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How Schools Work: An Inside Account of Failure and Success from One of the Nation's Longest-Serving Secretaries of Education
“This book merits every American’s serious consideration” (Vice President Joe Biden): from the Secretary of Education under President Obama, an exposé of the status quo that helps maintain a broken system at the expense of our kids’ education, and threatens our nation’s future.
“Education runs on lies. That’s probably not what you’d expect from a former Secretary of Education, but it’s the truth.” So opens Arne Duncan’s How Schools Work , although the title could just as easily be How American Schools Work for Some, Not for Others, and Only Now and Then for Kids.
Drawing on nearly three decades in education—from his mother’s after-school program on Chicago’s South Side to his tenure as Secretary of Education in Washington, DC— How Schools Work follows Arne (as he insists you call him) as he takes on challenges at every gangbangers in Chicago housing projects, parents who call him racist, teachers who insist they can’t help poor kids, unions that refuse to modernize, Tea Partiers who call him an autocrat, affluent white progressive moms who hate yearly tests, and even the NRA, which once labeled Arne the “most extreme anti-gun member of President Obama’s Cabinet.” Going to a child’s funeral every couple of weeks, as he did when he worked in Chicago, will do that to a person.
How Schools Work exposes the lies that have caused American kids to fall behind their international peers, from early childhood all the way to college graduation rates. But it also identifies what really does make a school work.
“As insightful as it is inspiring” ( Washington Book Review ), How Schools Work will embolden parents, teachers, voters, and even students to demand more of our public schools. If America is going to be great, then we can accept nothing less.
“Education runs on lies. That’s probably not what you’d expect from a former Secretary of Education, but it’s the truth.” So opens Arne Duncan’s How Schools Work , although the title could just as easily be How American Schools Work for Some, Not for Others, and Only Now and Then for Kids.
Drawing on nearly three decades in education—from his mother’s after-school program on Chicago’s South Side to his tenure as Secretary of Education in Washington, DC— How Schools Work follows Arne (as he insists you call him) as he takes on challenges at every gangbangers in Chicago housing projects, parents who call him racist, teachers who insist they can’t help poor kids, unions that refuse to modernize, Tea Partiers who call him an autocrat, affluent white progressive moms who hate yearly tests, and even the NRA, which once labeled Arne the “most extreme anti-gun member of President Obama’s Cabinet.” Going to a child’s funeral every couple of weeks, as he did when he worked in Chicago, will do that to a person.
How Schools Work exposes the lies that have caused American kids to fall behind their international peers, from early childhood all the way to college graduation rates. But it also identifies what really does make a school work.
“As insightful as it is inspiring” ( Washington Book Review ), How Schools Work will embolden parents, teachers, voters, and even students to demand more of our public schools. If America is going to be great, then we can accept nothing less.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published August 7, 2018
56 people are currently reading
1373 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
August 8, 2018
As a public school teacher, I found Duncan's book to be fascinating, even though I disagree with a lot of his philosophy. It was interesting to see his rationale for his descions and opinions. For example, Duncan firmly believes in linking test scores to teacher evaluations and merit pay. You'll be hard pressed to find a public school teacher who agrees; this book certainly won't change minds, but it at least gives him a chance to defend himself. *Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*
July 25, 2018
Thank You Net Galley for the free ARC,
Some truths, much oversimplification. Nothing we did not already know. I agree, schools could work better. A lot of the evidence in the book comes from Chicago schools, which are probably some with the worst reputation.
Truancy, falling apart schools, poor test scores, lack of materials..all these are true problems, but there is more to it that just throwing money at the perceived problem. Chicago has addressed some of those problems by closing schools, adding magnet schools, adding teachers, etc. However, parents who can, still move their kids out of the CPS system, enrollment declined by 10 000 students in 2017.
Schools reflect our society as a microcosm. Schools in socioeconomic areas that are well off, do well. Schools in the poor parts of town, do not. In a way, we are more segregated than ever. Here is an example from my home-town:
US News and World Report Best School in state : 3% minority; 3% free and reduced lunch N/A ELL
My school : 71% minority 70% free and reduced lunch Over 45% ELL
Then we are shocked when the test scores differ. Let's switch teachers and see what happens...
Why are we comparing these schools? What we should be doing is allocate resources differently
and work on helping win the war on poverty.
Some truths, much oversimplification. Nothing we did not already know. I agree, schools could work better. A lot of the evidence in the book comes from Chicago schools, which are probably some with the worst reputation.
Truancy, falling apart schools, poor test scores, lack of materials..all these are true problems, but there is more to it that just throwing money at the perceived problem. Chicago has addressed some of those problems by closing schools, adding magnet schools, adding teachers, etc. However, parents who can, still move their kids out of the CPS system, enrollment declined by 10 000 students in 2017.
Schools reflect our society as a microcosm. Schools in socioeconomic areas that are well off, do well. Schools in the poor parts of town, do not. In a way, we are more segregated than ever. Here is an example from my home-town:
US News and World Report Best School in state : 3% minority; 3% free and reduced lunch N/A ELL
My school : 71% minority 70% free and reduced lunch Over 45% ELL
Then we are shocked when the test scores differ. Let's switch teachers and see what happens...
Why are we comparing these schools? What we should be doing is allocate resources differently
and work on helping win the war on poverty.
November 6, 2018
Early in the book, ex-Secretary of Education Arne Duncan makes the distinction between educators and mere careerists. For much of the book, Arne (who emphasizes in no fewer than three different places, that he wants people to feel familiar with him and call him Arne, because hey, he's just that down-to-earth kind of guy) comes across as a careerist. (Indeed, he has no personal educational experience, but does talk an awful lot about his mother, who seems to be an excellent person and more worthy of a memoir.)
By the end of the book, I felt less cynical towards Arne, although I still felt that he came across as inexperienced and often naive. He seems to possess only a crude understanding of the mechanics of his own system.
For a man who has changed the landscape of education because of his own belief in the transparency that testing and data offers, Arne offers very little evidence that his system works. Governors, his partners in The Race for the Top, tell him at one point, "We need the carrots", meaning that states need financial rewards to motivate implementing the standards and the testing that Ed. Department recommend. The financial payout (at great expense to the taxpayer) seems to clearly incentivize participation in the Race to the Top, but it less clearly has any impact on actual education.
Does the money make an impact on our students? What *does* have an impact on our students lives, besides the platitudes of caring and believing in our children, that Arne offers in this book? The title implies that the book will answer, "How do schools work?", but alas, it never moves beyond the most banal cliches.
A disappointment of a book, but more importantly, a disappointment of leadership from a time that I believe many of us are now reflecting on as a time when things made sense. If only.
By the end of the book, I felt less cynical towards Arne, although I still felt that he came across as inexperienced and often naive. He seems to possess only a crude understanding of the mechanics of his own system.
For a man who has changed the landscape of education because of his own belief in the transparency that testing and data offers, Arne offers very little evidence that his system works. Governors, his partners in The Race for the Top, tell him at one point, "We need the carrots", meaning that states need financial rewards to motivate implementing the standards and the testing that Ed. Department recommend. The financial payout (at great expense to the taxpayer) seems to clearly incentivize participation in the Race to the Top, but it less clearly has any impact on actual education.
Does the money make an impact on our students? What *does* have an impact on our students lives, besides the platitudes of caring and believing in our children, that Arne offers in this book? The title implies that the book will answer, "How do schools work?", but alas, it never moves beyond the most banal cliches.
A disappointment of a book, but more importantly, a disappointment of leadership from a time that I believe many of us are now reflecting on as a time when things made sense. If only.
