TECHNOS

November 20, 2008

Special Feature: Audio File

In addition to hearing this important interview, you can read Dr. Bracey's TECHNOS Quarterly articles online:

From Lean-and-Mean Times to the Millennium

Technology, Falling SAT Scores, and the Transformation of Consciousness EdPress Award Winner

GERALD BRACEY is AIT's first Distinguished Fellow and author of TECHNOS Press's FINAL EXAM: A Study of the Perpetual Scrutiny of American Education. A definitive examination of the education reform movement in this country and its results, FINAL EXAM provides historical perspectives on assessment, standards, outcomes, and criticism of U.S. public schools.

This interview, which covers issues raised in Dr. Bracey's book, is brought to you by TECHNOS. Our interviewer is Carole Novak, editor of TQ: TECHNOS Quarterly.

Dr. Bracey, why did you write this book?	I think the book stemmed out of my desire to know we got where we are today. (RT=00:35)
Is Amerian education in bad shape—and if so, can it be fixed?	First off, I really don't think it's meaninfgul to speak of American education. (RT=00:56)
If American education is not in bad shape, why are we hearing so many bad things about it these days?	Different groups have been bashing schools for different reasons. (RT=01:13) At the most recent “Phi Delta Kappan” editorial board meeting, Susan Furman, a policy from Rutgers University, said.... (RT=01:21)
Are we just spinning in our tracks? Will we ever figure out what to do about our educational system?	I don't think we're spinning in our tracks. (RT=01:03) What made this so incredibly scandalous was that these were not high school students who were so ignorant about history and geography.... (RT=00:56)
Maybe this conversation should have begun with a disucussion of the purpose of public education, or learning, in the United States.	I see two purposes of public education. (RT=00:45) That said, then: the purpose of schools should be, I think first of all, to prepare citizens for democracy. (RT=00:47)
What did Thomas Jefferson mean when he talked about “an aristocracy of worth and genius”?	I think by “an aristocracy of worth and genius,” Jefferson meant to contrast the kinds of aristocracy he wanted to produce in this nation with the aristocracies in Europe. (RT=00:37)
You mention in your Prologue this pendulum swing between Jefferson's aristocracy of worth and genius and the philosophy that everyone can learn. What's the significance of that swing in history?	I'm not sure that it has a significance beyond its historical existence. (RT=00:37)
Is the notion that all children can learn a realistic one?	Well, the notion that all children can learn is basically a meaningless one, until you try to specify what they can learn. (RT=00:34)
So, is the American dream of an education for all citizens just a pipe dream?	I wouldn't say a pipe dream. (RT=01:01)
What one thing would you change in the focus of education as you've encountered it during your career?	I think what led us more astray than anything that comes immediately to mind was an emphasis... (RT=01:20)
If you could build your own school and staff it with teachers, where would you start? What would be the first thing you would do?	The kinds of teachers I would want are the kind who can lead children. (RT=01:01)
Dr. Bracey, do you have any final thoughts on this topic?	I just hope that if people do read this book, they come away from it with a new sense of what American Education has been about. (RT=00:55) If you look at test scores of a variety of kinds, you find that achievement test scores are at all-time highs. (RT=00:42)