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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2008
I read this book a decade ago, and reread it last week. Having done a lot of research on education and literacy during the interim, I can more confidently vouch for the scholarship and accuracy of this important book.
I'll warn you frankly that dealing with some of this information for the first time is disorienting for most people. It certainly was for me. Here's why. We have to come to grips with the bizarre, totally unexpected possibility that our education establishment promoted and lied about a reading pedagogy (called Look-Say or Whole Word) which doesn't work and, in fact, caused widespread illiteracy; and further, that the country's largest, most powerful education lobbying group (the National Education Association or NEA) persistently and consciously opposed those education policies which would be best for children and the country.
Here's the grimly funny irony. Whenever the NEA encounters criticism, the NEA will invariably charge the critic with being against "public education." I am very sorry to report my own impression that the Number One obstacle to "public education" in this country is the NEA itself. NEA appears to stand for No Education Association.
Many teachers are forced to be members of this quasi-union; and their dues are extracted by force. I suspect that the majority of these teachers would like to escape. The NEA has grown big, rich, powerful, and imperious, but even its own members seem to have little respect or affection for it.
Blumenfeld records the NEA's history up to 1984, when the book was published. At that time the Cold War was still quite hot. Much of the NEA's aggression is more easily understood if you suppose that the bosses were actually fighting for the other side. The Russians, with their Brezhnev Doctrine, were quite feisty at that time; and the NEA was feisty along with them. I'm guessing there was quite an identity crisis when the USSR collapsed! In any event, I urge the NEA, bosses and teachers alike: come on home, guys. This country is still humanity's best hope; and you should be devoting your considerable resources to promoting what is truly best for our citizens and our children.
I'll warn you frankly that dealing with some of this information for the first time is disorienting for most people. It certainly was for me. Here's why. We have to come to grips with the bizarre, totally unexpected possibility that our education establishment promoted and lied about a reading pedagogy (called Look-Say or Whole Word) which doesn't work and, in fact, caused widespread illiteracy; and further, that the country's largest, most powerful education lobbying group (the National Education Association or NEA) persistently and consciously opposed those education policies which would be best for children and the country.
Here's the grimly funny irony. Whenever the NEA encounters criticism, the NEA will invariably charge the critic with being against "public education." I am very sorry to report my own impression that the Number One obstacle to "public education" in this country is the NEA itself. NEA appears to stand for No Education Association.
Many teachers are forced to be members of this quasi-union; and their dues are extracted by force. I suspect that the majority of these teachers would like to escape. The NEA has grown big, rich, powerful, and imperious, but even its own members seem to have little respect or affection for it.
Blumenfeld records the NEA's history up to 1984, when the book was published. At that time the Cold War was still quite hot. Much of the NEA's aggression is more easily understood if you suppose that the bosses were actually fighting for the other side. The Russians, with their Brezhnev Doctrine, were quite feisty at that time; and the NEA was feisty along with them. I'm guessing there was quite an identity crisis when the USSR collapsed! In any event, I urge the NEA, bosses and teachers alike: come on home, guys. This country is still humanity's best hope; and you should be devoting your considerable resources to promoting what is truly best for our citizens and our children.
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4.5 out of 5
36 global ratings