September 27, 2018
Overall this book is a decidedly mixed bag. It is part-memoir, part-legacy/narrative control, part -education manifesto. It has some biographical sketches surrounding his career moves, some chapters on his time as education secretary discussing his policy decisions (appropriate since that is why most readers, including this one, would even crack the book), some sentimental (in the pejorative and approbative sense of that term) education triumph-in-the-midst-of-tragedy stories, a chapter defending gun control (which was anecdote heavy and almost surely unconvincing to someone opposed to his views), and finally some “here are my solutions” talking points toward the end (at least one of which I found helpful).
Duncan does well at introducing the unfamiliar reader to US education policy debates. For example, his explanation of the relationship between standards, curriculum, and assessments was better than standard popular discussions of those topics, and I think many readers who review that discussion (pgs. 101-104) and his chapter analyzing the challenges of improving educational outcomes for children in Chicago (“The Consortium”) would have a clearer idea of why improving education is trickier than it might initially seem. Regarding writing style, the book’s prose flowed easily but lacked elegance and included some lazy writing.
While not a K-12 education expert myself, I know enough to be skeptical of his policy justifications and arguments (at some points deeply so) and I suspect that my more seasoned teacher friends would guffaw, howl, and scowl at some of his policy justifications and criticisms of his ideological opponents on the right and left. For those not in the know, Duncan places profound faith in standardized testing for improving teacher and student performance, and is critical of those departing from this view (he does admit at one point that some states and districts are over-testing, though this is an unsurprising result of the incentive structure he endorses). To his credit, Duncan does acknowledge mistakes that he made as Secretary of Ed. That said, his admitted mistakes seemed to be more often matters of execution (e.g. poor communication, lack of tact, etc.) than the ideas themselves, and those looking for a thorough re-evaluation of his thinking on policy after his time away from Washington will not find it here.
While there are reasonable push-backs to made on what it implies for education policy, I was pleased to see Duncan discuss Raj Chetty’s work on the measurably profound impact a teacher can have on a student’s life (inside and outside of the classroom). In my judgment, this is important empirical work to consider for those interested in inequality research more generally and I hope it interests more readers in Chetty’s work. To give just one striking example, Duncan discusses how Chetty and his fellow researchers argue that their data show that replacing a poor teacher with even an average one “would increase the lifetime earnings of a classroom by $250,000(!)” (pg. 171).
The parts where Duncan is discussing himself and his professional journey in education are in my judgment the weakest parts of the book, but some of his narratives involving good teaching practices and striking student anecdotes were thoughtful and he showed a discerning eye for a compelling story. Going into the book, I had no real sense of Duncan as a person apart from his policies. When I’d read or listen to quotes from him as Secretary of Ed through the years, he seemed reliably thoughtful and professional enough but I couldn’t say much about the man himself. What was striking in this narrative was the number of instances in which he signalled his “I’m just a regular guy”-ness despite having so many non-regular guy experiences. Similarly, he seems eager to stress how his professional opportunities came to him and he didn’t pursue them directly. Yes, he went to Harvard but he got there through “elbow grease and athletic skill” (OK?); yes, he was chosen to be CEO of Chicago’s public schools but the mayor’s wife and then the mayor just took him to lunch and just asked him questions--he never sought it (OK?); yes, he had a chauffeured town car when he was CEO but he had to get used to it (OK?); yes, he knew Obama from pickup basketball in Chicago and they talked about education plenty leading up to the election but Duncan “had no indication” that Obama would choose him for secretary until Duncan got a call from the transition team (OK?); yes, he was Secretary of Ed but he always went by Arne not Secretary Duncan to his colleagues (OK?); yes, he flew around the country for his work but it was always in coach giving him a chance to mingle with the people! I mention these not to say that Duncan is being deceitful or disingenuous, but it just struck me as a touch defensive, like when if one remarks indirectly on a wealthy person’s wealth and s/he is quick to say, “But I grew up poor/middle class!”
Relatedly, Duncan also made sure to acknowledge that, yes, he was never a classroom teacher and didn’t have a degree in education (as an undergrad he majored in sociology), but he did have, he stressed, plenty of experience observing teachers, tutoring, and he included a lengthy section about how much he learned from participating in his mother’s organically cultivated after-school program. While I can imagine that it would get old having his lack of classroom experience thrown in his face, his passion and verbiage on this point struck me as strained. As I guess he has experienced, these justifications are almost surely unconvincing to career teachers. Duncan obviously has expertise in education policy and has enjoyed a wide-ranging personal experiences relevant to education. But his lack of direct classroom teaching experience will always bother some people and making the points he does will not impress them, especially when he is lecturing (as he does a bit in this book) on the importance of holding teachers accountable for student test scores.
Overall, I found this to be a fairly breezy non-fiction read and would recommend it to those looking to gain more understanding of education reform, though I’d invite the reader to leaven their reading with other education policy books and well as extended testimony from teachers themselves.
Duncan does well at introducing the unfamiliar reader to US education policy debates. For example, his explanation of the relationship between standards, curriculum, and assessments was better than standard popular discussions of those topics, and I think many readers who review that discussion (pgs. 101-104) and his chapter analyzing the challenges of improving educational outcomes for children in Chicago (“The Consortium”) would have a clearer idea of why improving education is trickier than it might initially seem. Regarding writing style, the book’s prose flowed easily but lacked elegance and included some lazy writing.
While not a K-12 education expert myself, I know enough to be skeptical of his policy justifications and arguments (at some points deeply so) and I suspect that my more seasoned teacher friends would guffaw, howl, and scowl at some of his policy justifications and criticisms of his ideological opponents on the right and left. For those not in the know, Duncan places profound faith in standardized testing for improving teacher and student performance, and is critical of those departing from this view (he does admit at one point that some states and districts are over-testing, though this is an unsurprising result of the incentive structure he endorses). To his credit, Duncan does acknowledge mistakes that he made as Secretary of Ed. That said, his admitted mistakes seemed to be more often matters of execution (e.g. poor communication, lack of tact, etc.) than the ideas themselves, and those looking for a thorough re-evaluation of his thinking on policy after his time away from Washington will not find it here.
While there are reasonable push-backs to made on what it implies for education policy, I was pleased to see Duncan discuss Raj Chetty’s work on the measurably profound impact a teacher can have on a student’s life (inside and outside of the classroom). In my judgment, this is important empirical work to consider for those interested in inequality research more generally and I hope it interests more readers in Chetty’s work. To give just one striking example, Duncan discusses how Chetty and his fellow researchers argue that their data show that replacing a poor teacher with even an average one “would increase the lifetime earnings of a classroom by $250,000(!)” (pg. 171).
The parts where Duncan is discussing himself and his professional journey in education are in my judgment the weakest parts of the book, but some of his narratives involving good teaching practices and striking student anecdotes were thoughtful and he showed a discerning eye for a compelling story. Going into the book, I had no real sense of Duncan as a person apart from his policies. When I’d read or listen to quotes from him as Secretary of Ed through the years, he seemed reliably thoughtful and professional enough but I couldn’t say much about the man himself. What was striking in this narrative was the number of instances in which he signalled his “I’m just a regular guy”-ness despite having so many non-regular guy experiences. Similarly, he seems eager to stress how his professional opportunities came to him and he didn’t pursue them directly. Yes, he went to Harvard but he got there through “elbow grease and athletic skill” (OK?); yes, he was chosen to be CEO of Chicago’s public schools but the mayor’s wife and then the mayor just took him to lunch and just asked him questions--he never sought it (OK?); yes, he had a chauffeured town car when he was CEO but he had to get used to it (OK?); yes, he knew Obama from pickup basketball in Chicago and they talked about education plenty leading up to the election but Duncan “had no indication” that Obama would choose him for secretary until Duncan got a call from the transition team (OK?); yes, he was Secretary of Ed but he always went by Arne not Secretary Duncan to his colleagues (OK?); yes, he flew around the country for his work but it was always in coach giving him a chance to mingle with the people! I mention these not to say that Duncan is being deceitful or disingenuous, but it just struck me as a touch defensive, like when if one remarks indirectly on a wealthy person’s wealth and s/he is quick to say, “But I grew up poor/middle class!”
