncommunicative "SPORTING CONDUCT" and "WOOD-CUTTER". As a language teacher I am concerned when words that are to found in HUNDREDS of classic literary tales and thousands if not millions of English-language books are not taught thus handicapping a generation of readers who will simply lack the vocabulary to read independently. If you think about on it, it just makes no sense and hurts the education of kids.
At the end of the book the sampler of classic literature compiled with Rodney Atkinson a well-respected teacher specialist in children's literature- was very well done not just another bloomin' list but commentaries to help remind us of the book or poem we may have forgotten or encourage us to read it or suggest others read these classics of cultural literacy a la E.D. Hirsch.

The bottom line is the LANGUAGE POLICE by DIANE RAVITCH is a good read, entertaining, informative, and worthy as a reference and a guide for the citizen, the reformer, parents and educators alike. Censored books mean bad books that suppress the truth. Untruthful, garbled text books make for bad scholars and bad teachers. Why should anyone care? Bored and low-achieving students could affect the survival and success of American democracy as well as our political and economic stability.

It would be very simplistic to blame all of the problems in America's schools on the textbooks. However, it is realistic to say that the textbooks are a big part of the problem.

Many teachers rely heavily on the textbook to create their course. This is due either to lack of ability or to state law. Certain states (California and Texas among them) mandate the adoption of specific books or, at least, limit the options.

Good books are necessary in such an environment. We need books that the intelligent student can learn from and which will engage the less able student. Unfortunately, our textbooks are almost universally poor.

There are many reasons, and Ravitch has limited her discussion to the writing style of the texts. She focuses mainly on History and Literature.

In order to avoid offending groups at both ends of the political spectrum, textbooks have become heavily sanitized mush. Offensive words or concepts are eliminated.

The right wing conspiracy (of which I'm a member) has complained for years about left wing censorship while happily engaging in the same sort of activity.

The left wing mandates multiculturalism to ridiculous extremes. There must be gender and racial balance in illustrations, stories, authors, and illustrators. At the same time, the right wing demands stories that show children always obeying their parents, no evolution, no sorcery, and other such things.

Taken together, the flavor and interest of textbooks is gone. My students tell me how boring the books are to read, and they're right. I have taken the extreme step of writing my own textbooks because there are so few decent texts out there.

Ravitch has identified and articulated what I had felt instinctively. Furthermore, she has provided the research and the facts to back herself up. This book provides evidence of the problem. It is for this that I rate it five stars. No one can argue with it. The facts are plain.

We can argue over whether it is a bad thing. She claims it is, and I agree, but that is an opinion. That it is happening is a fact.

This book is a goldmine of information about the words, phrases, and topics that are taboo in today's textbooks for fear of insulting radical feminists, racial minorities, the elderly, or handicapped people. While the book is only about 150 pages long, there is a wealth of information within those pages. On top of that, this book includes a lengthy list of words (not necessarily ones that were mentioned in the regular text) of off-limits subjects and a little information on why.

While the book is short, and while it does seem to sound a little repetitive, it is still a fascinating book that anybody with a child in school should read.

Diane Ravitch covers censorship in literature and history books in chapters dedicated to the subjects. While she touches on censorship in math and science, they take a backseat to the deplorable censorship in literature and history books.

This is a fascinating book that will make you shake your head in disbelief on many occasions. A very good book!

Diane Ravitch gives an account of the "regime of censorship that has quietly spread throughout educational publishing in response to pressure groups from both the left and right." Readers will discover the power of "bias and sensitivity reviewers", and will be disturbed to find historical accuracy is routinely sacrificed for political correctness. Ravitch attempts to provide a balanced account of censorship by giving examples from the extreme right and extreme left. Unlike bias guidelines, which are often secretive, this text is well referenced. Readers will find a valuable bonus in the two appendices. In the first appendix Ravitch provides a glossary of banned words, usages, stereotypes, and topics. While some may find the glossary somewhat amusing (examples range from the ridiculous to the sublime, including a section of foods to avoid in textbooks), the lists also elicit deep concerns as one becomes aware of the degree and extent of censorship so readily practiced. Parents and educators alike will find the second appendix to be particularly helpful as it provides a compilation of leading classics in literature, broken down by grade level, ranging from grade three to ten. While she somewhat belabors her points, the points are worth making. Having read her book, like Ravitch, "I could not shake the feeling that something important and dangerous was happening in American education that few people knew about."

just as too many critics spoil the textbooks as Diane Ravitich explains in this aptly titled book, "The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn."

Ravitch identifies how pressure groups try to change every book from literature to history to satisfy their agendas, at the sacrifice of the students. In the intensely competitive textbook market, publishers go out of their way to make learning as bland as possible so that it will not offend some group.

In my state, New York, there is a perfect example of textbook manipulation and historical revisionism that makes me bristle. Our history textbooks must include a passage thanking New York tribal Indians for their contribution to the creation of the US Consititution. The Iroquois and other tribes have insisted that this be added to textbooks used in our state. Actually, these tribes came together to solve inter-tribal issues. There was no representation as we know it. The supposed connection comes from a letter that Benjamin Franklin wrote to a friend venting his exasperation at the lack of progress in congress. He cited this confederation of Amerinds saying in effect, if savage Indians can resolve their differences, why not civilized, educated men? This was their contribution!

