The Goslings: A Study of the American Schools

by Upton Sinclair

The A Study of the American Schools is a book written by Sinclair Upton, an American author and social reformer. Published in 1924, the book is a critical analysis of the American education system in the early 20th century. It examines the flaws and shortcomings of the system and offers suggestions for reform.The book is divided into several chapters, each of which focuses on a specific aspect of the education system. The first chapter discusses the history of education in America, tracing its roots back to the colonial period. The second chapter examines the structure of the American school system, including the different levels of education and the role of teachers and administrators.The third chapter delves into the curriculum, arguing that it is too rigid and fails to provide students with the skills they need to succeed in the real world. The fourth chapter explores the issue of discipline in schools, arguing that many schools rely too heavily on punishment rather than positive reinforcement.The final chapter offers suggestions for reform, including the need for more flexible curricula, more teacher training, and greater emphasis on critical thinking and problem-solving skills.Overall, The A Study of the American Schools is a thought-provoking and insightful book that offers a critical analysis of the American education system. It remains relevant today, as many of the issues it addresses continue to plague the education system.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

468 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Upton Beall Sinclair, Jr. was an American author who wrote close to one hundred books in many genres. He achieved popularity in the first half of the twentieth century, acquiring particular fame for his classic muckraking novel, The Jungle (1906). To gather information for the novel, Sinclair spent seven weeks undercover working in the meat packing plants of Chicago. These direct experiences exposed the horrific conditions in the U.S. meat packing industry, causing a public uproar that contributed in part to the passage a few months later of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act. The Jungle has remained continuously in print since its initial publication. In 1919, he published The Brass Check, a muckraking exposé of American journalism that publicized the issue of yellow journalism and the limitations of the “free press” in the United States. Four years after the initial publication of The Brass Check, the first code of ethics for journalists was created. Time magazine called him "a man with every gift except humor and silence." In 1943, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Sinclair also ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Socialist, and was the Democratic Party nominee for Governor of California in 1934, though his highly progressive campaign was defeated.

Reviews

[Mike Zickar · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of Sinclair's efforts at muckraking non-fiction, an expose of American K-12 education, a follow-up to The Goose Step which was his expose of higher education.

This is an interesting historical document that would be of interest to education historians but for us others, the book gets slogged down in the beginning of repetitive stories about the corruption of boards of education and the influence of book publishing companies, city across city. The second half of the good gets more interesting as he covers more diverse topics, and digging deeper into the quality of the educational experience of the kids.