Relatedly, Duncan also made sure to acknowledge that, yes, he was never a classroom teacher and didn’t have a degree in education (as an undergrad he majored in sociology), but he did have, he stressed, plenty of experience observing teachers, tutoring, and he included a lengthy section about how much he learned from participating in his mother’s organically cultivated after-school program. While I can imagine that it would get old having his lack of classroom experience thrown in his face, his passion and verbiage on this point struck me as strained. As I guess he has experienced, these justifications are almost surely unconvincing to career teachers. Duncan obviously has expertise in education policy and has enjoyed a wide-ranging personal experiences relevant to education. But his lack of direct classroom teaching experience will always bother some people and making the points he does will not impress them, especially when he is lecturing (as he does a bit in this book) on the importance of holding teachers accountable for student test scores.
Overall, I found this to be a fairly breezy non-fiction read and would recommend it to those looking to gain more understanding of education reform, though I’d invite the reader to leaven their reading with other education policy books and well as extended testimony from teachers themselves.
September 2, 2018
I'm giving this book a solid 3.5 stars.
For one, it is a well-written memoir/policy discussion from former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. It is simultaneously an account of his involvement in education and how he sees his impact in reforming and changing education in the United States as President Obama's SecEd.
Secondly, I think Sec. Duncan's heart is in the write place. It is obvious that he cares deeply about the children of his nation and their education. A passion he inherited from his mother's work in after-school programs with under served students in Chicago. In many ways, this reflects my own passion in education which I also inherited from my mother who taught in public schools and higher education for the entirety of her life.
Third, I think Sec. Duncan's end goals are sound. Improvement of education in the United States. Ensuring that every child gets the education they need, but that they are also being met as human beings with attention devoted to all aspects of the child; educational, physical, and mental.
His ideas that our universities need to better prepare future teachers is also true. This was something my mother worked for at the end of her career as a professor and chair of a teacher education department. For too long we have prepared our teachers in "perfect world" scenarios that do little to resemble the reality of teaching in a classroom and there is little to no support structure built in, except in some of the most exceptional schools.
His idea that we need to be preparing our students to think critically and creatively and evaluate mass amounts of information is also true. Memorizing facts is no longer a needed skill. We have almost all knowledge at our finger tips; a quick Google search.
What our students are lacking are digital literacy skills. The ability to sort the wheat from the chaff of information.
However, and this is why it's only 3.5 stars, Sec. Duncan's means are flawed.
1) The concept that it is a good idea to removed educators with classroom experience from the highest levels of decision making is flawed. That's not to say that education couldn't do without some outsider looks. Sometimes it takes looking at something from a different vantage point to get a new solution. Duncan himself says we need good leaders who understand education on an intimate level. Let's get teacher leaders as the Superintendents of districts and State Board of Education and cabinet level members at state and national levels.
Education demands authenticity. Centralized education under someone who has spent little to no time in an actual classroom lacks that authenticity. Education is not a business and it is a failure when it is run like one.
2) Sec. Duncan likes to say data doesn't lie. And they may be true. But data will say whatever we want it to. We can use it to push a narrative. Saying data doesn't lie is like saying words don't lie. And data shows that pure accountability based upon high stakes testing doesn't work. It dehumanizes teachers and makes them feel less than.
Also, Sec Duncan wants critical thinking students prepared for tomorrow. And I agree! He is 100% correct. But you cannot measure that with a standardized test. If you base teacher evaluations and student growth on standardized testing, that is what the curriculum will become.
You can bring in experts and write some amazing curriculums that involve problem based learning and cooperative learning, but then test that curriculum with a multiple choice exam there is going to be a discrepancy.
Students who do well on standardized tests do so because they are "literate" in test taking vocabulary and language. These are typically going to be students from higher socioeconomic areas anyways.
Teachers know this. It's why so many "teach to the test". They are presented with two options. 1) Use 21st century learning skills and a well rounded curriculum designed to teach critical thinking. Risk students not "knowing" the correct facts to pass the multiple choice exam. 2) ignore the well designed curriculum to "test to the test", to ensure students become literate in test taking strategies that are decidedly the antithesis of everything Sec. Duncan claims to want for his vision of education.
3) We want teachers and education to become a professionalized class? Start treating them like so. Instead of giving them scripts give them autonomy. Allow collaboration between peers. Let teachers decide their curriculum.
For one, it is a well-written memoir/policy discussion from former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. It is simultaneously an account of his involvement in education and how he sees his impact in reforming and changing education in the United States as President Obama's SecEd.
Secondly, I think Sec. Duncan's heart is in the write place. It is obvious that he cares deeply about the children of his nation and their education. A passion he inherited from his mother's work in after-school programs with under served students in Chicago. In many ways, this reflects my own passion in education which I also inherited from my mother who taught in public schools and higher education for the entirety of her life.
Third, I think Sec. Duncan's end goals are sound. Improvement of education in the United States. Ensuring that every child gets the education they need, but that they are also being met as human beings with attention devoted to all aspects of the child; educational, physical, and mental.
His ideas that our universities need to better prepare future teachers is also true. This was something my mother worked for at the end of her career as a professor and chair of a teacher education department. For too long we have prepared our teachers in "perfect world" scenarios that do little to resemble the reality of teaching in a classroom and there is little to no support structure built in, except in some of the most exceptional schools.
His idea that we need to be preparing our students to think critically and creatively and evaluate mass amounts of information is also true. Memorizing facts is no longer a needed skill. We have almost all knowledge at our finger tips; a quick Google search.
What our students are lacking are digital literacy skills. The ability to sort the wheat from the chaff of information.
However, and this is why it's only 3.5 stars, Sec. Duncan's means are flawed.
1) The concept that it is a good idea to removed educators with classroom experience from the highest levels of decision making is flawed. That's not to say that education couldn't do without some outsider looks. Sometimes it takes looking at something from a different vantage point to get a new solution. Duncan himself says we need good leaders who understand education on an intimate level. Let's get teacher leaders as the Superintendents of districts and State Board of Education and cabinet level members at state and national levels.
Education demands authenticity. Centralized education under someone who has spent little to no time in an actual classroom lacks that authenticity. Education is not a business and it is a failure when it is run like one.
2) Sec. Duncan likes to say data doesn't lie. And they may be true. But data will say whatever we want it to. We can use it to push a narrative. Saying data doesn't lie is like saying words don't lie. And data shows that pure accountability based upon high stakes testing doesn't work. It dehumanizes teachers and makes them feel less than.
Also, Sec Duncan wants critical thinking students prepared for tomorrow. And I agree! He is 100% correct. But you cannot measure that with a standardized test. If you base teacher evaluations and student growth on standardized testing, that is what the curriculum will become.
You can bring in experts and write some amazing curriculums that involve problem based learning and cooperative learning, but then test that curriculum with a multiple choice exam there is going to be a discrepancy.
Students who do well on standardized tests do so because they are "literate" in test taking vocabulary and language. These are typically going to be students from higher socioeconomic areas anyways.
Teachers know this. It's why so many "teach to the test". They are presented with two options. 1) Use 21st century learning skills and a well rounded curriculum designed to teach critical thinking. Risk students not "knowing" the correct facts to pass the multiple choice exam. 2) ignore the well designed curriculum to "test to the test", to ensure students become literate in test taking strategies that are decidedly the antithesis of everything Sec. Duncan claims to want for his vision of education.
