Customer Reviews

Smart Kids, Bad Schools: 38 Ways to Save America's Future

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

 

 

Mr. Crosby's book is a fairly quick read and many of his ideas for improving government-run schools are eminently sensible. These include: making schools' physical appearances and policies less like prisons; larger class sizes with higher quality teachers in high school classes; K-8 schools rather than separate middle schools; a ban on junk food/beverage sales; daily PE and a strong arts program; high-quality vocational education for non-college bound students; merit pay for teachers; eliminating tenure; ending social promotion; bringing back the teaching of basic civility, personal responsibility, respect for and consideration of others, and other virtues; more rigorous classes for gifted students; more field trips; incorporating community service; empowering teachers to actually do their jobs instead of being micromanaged by administrators and bureaucrats; less standardized testing; improving teacher preparation programs at the nation's colleges of education; having a career ladder for teachers; better fiscal management so that schools get more bang for their educational buck; requiring parental involvement; expelling chronically disruptive students; ending frivolous lawsuits by parents; and placing caps on out-of-control special education spending.

A few of his arguments I found unconvincing. I do not share his enthusiasm for a year-round calendar, a longer school day, and full-day kindergarten for all students. These may be appropriate for some children, but for others so much time spent in an institutionalized setting may actually be detrimental. I also disagree with his ideas for moving teachers rather than students from classroom to classroom; having a M-Th schedule for teachers with every single Friday devoted to professional development; and his bashing of private schools & homeschooling and his paternalistic attitude that parents should automatically defer to the teacher's "authority" and "expertise" without question.

Overall, however, I highly recommend "Smart Kids, Bad Schools" to anyone interested in improving the U.S. K-12 education system.

I felt Mr. Crosby had visited our school. Such insight into a major problem that is often blamed on everything but the real culprit. Easy read and informative.

How refreshing to have a book written by a teacher with over 20 years experience (not some so-called education expert who's never taught a day in his life) who has a vision on how best to educate kids. Brian Crosby's ideas should be used to start off serious discussions across this country. I hope politicians get a hold of this book; perhaps they will learn something.

People need to listen to what he has to say. Sure, not everyone will agree with everything in this book, but the passion behind his blueprint for America's schools should be seriously considered. I don't see anyone else in this country creating an ambitious plan. America's kids deserve better. Here's hoping those in power recognize this.

I find myself very conflicted about this book. On one hand I am grateful that there are dedicated and provocative teachers like Brian Crosby. I am also indebted to him for describing so many of the flaws in our school "system". However, I am frustrated by the internal inconsistancy of some of his thinking. For example, on page 93 he seems to find it unreasonable that $1.9 -$5.3 billion is spent annually on evaluating the effectiveness of a $500 billion effort to educate our children. Personally, I don't find it unreasonable to allocate 1% on evaluation of effectiveness of almost any system. Of course evaluation of any system should be based on its purpose and objectives. Here Mr. Crosby disappoints me completely. He devotes about half a page (Page 62) to a rather incomplete list of rhetorical questions about the goal of public education, but he does not display an appreciation of the complexity and the fundamental significance of the issue. I hope he grapples with that in his next book.

It's great to read a book on education that is actually written by a current veteran teacher as we rarely hear in the public what teachers think should be done to help our educational system. Why is it that politicians think they know better than teachers on how to help solve America's education crisis?

The book is not just for teachers...its for everyone as education is our foundation for this country. A very entertaining, yet thought provoking read.

Brian Crosby has written a fast-paced, entertaining book that presents a vision on how America needs to makeover its public schools. Smart Kids Bad Schools is full of clever ideas that everyone should seriously consider implementing. Plus, he is an actual school teacher with 20 years' experience so he knows what he is talking about. I've heard Mr. Crosby speak on TV and would love to see him on Oprah debating education with the likes of Bill Gates--it would be fascinating.

I am a public school teacher who, intrigued by what I saw with a quick scan, picked up Crosby's book while browsing the bookstore on vacation. Crosby should be applauded for having the courage to identify so many things teachers know don't work but generally keep quiet about. Many of the ideas he presents are logical, well supported and just make great sense. For example, if the countries that outperform us go to school 20 to 60 more days each year than our kids, why don't we even the playing field by expanding our school year too? Why do the worst schools have the most unqualified teachers? Why not recruit administrators from the MBA pool rather than former teachers who wanted out of the classroom?

It became clear while reading, however, that this was a subjective read. Crosby clearly allowed personal biases to cloud many of his reforms without offering tangent solutions. Case in point: cut special education and Title I. Huh? Crosby delivers the usual, tired argument that every public school teacher unwilling (or unable) to accommodate delivers with alarming regularity: the kids are cheating the system to get better grades and more time on tests, and these perpetrators are taking time and money away from other kids. His solution: just give the money back to the schools and trust the people in charge will do what's best for their students. This after writing an entire book dedicated to criticizing how the people in charge do a poor job. Such illogical and contradictory ideas are dangerous, occur too frequently, and greatly diminished the legitimacy of this book.

Ultimately Smart Kids, Bad Schools, if limited to fewer of the more logical reforms which fell in Crosby's area of expertise, could be a legitimate cadre of ideas. Instead, it is a disconnected, illogical rant smacking of a disgruntled teacher critical of almost every aspect of American education (except his own performance).

Many of my friends are teachers, and so this book piqued my curiosity as (what I thought would be) a glimpse into some of the challenges they face, and some radical solutions.

Instead, it reads like the author's personal journal, where he pours out 20 years' worth of rants. The great majority of the book is completely subjective, with the rare reference to some supporting research. Much of it is also written in a passive-aggressive voice, with open-ended questions where the author thinks the reader will fill in the (to him) obvious answers. At one point, he even suggests that one of his former students who brought in his parents to discuss grades would be a good "defense lawyer for Al-Queda suspects" (I've paraphrased, but accurate to context).

If you read this book as an insight into a single teacher's experiences and biases, you might get something out of it. If you're looking for a well-written, objective list of radical changes to our schools: this isn't it.

The subtitle is 38 ways to save America's future. it should have been subtitled 38 ideas, gripes and axes I have to grind about school and the plight of teachers. In any case, his thinking is sloppy and the book seems to have way too much filler. In fact, toward the end it unravels into opinion and not much else.

If this is meant as a discussion starter, fine. If it's meant as a well-researched tour through the education grinder, it's scope is too small (he rarely mentions alternatives other than our formal school system) and he leaves out, in any depth, what school is an answer for in the 21st century. Also, parents' roles are given short shrift. It's all back to trusting the teacher and improving the system. Sorry, school is a tool for how I educate my children. Nothing more. If the tool is broken, I reserve the right to repair or toss; it is a right never superseded by a system or its experts. And I say this as an educator with kids in public schools.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Brian Crosby at www.bigbagofwind.com. He's experienced many of the same things as a 20+ year veteran that I have. We look at our schools and ask ourselves if that is what we'd build from scratch. And of course our schools are not what we'd build from scratch.

But 38 ideas that all depend on each other? Not going to happen on any sort of a micro level. And that's the case for charter schools. Implementing Brian's ideas, one school at a time, over time.