Customer Reviews

Only Connect: The Way to Save Our Schools

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I teach at Stanford Business School and have had the privilege of having Rudy Crew come to my class. This book is like hearing him speak. It is filled with passion and compassion, with facts, common sense ideas, and the remarkable insights of a gifted teacher, administrator, and leader. It speaks not just to issues of schools and education but to concerns that matter to society, to social justice, to philanthropy, to politics. Beautifully written, it is both a personal story and a story of what might be possible in America today, as well as what is currently going on, and why. It is one of the best books I have ever read because of its remarkable combination of wisdom, evidence, and direct language and thinking. If you have children, if you know children, or if you just care about the future of the U.S., you ought to read this book--and then take some action.

"Only Connect" is a must read and highly recommended. It is thought-provoking, insightful, and very informative. For parents, it underlines the important role they have in their children's education. For anyone who is concerned about the plight of American education, "Only Connect" lays out a plan for ensuring that all children graduate with the skills and knowledge necessary to compete in a global economy.

What's truly unique about "Only Connect" is how Dr. Crew brilliantly uses a story-telling style that engages the reader and makes what could have been just another policy book into a real page turner.

This book is a very readable mix of the experiences of an accomplished educator, a well-raised son, and a father with whom any parent could empathize. Rudy Crew gives a solid accounting of what ails public schools and gives us a prescription that will work if only we have the courage to follow it -- all of us, not just some of us. He takes a commendable big view, extolling things like arts education and civic awareness and not simply the 3Rs. We'd be better off if more school leaders had the clarity of vision found here and if more parents had the singlemindness of Crew's father Eugene. If you want to understand the complex solution to problems that too often seem intractable, this is a book to read.

Dr. Rudy Crew, former Superintendent of Miami-Dade Public schools wrote Only Connect: The Way to Save Our Schools while he was leading the third largest public school system in the country. The premise of his book - there is no one single thing that will transform public schools in America; not legislation, testing, parent involvement, smaller classes, even money. Rather, Crew makes a strong case for improving public education by taking a systems approach and advocating for simultaneous change in all of its parts. He asserts that education is not just the academic teaching we provide for our children ages 4-18; it is training for life. Therefore, we have to shift our attention from "rescuing" public education to transforming the learning of children. To make that happen, we need a "shared responsibility" and strong connection between home, school and the larger community.

Much of his book is dedicated to looking at the connection between home and schools. Crew emphasizes the importance of having parents involved in their child's education, but also places responsibility on schools for reaching out and engaging parents. Critical to the relationship is for schools to understand the varied backgrounds, concerns and behaviors of parents. Schools need to take the lead in transitioning parents from "Supply Parents," those who "often feel like outsiders in the very schools who are supposed to be serving them" to "Demand Parents." Demand Parents " demand things from their schools because they understand that they are indeed owed something and it is their responsibility to get it for their children." They understand how schools work and know how to navigate the system to have their needs met.

Only Connect also emphasizes the importance of the community, including businesses, higher education, and faith communities, in education. These entities need to "be proactive in looking for ways to partner with the school system." Their involvement in education is critical for society, mostly because it is the role of education to prepare students to become productive members of that society. Schools cannot act alone. Partnerships provide shared responsibility and accountability.

Dr. Crew is a talented storyteller and uses many examples from both his personal and professional life to engage the reader and highlight his assertions. In addition, he suggests specific recommendations for all stakeholders and uses his school district as a model for school systems across the nation. This book makes a strong case for shifting the "school improvement" paradigm from reform to renewal.

Dr. Crew speaks from a brilliant mind, a very caring heart, and the battle scars of experience. We should all be so lucky to listen and learn from such leaders. Combine Dr. Crew's words and No Excuses and our schools would be a far better place.

Lead on Dr. Crew!

Dr. Crew's book is a fantasy of my deepest desires. Heartfelt, from someone whom has been in the trenches for 14 years, his strategy is not only common-sense he builds a path which could lead to America's salvation. My personal credo is "We did not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we are borrowing it from our children.--Native American Wisdom" Dr. Crew seems to be one of the few in a position of authority, committed to change that understands what this means.

Rudy Crew's book is filled with dreams of how to get others to work for success. If it were not for his emphasis on a federal view of education instead of a state's rights view of education, it would rate five stars.

"Harpers" September issue includes an excellent article listing most of the American education fads during the past several decades. The list is long, often repetitive, and embarrassing to review. "New" math, compensatory education, Head Start, expanded kindergarten, magnet schools, computer-assisted instruction, open schools, team-teaching, uniforms, class-size reduction (27 in 1950 to 17 in the 1990s), special-education, gifted education, Advanced Placement courses, "Back to Basics," boosting pupil self-esteem (lower graduation standards and grade inflation), bilingualism, bigger high schools, smaller high schools, more homework, less homework, laptops for all students, merit pay and more pay for teachers, accountability for administrators, voucher plans, charter schools, high-stakes testing, Phonics, whole language instruction, direct instruction, expanded middle school role, eliminated middle schools, more education courses for teachers, teacher testing, "No Child Left Behind," equal opportunity, tripling inflation-adjusted per-pupil expenditures for current operations, free and reduced-cost lunches and breakfasts, and countless renovations and new buildings - most were listed, and all have been tried extensively.

"Has any of this made a difference?" asks the article's author - Peter Schrag. The short answer, he says, lies somewhere between "not sure" and "not much." U.S. performance vs. other nations continues to sag, the number of high-performing U.S. SAT-takers on the verbal portion declined nearly 25% from '73 to '90 (the test has since been revised, precluding further long-term comparisons), small gains in SAT math have been made since the mid-1960s, but 17-year-olds' NAEP scores have remained flat.

What does this have to do with "Only Connect?" Crew espouses much of the above (eg. higher teacher pay, increased spending in most schools, preschool, equal opportunity - "code" for more money, better buildings - despite strong research evidence contradicting their value), though I do credit him with pushing for more parental involvement.

Three important implications follow from our recent education history: 1)Roughly two-thirds of our current $468 billion/year in public school expenditures is wasted. 2)Much of the monies spent within Colleges of Education is also wasted. 3)It's time to try something Asian schools have found to be very important - substantial parental involvement.

As for Crew being a dynamic, knowledgeable leader and writer, read Ram Charan's "Know-How" about how charisma, etc. even once fooled Jack Welch when picking those to hire or promote. It doesn't anymore. Finally, education degrees in general, including doctorates, are viewed as lacking rigor.