3) We want teachers and education to become a professionalized class? Start treating them like so. Instead of giving them scripts give them autonomy. Allow collaboration between peers. Let teachers decide their curriculum.
August 16, 2018
Don't be fooled by the book title. It should be named Memoir of Arne Duncan
June 26, 2018
I, myself, am a high school science teacher, so I was very excited to read this. Honestly, there isn't much in here that I hadn't already known. I think that may be because I already have the inside scoop about what's happening with the school system where as most people may find this an insightful read. I do wish there was a broader look at education around the nation rather than focusing on small specific parts. Granted, it was heartbreaking to read. I think most people do need to educate themselves on this matter because this is our future we are raising up! Thank you net galley and simon and schuster of the read.
February 4, 2021
I found this to be far less informative on national education topics than promised by the title. This book is really just the story of Arne Duncan. Which, honestly, would have been fine. But, the tension between personal story and prognosis for America's education system is one that is never quite resolved. Two stars.
July 23, 2018
As an outsider to the education system and as a parent, I thought Duncan's book How Schools Work was a fascinating read. I disagree with his conclusion linking test scores to merit pay but the rest of the book was well worth the read.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.
July 23, 2018
How Schools Work is an important text from former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The book includes narrative details that undergird Duncan's argument. It's hard to disagree that education should have higher standards, and Duncan provides thoughtful solutions for the future along with summing up his already-completed work.
Of particular note here was Duncan's discussion of the lies students are told in the education system in the interest of putting a pretty spin on data and pleasing stakeholders (at least temporarily). I also appreciated Duncan's thoughtful and no-nonsense discussion of maintaining a balance between quality public schools and the charter school movement.
I would recommend How Schools Work for educators and stakeholders, and I can see the book being useful in a course on educational leadership and policy.
Of particular note here was Duncan's discussion of the lies students are told in the education system in the interest of putting a pretty spin on data and pleasing stakeholders (at least temporarily). I also appreciated Duncan's thoughtful and no-nonsense discussion of maintaining a balance between quality public schools and the charter school movement.
I would recommend How Schools Work for educators and stakeholders, and I can see the book being useful in a course on educational leadership and policy.
October 9, 2018
If you perceive education to be the key to America's greatness, this book will provide you with a compelling read. Arne Duncan identifies what makes schools work. Now it is up to us.
Read
August 2, 2018My interview with former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan:
ARNE DUNCAN HAS SPENT most of his life in and around education, from helping out at the after-school community center his mother founded in one the most troubled neighborhoods on Chicago's South Side, to running Chicago Public Schools as its chief executive officer and then serving for nearly seven years as President Barack Obama's education secretary.
In his new book, "How Schools Work: An Inside Account of Failure and Success from One of the Nation's Longest Serving Secretaries of Education," Duncan turns a critical eye on the nation's education system – once considered the best in the world but now is at most in the middle of the pack – describing how students and teachers alike are often set up to fail in school and in life.
He recently spoke with U.S. News about where he thinks the U.S. went wrong and how he believes the country's schools can get back on track. Excerpts:
You explain that our educational system is essentially built to create assembly line workers and that the system is exceptionally ill-prepared to meet the needs of today's students. How did we get to that point?
About 100 years ago, America made secondary education in high school compulsory. That was almost unprecedented, a massive leap forward, and it drove a lot of our economic boom over the past 100 years. The problem is we haven't moved past that and we haven't adjusted the model. Obviously, the world is radically different from that time, but unfortunately education isn't much different. And you see other nations out-educating, out-investing, out-innovating us. Not only have the skills needs changed dramatically, but we now have a globally competitive economy, a flat world. It's no longer Iowa versus Indiana versus Montana for jobs, we're competing with India and China and Singapore and everywhere else. That's the world where our kids – my kids – are going to grow up into, and we're never going to go back the opposite direction. It's only going to accelerate.
At no level – early childhood, K-12, higher ed – are we even in the top 10 internationally. And that should scare us. It is scary and it does not bode well for the future.
What's holding the nation back?
This is not a cure for cancer, this is not rocket science. It's total lack of political will. And I think the politics of the left and the right stand in the way of what's best for kids.
There's a small number of political leaders that are willing to challenge the status quo and challenge the base, but that's few and far between. And that's what we desperately need. You have [Gov. John] Kasich in Ohio fighting for high standards, you have [Gov. Bill] Haslam pushing for free community college for every person in Tennessee. Those are hard places for a Republican to be. I've told stories of [Obama] talking about merit pay and paying teachers more when his political future was looking pretty bleak, and those are profiles in courage. That's very very hard to do and that's why, I think, kids too often lose.
The previous two administrations both took big swings at shaping American schools – President George W. Bush with No Child Left Behind; you and President Obama with Race to the Top and the state-led Common Core – with mixed results. What steps do you think future administrations should take, based on your experiences?
As you know, I probably got as much heat from the left as I did from the right. These are a couple of goals to me that are not Republican, they're not Democrat, they're not liberal, they're not conservative:
One is that we should try to lead the world in access to high quality pre-kindergarten. We're like 28th. We're not close. Second, we were able to get high school graduation rates to an all-time high of 84 percent, which we were very proud of but obviously that's nowhere near high enough. The current administration's goal should be up to get that 84 up to 90 percent. Third, we should make sure that 100 percent of those high school graduates are college ready, with higher standards. And then fourth, we should try and lead the world again in college completion. That's four-year universities, that's two-year community colleges, it's trade, technical and vocational training.
Those are goals that keep high-wage, high-skill jobs in our country. Those are jobs that grow the middle class, those are jobs that keep our civic democracy healthy. We should unite behind goals and have lots of vigorous debate around the strategies to achieve those goals. What works well in Montana may work differently in California. Something in Detroit may be radically different. So we should have lots of flexibility and local innovation around the best means and we should see what works best in rural communities and in urban communities and on Native American reservations, but we should unite around those goals. No one has a monopoly of good ideas.
Federal education policy is limited by design. What role should the federal government play?
We had what was called the i3 Fund, the Investing in Innovation Fund, which was a couple hundred million. And all we did is just scale what works. It wasn't my ideas, it wasn't the president's ideas, it was just looking at the evidence from across the country where we saw student achievement rising, we just put money to scale. That was an unprecedented investment, but I think we were only able to fund about 4 percent of what we got in, the demand was so great.
We got a lot of pushback. What they're used to in D.C. is what's called block grants, which is one chunk of money and everyone carves it off and everyone takes home their slice of the pie. What was both hopeful and frustrating is we don't scale what works enough. If that pot had been a billion dollars – we did more than anyone else has, which I'm proud of, but we did a tiny percent of what was needed, and that's a massive missed opportunity. That's the thing. When you ask about what's the appropriate federal role, I always talk about innovation. It's a uniquely powerful federal role that we played at an all-time high at a new level but is zero now. It has disappeared. It's disappeared. You hear no talk – zero talk – about any of those goals from the current administration. And it's all small-ball. It's all ideology. It's all trying to score political points.
Read the rest of the interview here.
ARNE DUNCAN HAS SPENT most of his life in and around education, from helping out at the after-school community center his mother founded in one the most troubled neighborhoods on Chicago's South Side, to running Chicago Public Schools as its chief executive officer and then serving for nearly seven years as President Barack Obama's education secretary.
In his new book, "How Schools Work: An Inside Account of Failure and Success from One of the Nation's Longest Serving Secretaries of Education," Duncan turns a critical eye on the nation's education system – once considered the best in the world but now is at most in the middle of the pack – describing how students and teachers alike are often set up to fail in school and in life.
