Educational Goods: Values, Evidence, and Decision-Making

by Harry Brighouse, Helen F. Ladd, Susanna Loeb

We spend a lot of time arguing about how schools might be improved. But we rarely take a step back to ask what we as a society should be looking for from education—what exactly should those who make decisions be trying to achieve?
 
In Educational Goods , two philosophers and two social scientists address this very question. They begin by broadening the language for talking about educational “educational goods” are the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that children develop for their own benefit and that of others; “childhood goods” are the valuable experiences and freedoms that make childhood a distinct phase of life. Balancing those, and understanding that not all of them can be measured through traditional methods, is a key first step. From there, they show how to think clearly about how those goods are distributed and propose a method for combining values and evidence to reach decisions. They conclude by showing the method in action, offering detailed accounts of how it might be applied in school finance, accountability, and choice. The result is a reimagining of our decision making about schools, one that will sharpen our thinking on familiar debates and push us toward better outcomes.
 

Genres: Education

192 pages, Paperback

Published January 24, 2018

About the author

Professor of Philosophy and Affiliate Professor of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Reviews

[Marks54 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a relatively high quality education trade book in which “two philosophers and two social scientists” combine to discuss how education professionals and decision makers can think about and talk about decisions about education programs, policies, and changes. The intent is not to promote a particular policy view about various educational initiatives but instead to foster a responsible and evidence driven discussion of changes that links key values of decision makers and their constituencies with particular program options, informs a consideration of options by looking at the current state of research. The authors thus work to guide readers to make more informed (and arguably less contentious) choices that will be more effective in educating more children and pursuing valued community and societal goals.

Got that? Well, its a noble ambition and the book is carefully written if a bit repetitive. This is thoughtful, however, and superior to most of what one reads in educational trade books. That is about as far as I will go with compliments.

So what was wrong with this? Well, nothing overtly, but this is in effect a normative planning process for decisions that are messy and complex and that take place in politically combative and even toxic environments. Watch your school board on local access TV sometime if you doubt this. The book would have greatly benefitted from some detailed case scenarios that showed how volatile decision situations can become in contemporary education settings.

Another way to phrase it is that the authors spent so much time arguing for an intelligently structured decision setting that it betrays a lack of willingness to confront the reality than many of the actors in these complex decision settings are either incapable or unwilling (or both) to assume the rational roles called for by the authors. I am a big fan of thinking through management and planning situations but I also recognize that someone working in such a setting needs some training in how to get the decisions that they want and value even when a cooperative environment has not been strongly established.

No doubt the authors will think be unfair in this view and that they were propounding a normative standard rather than reality. I do not doubt that they recognize the messiness of educational policy settings. But what is the point - to be rational and cooperative or to enact policies and get decisions that will help the children and communities that one is responsible for - rational norms of decision making have not held up well in business research. See the rise of behavioral decision theory and programs of nudges by Thaler and others. There is no reason to believe that traditional planning rationality, no matter how carefully crafted, will fare better here.

I did enjoy the book and I appreciate the efforts of the authors to raise the quality of educational discourse about policies, decision making, accountability, and other topics.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4. This book is a balanced and contemplative examination of education policy and the role that social science research plays in policy debate. Specifically, the authors seek to create common language and a baseline for informed discussion that will (hopefully) improve our civic discourse on the issue.

There were quite a few great points made in this book, some that challenged my lived experience, and what I believed to be true. Despite that, the book is pretty heavy for such a brief study. I wish I’d have read this in class rather than on my own, or at least with a group of researchers who could have weighed in on what was being said.

[Emily Cranford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides an intersting analysis of possible policy outcomes that policy makers could explore based on certain value. The language used was often hard to follow in that it did not flow well. The authors focused narrowly on similar points that made the book feel repetative but the general coverage they provide give a good first insight into the many aspects of education policy.

[Ujin Chinzorig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended to whom interested in policymaking in the educational sector. The book provides great insights into how important it is to set a clear value ( educational goods), and what kind of trade-offs could impose while distributing the educational goods.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love a book that demands honesty— the one critique I have is not acknowledging that some limitations in research are easier to see than others, and this should guide also how we communicate.