One Size Fits Few: The Folly of Educational Standards [Paperback]

Susan Ohanian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0325001588 | ISBN-13: 978-0325001586

One Size Fits Few is a sharp, pointed pin with which to deflate the overblown pro-Standards movement. In her hilarious, unsparing, and often touching narrative, Susan Ohanian-a teacher, author, and frequent contributor to the Atlantic, Education Week, and other publications-recounts her quest to make sense of the Standards movement.

"Making sense" is no small feat, as we see when Ohanian muses on school districts withholding diplomas from students who fail to demonstrate "necessary knowledge" of topics such as covalent bonds, the Edict of Nantes, La Cucaracha, and the Slough of Despond.

Balance is even more elusive in the media, as is evident when Ohanian drafts an op-ed piece on Goals 2000 for USA Today. When her editor repeatedly finds the real-life students she portrays "too unique," too urban, too nonstandard, she realizes that all he wants to know is "how the kids in Grosse Pointe measure up against the kids in Larchmont or Palo Alto, and how both compare to the Japanese."

Ironically, even in Japan, Ohanian finds gross denial: When she asks "What happens when a child fails to keep up with his peers?," she is reassured that this never happens. Yet no one can explain how the McDonald's clerk fits into the Japanese educational/social system.

Underlying the irony is a call to action. "It is my moral duty to offer a counterargument to people who would try to streamline, sanitize, and standardize education" says Ohanian. "When we get down to the realities of the classroom . . . the antics of Standardistos are no longer funny . . . what we need to do is fight back."

Visit www.susanohanian.org Visit Susan Ohanian online for a wealth of information on education issues and to learn more about her. You'll find commentary, cartoons, letters, resources, quotes and a word of the day offering children a provocative way to increase their vocabulary.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“We're lucky to have someone like Susan Ohanian who is willing to take on all the pious nonsense about Standards.”–Alfie Kohn, Author of Punished by Rewards and No Contest

“Ohanian's work is a refreshing call to action. . . . This will hit a responsive note with many school leaders.”–The School Administrator

About the Author

Susan Ohanian is a longtime teacher and free-lance writer whose articles have appeared in periodicals ranging from the Atlantic and Washington Monthly to Phi Delta Kappan and Education Week. Visit www.susanohanian.org for a wealth of information on education issues and to learn more about Susan Ohanian. You'll find commentary, cartoons, letters, resources, quotes and a word of the day offering children a provocative way to increase their vocabulary. Her email address is: [e-mail].

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Heinemann (March 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0325001588
• ISBN-13: 978-0325001586
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #949,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Ohanian is a longtime teacher-turned-activist who works against high stakes testing and national standards. Visit her two websites:
susanohanian.org
stopnationalstandards.org

Susan has taught every grade from 2-14 and has strong views about all of them, but her heart remains with 7th and 3rd graders.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book Worth Reading, July 4, 2000

By 

Patricia Brattan - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Size Fits Few: The Folly of Educational Standards (Paperback)

One Size Fits Few by Susan Ohanian contains more citations than I've ever seen in a single reading! One can't accuse this author of not doing her research before writing this book. Virtually every statement she makes is backed up by a reference to a well known public figure or educator.

Throughout the book, the author makes numerous cases against the use of educational standards. At the heart of these multifarious denouncements is the recurring theme that standards are dehumanizing. At one point she reminds us of some essential life skills that are usually ignored when standards are created: "The great words of teaching are the one syllable ones: read, write, teach, learn, work, skill, care, help, hope, trust, faith, love. And the greatest of these, of course, is love." (p.127)

Although the author is not in favor of senseless educational standards, we can infer that in order for successful learning to take place, we must answer to some "higher" "standards," those which recur universally within the context of being a good human being. As a long time educator, those are the standards I must strive to have my students attain.

The book is outstandingly well written and thought provoking. Its 7 chapters are divided among 3 sections. The chapters include Ohanian's observations and views, recounted in the form of anecdotes; each under its own title. The language is simple and down to earth. One can start reading this book from any page and still gain wit, wisdom, and fact.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally somebody brave enough to say No! to higher standards, August 17, 1999

By 

Arthur T. Hu "Arthur Hu" (Bothell, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Size Fits Few: The Folly of Educational Standards (Paperback)

I haven't read it cover to cover yet, but so far it's great and makes tremendous sense. The new tests like Washingon's WASL, Maryland's MSPAP expect kids demonstrate absurdly advanced skills with absolutely no direct instruction on how to solve these problem, the Maryland 9th grade social studies is absolutely insane what they expect to pack the entire world history into one year at a graduate college level.

The whole idea of "high standards for all" is the classic "if it's too good to be true, it probably is". How can one standard be good enough for every job from mopping the floors up to designing ultrasound machine software?

In a different way, this book stands up for truly traditional education, which never held up _all_ student to one high standard. Thank you for writing this, this is the first volley that will eventually spell doom for the misguided standards based reform movement.

Arthur Hu Candidate Superintendent of Instruction WA 2000

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, someone speaks up about the "Standards"!, April 26, 1999

By 

R. Berkman (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Size Fits Few: The Folly of Educational Standards (Paperback)

It was about time someone spoke up against "standardization" in education. Sure, you can standardize computers, cars and olive oil, but anybody who has been around a kid for more than a few minutes would know that this kind of talk is doomed to failure. This book is alternately aggravating, hilarious, and sad; aggravating that so many people with so little understanding of teaching and learning are dictating what should go on in the classroom; hilarious when we see what the results of that standarization are (Virgil's experience with "penis parts" is destined to be a classic), and sadness that millions of children are going to be turned away from the joy and romance of learning by the arrogance of the "Standardistos." I hope this book is just the first shot across the bow.