He recently spoke with U.S. News about where he thinks the U.S. went wrong and how he believes the country's schools can get back on track. Excerpts:
You explain that our educational system is essentially built to create assembly line workers and that the system is exceptionally ill-prepared to meet the needs of today's students. How did we get to that point?
About 100 years ago, America made secondary education in high school compulsory. That was almost unprecedented, a massive leap forward, and it drove a lot of our economic boom over the past 100 years. The problem is we haven't moved past that and we haven't adjusted the model. Obviously, the world is radically different from that time, but unfortunately education isn't much different. And you see other nations out-educating, out-investing, out-innovating us. Not only have the skills needs changed dramatically, but we now have a globally competitive economy, a flat world. It's no longer Iowa versus Indiana versus Montana for jobs, we're competing with India and China and Singapore and everywhere else. That's the world where our kids – my kids – are going to grow up into, and we're never going to go back the opposite direction. It's only going to accelerate.
At no level – early childhood, K-12, higher ed – are we even in the top 10 internationally. And that should scare us. It is scary and it does not bode well for the future.
What's holding the nation back?
This is not a cure for cancer, this is not rocket science. It's total lack of political will. And I think the politics of the left and the right stand in the way of what's best for kids.
There's a small number of political leaders that are willing to challenge the status quo and challenge the base, but that's few and far between. And that's what we desperately need. You have [Gov. John] Kasich in Ohio fighting for high standards, you have [Gov. Bill] Haslam pushing for free community college for every person in Tennessee. Those are hard places for a Republican to be. I've told stories of [Obama] talking about merit pay and paying teachers more when his political future was looking pretty bleak, and those are profiles in courage. That's very very hard to do and that's why, I think, kids too often lose.
The previous two administrations both took big swings at shaping American schools – President George W. Bush with No Child Left Behind; you and President Obama with Race to the Top and the state-led Common Core – with mixed results. What steps do you think future administrations should take, based on your experiences?
As you know, I probably got as much heat from the left as I did from the right. These are a couple of goals to me that are not Republican, they're not Democrat, they're not liberal, they're not conservative:
One is that we should try to lead the world in access to high quality pre-kindergarten. We're like 28th. We're not close. Second, we were able to get high school graduation rates to an all-time high of 84 percent, which we were very proud of but obviously that's nowhere near high enough. The current administration's goal should be up to get that 84 up to 90 percent. Third, we should make sure that 100 percent of those high school graduates are college ready, with higher standards. And then fourth, we should try and lead the world again in college completion. That's four-year universities, that's two-year community colleges, it's trade, technical and vocational training.
Those are goals that keep high-wage, high-skill jobs in our country. Those are jobs that grow the middle class, those are jobs that keep our civic democracy healthy. We should unite behind goals and have lots of vigorous debate around the strategies to achieve those goals. What works well in Montana may work differently in California. Something in Detroit may be radically different. So we should have lots of flexibility and local innovation around the best means and we should see what works best in rural communities and in urban communities and on Native American reservations, but we should unite around those goals. No one has a monopoly of good ideas.
Federal education policy is limited by design. What role should the federal government play?
We had what was called the i3 Fund, the Investing in Innovation Fund, which was a couple hundred million. And all we did is just scale what works. It wasn't my ideas, it wasn't the president's ideas, it was just looking at the evidence from across the country where we saw student achievement rising, we just put money to scale. That was an unprecedented investment, but I think we were only able to fund about 4 percent of what we got in, the demand was so great.
We got a lot of pushback. What they're used to in D.C. is what's called block grants, which is one chunk of money and everyone carves it off and everyone takes home their slice of the pie. What was both hopeful and frustrating is we don't scale what works enough. If that pot had been a billion dollars – we did more than anyone else has, which I'm proud of, but we did a tiny percent of what was needed, and that's a massive missed opportunity. That's the thing. When you ask about what's the appropriate federal role, I always talk about innovation. It's a uniquely powerful federal role that we played at an all-time high at a new level but is zero now. It has disappeared. It's disappeared. You hear no talk – zero talk – about any of those goals from the current administration. And it's all small-ball. It's all ideology. It's all trying to score political points.
Read the rest of the interview here.
January 28, 2019
One thing I have to point out: The title is misleading. The book is not about how American schools and education system are set up and operate, or a comprehensive review of their performance. This is simply Mr. Duncan's memoir on his career in K-12 education. In it, he displays his thoughts and feelings on American public schools, especially those in poor urban neighborhoods; his actions and policies to improve them and their justifications.
It's interesting to think about education from the point of view of a top leader. The hardest part is not seeking the best teaching method(s), but how to get all the parties compromise to achieve a common goal for our children. These parties include politicians and unions. A vivid example is a shared higher standard which was opposed by many states because they used to lower their own standard to cook up meaningless high achievement figures. Or unions rejected the idea of systematic evaluation for teachers. Race is also another big factor, as many suffering black and brown kids are ignored in the media, and consequently in the mind of policy makers.
After walking us through the complexity of American education landscape, Duncan sends very strong messages to advocate for a continuing reform in favor of our kids. I'm sure these powerful messages would touch the hearts of many readers, being parents or not. His writing is simplistic, down to earth, frank and full of anecdotes.
Some shortcomings: Duncan claims he's a big fan of data, but very little data is shown in the book. Some stories and arguments are irrelevant, for examples, his experience playing basketball with Princeton guys and gun control have little to do with education, but mostly to justify himself. Chapter titles need to be more suggestive of the main topics.
It's interesting to think about education from the point of view of a top leader. The hardest part is not seeking the best teaching method(s), but how to get all the parties compromise to achieve a common goal for our children. These parties include politicians and unions. A vivid example is a shared higher standard which was opposed by many states because they used to lower their own standard to cook up meaningless high achievement figures. Or unions rejected the idea of systematic evaluation for teachers. Race is also another big factor, as many suffering black and brown kids are ignored in the media, and consequently in the mind of policy makers.
After walking us through the complexity of American education landscape, Duncan sends very strong messages to advocate for a continuing reform in favor of our kids. I'm sure these powerful messages would touch the hearts of many readers, being parents or not. His writing is simplistic, down to earth, frank and full of anecdotes.
Some shortcomings: Duncan claims he's a big fan of data, but very little data is shown in the book. Some stories and arguments are irrelevant, for examples, his experience playing basketball with Princeton guys and gun control have little to do with education, but mostly to justify himself. Chapter titles need to be more suggestive of the main topics.
August 22, 2018
This is a book that deserves a wide reading by the consumers of America’s education system, parents, community members and other activists.
I’m an educator; I’ve seen kids like Calvin, and they were handicapped. But their handicaps did not arise from the lack of rigor of their educations. “This ain’t good?” The question will haunt me.
I’ve always had a lot of respect for Arne Duncan, unlike the current inheritor of his department. I appreciated the reminder that *good* teachers want to call out *bad* teachers. Unlike most of the reviewers, I do agree that merit pay should be linked to performance, and for better or worse, performance is measured by achievement, i.e. test scores.
I’m an educator; I’ve seen kids like Calvin, and they were handicapped. But their handicaps did not arise from the lack of rigor of their educations. “This ain’t good?” The question will haunt me.
I’ve always had a lot of respect for Arne Duncan, unlike the current inheritor of his department. I appreciated the reminder that *good* teachers want to call out *bad* teachers. Unlike most of the reviewers, I do agree that merit pay should be linked to performance, and for better or worse, performance is measured by achievement, i.e. test scores.
October 27, 2021
Книжка держсекретаря з питань освіти в часи Обами більше надихаюча, ніж інформативна, про цінності і ідеї, а не цифри, але для натхнення вона дійсно працює, і такого підходу до освітньої політики - з амбітними цілями, базованого на цінностях, але водночас на ефективності і даних - дуже не вистачає.
