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The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School Paperback – October 29, 1996

4.4 out of 5 stars 240

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Postman suggests that the current crisis in our educational system derives from its failure to supply students with a translucent, unifying "narrative" like those that inspired earlier generations. Instead, today's schools promote the false "gods" of economic utility, consumerism, or ethnic separatism and resentment. What alternative strategies can we use to instill our children with a sense of global citizenship, healthy intellectual skepticism, respect of America's traditions, and appreciation of its diversity? In answering this question, The End of Education restores meaning and common sense to the arena in which they are most urgently needed.



"Informal and clear...Postman's ideas about education are appealingly fresh."--New York Times Book Review

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Claiming that our current educational system teaches students to worship technology and consumerism, Postman argues for more humanistic "narratives" as the basis for schools.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Informal and clear. . . . Postman's ideas about education are appealingly fresh." --The New York Times Book Review

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; Reprint edition (October 29, 1996)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 209 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0679750312
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0679750314
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 0.6 x 7.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 240

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Neil Postman
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Neil Postman was chairman of the department of communication arts at New York University. He passed away in 2003.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
240 global ratings
What is schooling?? And the necessity of the goods
5 Stars
What is schooling?? And the necessity of the goods
This is just a great book of Postman!! He has the hability to create with the language, arguments to unsolved questions and definitions were there is not understanding. I really appreciate to have found this author.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2011
Finally! A book asking "What is education for?" not just "How can we do education better?" Postman gives a balanced treatment full of great insights. Just take a look at the beginning:
Pg. ix - "I began my career as an elementary school teacher and have not for a single moment abandoned the idea that many of our most vexing and painful social problems could be ameliorated if we knew how to school our young. You may conclude from this that I am a romantic, but not, I think, a fool. I know that education is not the same thing as schooling, and that, in fact, not much of education takes place in school... To the young, schooling seems relentless, but we know it is not. What is relentless is our education, which, for good or ill, gives us no rest. That is why poverty is a great educator. Having no boundaries and refusing to be ignored, it mostly teaches hopelessness. But not always. Politics is also a great educator. Mostly, it teaches, I am afraid, cynicism. But not always. Television is a great educator as well. Mostly it teaches consumerism. But not always."

There's a big misconception today about what schools are. Most people believe that school = education, and that good grades/academic success = being well educated. But high schools today don't focus education; rather they mostly focus on allocating economic opportunities to those who are capable and eager to obey. And this is an important and remarkable function of schools; otherwise economic opportunities would be determined by inheritance and family connections, as in past generations. But I agree with Postman that this aspect of schooling has become dangerously overemphasized in our society; to the point where learning about society, the original "end" of education, has become nearly driven out of our classrooms. That's the danger of the whole No Child Left Behind and emphasis on standardized test scores. Education has to do with understanding how society works. This can hardly be said of too many schools today.
12 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2015
This book is unmistakably a work by Neil Postman! He gives a very interesting view on how our culture and education are structured with the basis in what he calls a "narrative" stemming from the need to believe in some gods, so you can see a lot of allusions to the idea of the mono myth here. Postman also gives clear suggestions for how the system of education and the approach to teaching can be modified in order to turn around the imminent end of education and make it into a positive constructive force for the future. There are a lot of crossovers with "Teaching as a Subversive Activity" which Postman co-authored.
5 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2017
In the manner for which Neil Postman is so well known and loved, this book outlines the impact of social / media practices on our understandings of School and Education.
This is an important read for anyone involved in education -- K-12 or higher ed -- in the 21st century, and particularly for those of us struggling to advance the warrant for the importance of humanities education.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2019
Postman chose this title to purposely have a double meaning: that we'll have an end to successful public education if it doesn't have a meaningful end, or purpose, to it. In the first part of the book, he suggests some purposes that don't work: consumership, economic utility, technology, multiculturalism. He then suggests some overriding narratives that could work:
• "The spaceship earth"—viewing the earth as a planet we all share and thus need to take care of, beginning in our own communities.
• "The fallen angel"—an admittedly religious metaphor that recognizes that fallibility of humankind and our thinking; Postman notes that scientists, most of all, understand this: today's science is just today's understanding and can change tomorrow.
• "The American experiment"—"Can a nation be formed, maintained, and preserved on the principle of continuous argumentation?"
• "The law of diversity"—to recognize the "significant artistic, intellectual, and social contributions from diverse ethnic groups," not to raise one group above another but to enrich us all by gathering the best of ideas from all cultures.
•"The world weavers/the world makers"—"how we use language, how language uses us, and what measures are available to clarify our knowledge of the world we make."
9 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2013
I don't necessarily agree with everything Postman says but he does have a way of bringing out the important issues. Before we can reform education, we must have a firm idea of what it is we want education to accomplish. Postman points out many reasons (narratives) for education (schooling) some obvious, some not so obvious. This book is well written by a knowledgeable figure in education. I recommend this book for anyone who thinks schooling our young is important, no matter what the reason.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2020
For me it was just too dry and rambly. I am not a deep philosophical this ker though so it is not my cup of tea. Those more educated and those who love to read might enjoy it.
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2016
Educators and parents, here is a book for our times. What is the end/purpose of education? Are we experiencing the end/finish of a well-rounded education in our society? What is a well-rounded education? Lots of questions to ponder for sorting out what we want for the future of our citizens and our country.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2018
This is just a great book of Postman!! He has the hability to create with the language, arguments to unsolved questions and definitions were there is not understanding. I really appreciate to have found this author.
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5.0 out of 5 stars What is schooling?? And the necessity of the goods
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2018
This is just a great book of Postman!! He has the hability to create with the language, arguments to unsolved questions and definitions were there is not understanding. I really appreciate to have found this author.
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4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Adel
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Illuminating book
Reviewed in Germany on December 3, 2023
Very illuminating book about the nature of education and revelatory about the implicit narratives that it serves. It also examines the purposes of education and how they must serve some purposes, and what is gone wrong. In general, i would pretty much recommend it to everyone who is vert interested in not only in education but in learning.
chad peters
5.0 out of 5 stars This book changed the way I view everything. Postman was a prophet.
Reviewed in Canada on December 7, 2020
Helps make sense of the world and why newer generations just don't "get it" when you are explaining things to them. They don't think the way older generations do and this book explains why. "The media is the message"
pawelgonzalez
5.0 out of 5 stars Very well written.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 6, 2019
Neil Postman was really smart guy with high ability to transfer his knowledge.
yumlam tana
5.0 out of 5 stars Great stuff
Reviewed in India on June 22, 2019
Great stuff n timely delivery
Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars John Chapman
Reviewed in Spain on January 22, 2017
Amazing book, I really recommeded it. Today we are witnessing a huge change in the way that education is being teaching at the school.. Lack of values, a lack of wisdom, technology destroy the traditioanl values, etc etc, This book is a must