Other pressure groups of ethnic, religious, national, and political agendas have sanitized books to the point of uselessness. I have borne witness to history texts that I have read about the American Revolution. One passage said that we should thank the Hanseatic League for their contribution to...

The Hanseatic League?

Perhaps one day, people will recognize that not all groups contribute to our economy or our inventions in the same amounts or at the same time. When people realize that revisionism is no substitute for psychotherapy, as Arthur Schlesinger asserts, and they can put learning of our children above petty, personal agendas, our children may learn that Hiroshima is not in Vietnam, and that the Alamo is not a Latin word.

One of the Ravitch's descriptions shows grandpa reshingling the roof so that seniors are not stereotyped as incapable or lacking in energy. Old enough to be a grandfather, I may show just enough energy to reach for my wallet, and let a younger person shingle, while I chill under them.

I also recommend you reach for your wallet to buy this book.

Does a terrific job of highlighting a previously little-known problem in education. Personally, I am outraged that many classic pieces of literature are now being denounced by both the left and the right for ridiculous reasons. An excellent read, I recommend.

As a policeman (excuse me, 'police officer') this book was something of a revelation. Ms. Ravitch covers an area much more sinister than simple law enforcement. It was shocking to discover that youngsters in North America appear to be brainwashed from a very young age to accept literary mediocrity in their daily dealings at school. The bowdlerized texts that grind "reading materials into pabulum" appear both pathetic and, ultimately, self-defeating. Pathetic because sanitized reading material denies students access to the real world, and self-defeating because American youth, despite hailing from the world's only superpower, will find themselves ill-equipped to deal with the complexities of the modern world.

Ms. Ravitch covers in great detail, and from a very personal perspective, an area that should be of grave concern to parents today. She describes the circumstances surrounding why words such as "God", "jungle" and "yacht" can be banned from inclusion in school textbooks, why novels by Mark Twain, classics by Chaucer, Shakespeare and Dickens and, perhaps most amazingly, texts about the founding of the United States of America itself, can be edited beyond recognition. Topics as varied as dinosaurs, euthanasia, sex and winter holidays are apparently taboo in classrooms. I found this an incredulous, disheartening and yet compelling read. Though slightly long-winded and repetitive in parts, Ms. Ravitch brings home some harsh home truths about American (excuse me, 'people of the United States') education. A must read for people of the United States with children.

This is far and away the most illuminating take so far on what's behind the dumbing down of the schools and why kids don't read even if they can. Ravitch has looked into textbooks and tests and what she has found astounds and amuses. In fact, you don't know whether to laugh or cry at some of what's revealed here--but you can't stop reading. Pressure groups of right and left have shaped the subject matter and language that's permissible in what kids learn in ways that make school so boring it's no wonder they turn to TV and pop music. Among the no-no's imposed by the fundamentalist right are dinosaurs (which might lead to the subject of evolution), and fairy tales and magic (which suggest the supernatural. The PC watchdogs of the left require that no mother be shown cooking or cleaning and no father leaving for the office briefcase in hand. Mothers have to be the ones going off to work while Dad has to be shown at domestic chores. No gender stereotypes allowed, and no words like brotherhood, heroine, or senile. No one is old enough to be pictured with a cane, let alone in a wheelchair. Seniors are all spry and healthy in the never-never land of the sanitized works publishers of textbooks have produced in place of full-bodied history and imaginative literature. No one is to be offended, lest they influence the sale of these books by the mega-publishers who produce them, and to that end guidelines have been imposed that amount to censorship of everything that could possibly appear controversial to anyone--leaving only a sterile and oversimplified text, guaranteed to bore young minds rather than stretch them. Ravitch doesn't stop with what's gone wrong and how it came about--she suggests what can be done to change the textbook adoption process and in the meantime provides reading lists that will enrich children's minds at every level. This is a book that should be read by every parent and every teacher in America. It's that rare combination--an important work and a good read.

I just purchased two more copies of this book to give to family members. I've asked our college library to get a copy for the stacks. This is a must-read for anyone involved in education.

I teach Philosophy at a community college and I constantly deal with smart kids who don't know anything. When I talk about ancient history, they have NOTHING to work with, so I have to start from scratch. Ravitch has stated that the greatest cost we've experienced from advocacy-group censorship is the raw boredom of education.

As she so ably demonstrates, history can't be taught in the public schools. In its place is a bland mush that is designed to offend no one. History is filled with violence and stupidity standing alongside genius and accomplishment. The truth is ugly and messy and funny and engaging.

My relatives come from Germany. I know of the horrifying atrocities that my kin have committed as well as their brilliant accomplishments. If I were from another ethniocity, textbook authors and editors would feel obligated to erase our wrongs and then overstate our accomplishments just so that I would feel good about myself.

One of the most important truths of life is: It Isn't All About You.