July 22, 2020
I was hoping to get a more nuanced understanding of Duncan’s policies. This was more of a reflection piece/was a bit too anecdotal for me, but interesting to learn about him
September 21, 2018
This book is more interesting as a record of the research and case studies that motivated Duncan, and an insight into the political struggles of being a superintendent. Just ignore all the "I'm a man of the people - I always fly coach" and "I'm different from other bosses. I want to ride with everyone on the elevator!" sections, and skim right over to discussions of research meetings and the politics of school closures.
August 13, 2018
This is a history of Duncan's career and efforts to improve education in America. There is a lot to recommend in his thoughts, but I think the reliance on standardized testing is not great. Title is a bit of a misnomer.
February 9, 2019
I enjoyed this book at the beginning, but as time went on, I had a hard time staying focused. I think part of it is because I'm in the educational system myself, so the "ah ha" moments or stories he talked about weren't revolutionary to me at all.
For anyone who isn't in education and wants to get a bit more insight into how things might work (he focused on his time in Chicago for a good chunk of the book) or not work, please check this out.
For anyone who isn't in education and wants to get a bit more insight into how things might work (he focused on his time in Chicago for a good chunk of the book) or not work, please check this out.
June 22, 2018
A necessary read about how the US is failing our youngest and how the system still benefits the adults at the expense of the children. Low bars that when reached still leave our kids woefully unprepared for life. A quick read from the former Secretary of Education who knows firsthand about the skeletons in the closet.
Thank you Simon and Schuster, Arne Duncan and Netgalley for the ARC for my honest review.
Thank you Simon and Schuster, Arne Duncan and Netgalley for the ARC for my honest review.
April 7, 2022
I'm hesitant as a general principle to read autobiographies of modern politicians, mostly because it's not clear how "authentic" the voice is and how much of the writing the politician actually did. *Especially* when they're books that are released on the campaign trail, and they edge close to 350 pages long. At that point, how much of this is life experience and how much of this is just stump speeches?
Lucky for me, former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan keeps it short and sweet. It's under 250 pages, and it's a small book, so even though it "seems" long, it really isn't. And the writing is crisp and clean, in a way that you know comes directly from the guy himself.
It's interesting to get the perspective of the man behind the Obama era's education initiatives. If you believe wholeheartedly in what Duncan is telling you, then you will walk away from this book believing that the people in charge of the system, from the administrators at the top to the teachers at the bottom, are failing all of our students because we're liars. We're lying to them about their actual aptitude (his opening anecdote about Harvard-hopeful Calvin breaks my heart), we're lying to them about how much they actually learn (that's a debate that's never gonna end, I fear), and we're lying to them about how much we actually care about them. And we're absolutely lying about how much we actually care about teachers.
I think there's definitely truth to this accusation: as someone currently in education, it's a constant tug of war between desires of what we *want* students to learn and what we *have* to teach them, and sometimes it feels like those two responsibilities are diametrically opposed to each other). And there's definitely a concern that what we count as "acceptable" for certain student communities (particularly students of color) is not only suboptimal for grade level, but also implicitly enforcing a racist system that keeps these kids from actually achieving.
I also think there's truth to Duncan's assertion that people in charge are jealous and suspicious of each other, because they are in the business of screwing each other over and so they expect the same to happen to them: the most disheartening anecdote from the book is when Duncan, recently named Secretary of Education, received a call from Ohio governor John Kasich where Kasich expressed disbelief that the state of Ohio was still gonna get its federal funding, simply because the federal government was now Democratic and the Ohio state government was Republican. It was reassuring to know that Duncan delivered on what was promised and that Kasich turned around and became a big supporter of Duncan's eventual push to support Common Core standards and other federally-driven policies, but the fact that there was that suspicion in the first place is part of the problem. Education shouldn't be a political football, but it clearly, clearly is.
I walked away from this book believing that all it takes is *enough* people willing to make a change for change to actually occur, but I was disillusioned to think that even someone as dedicated as Secretary Duncan was feeling burnt out by the end of it due to his battles against the sheer *inertia* of American education and society at large. I'm glad that he managed to find his faith restored by the students from Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High taking to the streets in protest after the Parkland High School shooting massacre: in the book, Duncan in particular seethes, and rightfully so, at the way that the gun lobby (and the National Rifle Association) over-politicizes the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution as a means of blocking meaningful gun reform in this nation, especially because of how often school shootings occur in this country. He's too tactful to call out specific politicians for cowardly choosing donor money from the NRA and desire to keep their seat as opposed to supporting student safety, but you can tell that he wants to name names.
But again, he had his faith restored in the midst of an unimaginable tragedy, and I'm not sure that that's the big victory that he thinks it is.
The rest of the book is a little bit paint-by-numbers in terms of his beliefs and how to make things work, and he rather judiciously brushes over more controversial elements of his career (I'm very curious to see how the Chicago Teachers' Union feels about Duncan's pro-union statements in this book, given that CTU and Duncan had a *fraught* relationship when he was the head of Chicago Public Schools). And he does end the book with a list of actions steps for how people can help out, which is very appreciated.
Overall, it's well-written and interesting to hear from someone who was so deeply in the thick of things. But it's also the type of book that appeals to a specific audience.
Lucky for me, former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan keeps it short and sweet. It's under 250 pages, and it's a small book, so even though it "seems" long, it really isn't. And the writing is crisp and clean, in a way that you know comes directly from the guy himself.
It's interesting to get the perspective of the man behind the Obama era's education initiatives. If you believe wholeheartedly in what Duncan is telling you, then you will walk away from this book believing that the people in charge of the system, from the administrators at the top to the teachers at the bottom, are failing all of our students because we're liars. We're lying to them about their actual aptitude (his opening anecdote about Harvard-hopeful Calvin breaks my heart), we're lying to them about how much they actually learn (that's a debate that's never gonna end, I fear), and we're lying to them about how much we actually care about them. And we're absolutely lying about how much we actually care about teachers.
I think there's definitely truth to this accusation: as someone currently in education, it's a constant tug of war between desires of what we *want* students to learn and what we *have* to teach them, and sometimes it feels like those two responsibilities are diametrically opposed to each other). And there's definitely a concern that what we count as "acceptable" for certain student communities (particularly students of color) is not only suboptimal for grade level, but also implicitly enforcing a racist system that keeps these kids from actually achieving.
I also think there's truth to Duncan's assertion that people in charge are jealous and suspicious of each other, because they are in the business of screwing each other over and so they expect the same to happen to them: the most disheartening anecdote from the book is when Duncan, recently named Secretary of Education, received a call from Ohio governor John Kasich where Kasich expressed disbelief that the state of Ohio was still gonna get its federal funding, simply because the federal government was now Democratic and the Ohio state government was Republican. It was reassuring to know that Duncan delivered on what was promised and that Kasich turned around and became a big supporter of Duncan's eventual push to support Common Core standards and other federally-driven policies, but the fact that there was that suspicion in the first place is part of the problem. Education shouldn't be a political football, but it clearly, clearly is.
I walked away from this book believing that all it takes is *enough* people willing to make a change for change to actually occur, but I was disillusioned to think that even someone as dedicated as Secretary Duncan was feeling burnt out by the end of it due to his battles against the sheer *inertia* of American education and society at large. I'm glad that he managed to find his faith restored by the students from Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High taking to the streets in protest after the Parkland High School shooting massacre: in the book, Duncan in particular seethes, and rightfully so, at the way that the gun lobby (and the National Rifle Association) over-politicizes the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution as a means of blocking meaningful gun reform in this nation, especially because of how often school shootings occur in this country. He's too tactful to call out specific politicians for cowardly choosing donor money from the NRA and desire to keep their seat as opposed to supporting student safety, but you can tell that he wants to name names.
