The Conspiracy of Ignorance: The Failure of American Public Schools

Rating:
Summary: The Dismal Truth
Review: Gross makes remarks that will threaten many readers, especially public school teachers and administrators (especially those who oppose performance pay); people who got "good" grades in public schools; ed school dependents; parents who think that observing the truancy laws of the State is sufficient involvement in their child's education.

Alas, what he says is all too true -- and too clearly elucidated and competently supported for more than nitpicking complaint. The education lobbies are making millions off the wasted time and lives of American children whose days are dominated by dull content, worse instruction, and expectations so low as to be insulting. No wonder we have such an silly emphasis on self-esteem; if one can't do what one goes to do for a six or seven hour days -- read, write, and cipher - one's self-esteem is going to suffer; people with low self-esteem are grouchy and sometimes bring weapons to school or skip it entirely. Give kids happy talk instead of interesting content, and, voila: the cult of Teacher as Saint which has been so successfully touted by the education "Blob" of unions and lobbyists and B- graduates of Ed schools. If one is so heretical as to act out in unbearable circumstances, blame the family and ask for more public funding.

The unions, as Gross so deftly demonstrates, are the place to which all complaints about public education lead. Pretending to be professional associations, the AFT and NEA are really Trusts, not educational trusts, but Trusts of the kind Democrats in Congress used to, quite rightly, work to bust as they did the steel trusts, coal trusts, railroad barons, and lumber bandits. These "education" unionists are anti-competitive; sign non-competition pacts with one another; refuse to allow teachers of quality and conscience to opt out of "fair share" bribery to work. And, nearly as bad, their grammar and higher reasoning skills as read and heard in the media are as slack as the attention spans of the children they exploit.

In college English classes one sees the product of even affluent suburban schools lacking an understanding that spell check is no substitute for thinking (It is not a "mere misspelling;" it's very often a different word!). These short-changed children are the people who will run an America that, increasingly, will have to depend on wealth and might to keep us afloat, where discernment and excellence might have made us true leaders in the democratic experiment.

Rating:
Summary: do more homework
Review: I only want to encourage the reader to seek additional information on the assessment that the Ed.D. is an inferior degree to the Ph.D. The author should seek additional references and research on this subject. While some schools require less technical dissertations and possibly one or two fewer courses (6 semester hours), many schools treat the two degrees as valid research designations. Regardless, calling a doctoral degree inferior is a statement against a particular school, not the degree designation.

Rating:
Summary: Stone Pillars and not Cotton Stacks!
Review: Yikes! Scary, but true--is Martin L. Gross's latest book, "The Conspiracy of Ignorance." [HarperCollins] In his landmark writing Gross goes into battle with the American public education system with but a keen mind for research and his commitment toward the betterment of what he terms, "the Establishment." And he comes up winning, over, and over, and over again. Gross's arguments sit atop all of the fluffy cotton-stack logic that current educational leaders have placed where stone-pillars of knowledge and scholarship once sat prominent. I was particularly compelled concerning what Mr. Gross had to say concerning the current qualifications of today's teachers and his truths in observation of what he terms, "the General Debased Curriculum." Ouch! Sometimes the truth not only hurts, but it bites, gnaws, chews, and repulses. Still, I felt that such up-turnings of the stomach could be read not only toward prescription for the system's proper cure but too toward what such words might offer toward the corraling and aggregation of the men and women capable of implementing Gross's recommendations. To give proper discussion toward the disruption to "the system" that Gross's book is likely to enflame most certainly could spawn another such treaty. But, to not mention certain elements would be derelict--Gross's words just spark and stoke too many worthy fires. I've always held that generally, only, the least capable of men and women that have passed through the doors of academic award--trudge up to the the hiring doors of public education. I've seen this myself year after year as both a chemistry and mathematics instructor [degreed in both fields] within the target range of Gross's words. Gross shows all of what I thought to be true--to in fact--be true. Gross, in his work, in his study--shows that the men and women that instruct our youth only seldom possess the expertise in their subject matter capable of landing them employment in such fields. Concerning this directive--Gross holds no punches nor is he apologetic for his words. If you wish to know the secrets capable of again making the United States a contender concerning the worldwide concern associated with the proper education of youth--read this book. If you are a parent, a student or an educator--read this book. Or as Abbie Hoffman said, "Steal--This Book!" Anyway you can--GET THIS BOOK! NOW! If you are faint-of-heart and or a milquetoast concerning the betterment of public education, or worse--if you are just an average teacher--take two aspirin. Then read this book in the morning!