But again, he had his faith restored in the midst of an unimaginable tragedy, and I'm not sure that that's the big victory that he thinks it is.
The rest of the book is a little bit paint-by-numbers in terms of his beliefs and how to make things work, and he rather judiciously brushes over more controversial elements of his career (I'm very curious to see how the Chicago Teachers' Union feels about Duncan's pro-union statements in this book, given that CTU and Duncan had a *fraught* relationship when he was the head of Chicago Public Schools). And he does end the book with a list of actions steps for how people can help out, which is very appreciated.
Overall, it's well-written and interesting to hear from someone who was so deeply in the thick of things. But it's also the type of book that appeals to a specific audience.
February 1, 2025
বই: How Schools Work
লেখক: Arne Duncan
প্রথম প্রকাশ: 2018 (August 2019)
প্রকাশনা: Simon and Schuster
দাম: Tk. 900
পৃষ্ঠা: 225
ধরন: স্মৃতিকথা ও শিক্ষাগত ঘোষণাপত্র
বইটির লেখক অনেকদিন আমেরিকার শিক্ষা সচিব ছিলেন এবং তার আগে শিকাগো পাবলিক স্কুলের প্রধান নির্বাহী কর্মকর্তা ছিলেন। এই বইটি মূলত একটা দেশের প্রাইমারী ও সেকেন্ডারি স্কুল এবং কলেজ শিক্ষানীতি প্রণয়নে কিভাবে করা উচিত তা লেখকের ব্যক্তিগত অভিজ্ঞতা থেকে সমস্যা থেকে সমাধান পর্যন্ত লিখেছেন। এই বইটি ১০টি অধ্যায়ে বিভক্ত। প্রতিটি অধ্যায়ে লেখকের অভিজ্ঞতা, সিইও হয়ে উঠার গল্প, শিক্ষা সচিব হয়ে উঠার পিছনের কাহিনী এবং পরবর্তীতে শিক্ষা সচিব হিসেবে দেশের শিক্ষা ব্যবস্থায় কি ধরনের পরিবর্তন কেন এনেছেন তার প্রাঞ্জল ব্যাখ্যা দিয়েছেন।
আমাদের দেশের অধিকাংশ জনগণ আমেরিকার উন্নত বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়গুলো ও তাদের সফলতা গুলো দেখে কিন্তু ঐ স্থানে পৌঁছানোর জন্য দেশের স্কুল শিক্ষায় কতটুকু মনোযোগ ও গবেষণা করা উচিত তা দেখে না। আমাদের রাজারা যখন-তখন পাঠ্যক্রম ও পাঠ্যপুস্তক পরিবর্তন করে কিন্তু জানার চেষ্টাও করে না একটা গহীন জেলার স্কুল গুলো কিভাবে চলে। শিশুদের পারিপার্শ্বিক অবস্থার বিবেচনা শিক্ষানীতি প্রণয়নকারীরা কখনো করার চেষ্টাও করেন নাই যদিও তাদের বিদ্যার ঝোলাতে ভালো ভালো ডিগ্রি আর মুখরোচক ভাষার ব্যবহার আছে।
বইয়ের লেখক শিকাগো থেকে তার জীবনের যাত্রা শুরু করেছে। বইয়ের ১০টি অধ্যায়ের ৯টি তে একটি শিশুর শিক্ষাজীবনে প্রভাব বিস্তার করে এইরকম সমস্যাগুলোর কিভাবে সমাধান করেছেন তা বর্ণনা করেছেন। শিক্ষা ব্যবস্থা শিশুর ফলাফল এমন হওয়া উচিত না যা তাকে বাস্তবতা সম্পর্কে ভুল ধারনা দেয়। তার সঠিক উদাহরণ আমাদের দেশের জিপিএ ৫.০ পাওয়া শিক্ষার্থীরা। এসএসসি ও এইচএসসি উভয় পরীক্ষাতে জিপিএ ৫.০ পাওয়া অঢেল ছাত্রদের বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় ভর্তি পরীক্ষার নাজুক ফলাফল দেখলে জিপিএ ৫.০ এর সঠিক মূল্যায়ন বোঝা যায়। যেমন একজন শিক্ষক হিসেবে গণিতে এসএসসি ও এইচএসসি তে ৫.০ পাওয়া ছাত্র যখন সহজ সহজ অন্তরীকরণ ও সমাকলন এর সমাধান করতে পারে না তখন নিজের দেশের শিক্ষা ব্যবস্থা নিয়ে আফসোস ছাড়া কিছু করতে পারি না কারণ আমার বিদ্যার ঝুলিতে মুখরোচক জনপ্রিয় ভাষা ও বড় বড় ডিগ্রি নাই।
বইয়ের একটি অধ্যায়ে ছাত্র ছাত্রীদের ফলাফলের উপর ভিত্তি করে শিক্ষকদের মান যাচাইয়ের ব্যাপারে বিশদভাবে বলা আছে; আবার কোনো অধ্যায়ে আমেরিকাতে অস্ত্রের সহজলভ্যতার কারণে শিশুরা বা তাদের পরিবার বিভিন্ন ধরনের বিভিন্ন দুর্ঘটনার শিকার হওয়ার মাধ্যমে যে মানসিক আঘাতের শিকার হয় তা শিশুদের এক্ষেত্রে শিক্ষা ক্ষেত্রে চরম বিপর্যয় ডেকে আনে। আরেকটি অধ্যায়ে স্কুল ছুটির পর অতিরিক্ত পাঠদানের মাধ্যমে বাচ্চাদের দুর্বলতা বা তাদের মাঝে নতুন কোন গুণাবলীর বিকাশ করানো যেতে পারে। আবার অনেক সময় ওই অতিরিক্ত সময়ে শিশুর পরিবারের জন্যেও কিছুটা পাঠদান করা যেতে পারে।
দশম অধ্যায়ে লেখক পুরো বইয়ের উপসংহার টেনেছেন। উনার অভিজ্ঞতা থেকে কয়েকটি উপদেশ বা শিক্ষার কথা বলেছেন:
১. সব শিশুর জন্য চার বছর থেকে শিক্ষা ফ্রি ও বাধ্যতামূলক করতে হবে।
২. সব স্কুলের জন্য স্কুল ছুটির পর স্কুল পরবর্তী পাঠদানের ব্যবস্থা করে নতুন নতুন সমৃদ্ধি করন প্রোগ্রাম চালু করতে পারে।
৩. শিশুর সামাজিক, মানসিক ও শারীরিক সকল প্রয়োজনীয়তা স্কুলকে মেটাতে হবে।
৪. প্রতিটা স্কুলে সুযোগ্য এবং নেতৃত্বদানকারী প্রিন্সিপাল লাগবে এবং প্রতিটা ক্লাসরুমে যোগ্য শিক্ষক লাগবে।
৫. প্রতিটি কলেজের স্টুডেন্ট কিছু কর্মমুখী শিক্ষার সার্টিফিকেট অর্জন করে বের হবে।
৬. প্রতিটি কলেজ বা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ে ভর্তি হওয়া ছাত্রছাত্রী তার শিক্ষা জীবন শেষ করে বের হবে। অযথা টাকা খরচ করে এক সময় গিয়ে সার্টিফিকেট অর্জন করতে ব্যর্থ হওয়া যাবে না। অর্থাৎ ভর্তির সময় সঠিকভাবে যাচাই করতে হবে সে আসলে ভর্তির যোগ্য কিনা?
৭. সবশেষে সকল নাগরিককে বিশ্বাস করতে হবে শিক্ষা ব্যবস্থা উন্নতি ছাড়া কোনভাবেই একটি দেশ উন্নত হতে পারে না।
শিক্ষা ব্যবস্থা নিয়ে আমার পড়া খুব ভালো একটা বই। আমাদের দেশে দেখা যায় অফিসাররা সকাল বেলা সুপার গ্লু দিয়ে অফিসের চেয়ারে বসে আর এই বইয়ের লেখক একজন হার্ভার্ড গ্ৰ্যাজুয়েট হবার পরেও মানুষের দ্বারে দ্বারে গিয়ে শিক্ষার মানের খবর নিতেন।
এই বইটি বাংলাদেশের যারা শিক্ষা মন্ত্রী, শিক্ষা উপদেষ্টা, শিক্ষা মন্ত্রণালয়ের উচ্চ পদস্থ কর্মকর্তা, কারিকুলাম প্রণয়নকারী, পাঠ্যপুস্তকের বিশিষ্ট গুনী লেখক ও শিক্ষকদের অবশ্যই পড়া উচিত।
সাথে আরো দুটি বই পড়ার জন্য পরামর্শ দিলাম:
১. তিন ভুবনের শিক্ষা: তানজীনা ইয়াসমীন, তানবীরা তালুকদার ও রাখাল সাহা
২. আপনাকেই বলছি স্যার বারবিয়ানা স্কুল থেকে: সলিল বিশ্বাস
#ধূসরকল্পনা
লেখক: Arne Duncan
প্রথম প্রকাশ: 2018 (August 2019)
প্রকাশনা: Simon and Schuster
দাম: Tk. 900
পৃষ্ঠা: 225
ধরন: স্মৃতিকথা ও শিক্ষাগত ঘোষণাপত্র
বইটির লেখক অনেকদিন আমেরিকার শিক্ষা সচিব ছিলেন এবং তার আগে শিকাগো পাবলিক স্কুলের প্রধান নির্বাহী কর্মকর্তা ছিলেন। এই বইটি মূলত একটা দেশের প্রাইমারী ও সেকেন্ডারি স্কুল এবং কলেজ শিক্ষানীতি প্রণয়নে কিভাবে করা উচিত তা লেখকের ব্যক্তিগত অভিজ্ঞতা থেকে সমস্যা থেকে সমাধান পর্যন্ত লিখেছেন। এই বইটি ১০টি অধ্যায়ে বিভক্ত। প্রতিটি অধ্যায়ে লেখকের অভিজ্ঞতা, সিইও হয়ে উঠার গল্প, শিক্ষা সচিব হয়ে উঠার পিছনের কাহিনী এবং পরবর্তীতে শিক্ষা সচিব হিসেবে দেশের শিক্ষা ব্যবস্থায় কি ধরনের পরিবর্তন কেন এনেছেন তার প্রাঞ্জল ব্যাখ্যা দিয়েছেন।
আমাদের দেশের অধিকাংশ জনগণ আমেরিকার উন্নত বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়গুলো ও তাদের সফলতা গুলো দেখে কিন্তু ঐ স্থানে পৌঁছানোর জন্য দেশের স্কুল শিক্ষায় কতটুকু মনোযোগ ও গবেষণা করা উচিত তা দেখে না। আমাদের রাজারা যখন-তখন পাঠ্যক্রম ও পাঠ্যপুস্তক পরিবর্তন করে কিন্তু জানার চেষ্টাও করে না একটা গহীন জেলার স্কুল গুলো কিভাবে চলে। শিশুদের পারিপার্শ্বিক অবস্থার বিবেচনা শিক্ষানীতি প্রণয়নকারীরা কখনো করার চেষ্টাও করেন নাই যদিও তাদের বিদ্যার ঝোলাতে ভালো ভালো ডিগ্রি আর মুখরোচক ভাষার ব্যবহার আছে।
বইয়ের লেখক শিকাগো থেকে তার জীবনের যাত্রা শুরু করেছে। বইয়ের ১০টি অধ্যায়ের ৯টি তে একটি শিশুর শিক্ষাজীবনে প্রভাব বিস্তার করে এইরকম সমস্যাগুলোর কিভাবে সমাধান করেছেন তা বর্ণনা করেছেন। শিক্ষা ব্যবস্থা শিশুর ফলাফল এমন হওয়া উচিত না যা তাকে বাস্তবতা সম্পর্কে ভুল ধারনা দেয়। তার সঠিক উদাহরণ আমাদের দেশের জিপিএ ৫.০ পাওয়া শিক্ষার্থীরা। এসএসসি ও এইচএসসি উভয় পরীক্ষাতে জিপিএ ৫.০ পাওয়া অঢেল ছাত্রদের বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় ভর্তি পরীক্ষার নাজুক ফলাফল দেখলে জিপিএ ৫.০ এর সঠিক মূল্যায়ন বোঝা যায়। যেমন একজন শিক্ষক হিসেবে গণিতে এসএসসি ও এইচএসসি তে ৫.০ পাওয়া ছাত্র যখন সহজ সহজ অন্তরীকরণ ও সমাকলন এর সমাধান করতে পারে না তখন নিজের দেশের শিক্ষা ব্যবস্থা নিয়ে আফসোস ছাড়া কিছু করতে পারি না কারণ আমার বিদ্যার ঝুলিতে মুখরোচক জনপ্রিয় ভাষা ও বড় বড় ডিগ্রি নাই।
বইয়ের একটি অধ্যায়ে ছাত্র ছাত্রীদের ফলাফলের উপর ভিত্তি করে শিক্ষকদের মান যাচাইয়ের ব্যাপারে বিশদভাবে বলা আছে; আবার কোনো অধ্যায়ে আমেরিকাতে অস্ত্রের সহজলভ্যতার কারণে শিশুরা বা তাদের পরিবার বিভিন্ন ধরনের বিভিন্ন দুর্ঘটনার শিকার হওয়ার মাধ্যমে যে মানসিক আঘাতের শিকার হয় তা শিশুদের এক্ষেত্রে শিক্ষা ক্ষেত্রে চরম বিপর্যয় ডেকে আনে। আরেকটি অধ্যায়ে স্কুল ছুটির পর অতিরিক্ত পাঠদানের মাধ্যমে বাচ্চাদের দুর্বলতা বা তাদের মাঝে নতুন কোন গুণাবলীর বিকাশ করানো যেতে পারে। আবার অনেক সময় ওই অতিরিক্ত সময়ে শিশুর পরিবারের জন্যেও কিছুটা পাঠদান করা যেতে পারে।
দশম অধ্যায়ে লেখক পুরো বইয়ের উপসংহার টেনেছেন। উনার অভিজ্ঞতা থেকে কয়েকটি উপদেশ বা শিক্ষার কথা বলেছেন:
১. সব শিশুর জন্য চার বছর থেকে শিক্ষা ফ্রি ও বাধ্যতামূলক করতে হবে।
২. সব স্কুলের জন্য স্কুল ছুটির পর স্কুল পরবর্তী পাঠদানের ব্যবস্থা করে নতুন নতুন সমৃদ্ধি করন প্রোগ্রাম চালু করতে পারে।
৩. শিশুর সামাজিক, মানসিক ও শারীরিক সকল প্রয়োজনীয়তা স্কুলকে মেটাতে হবে।
৪. প্রতিটা স্কুলে সুযোগ্য এবং নেতৃত্বদানকারী প্রিন্সিপাল লাগবে এবং প্রতিটা ক্লাসরুমে যোগ্য শিক্ষক লাগবে।
৫. প্রতিটি কলেজের স্টুডেন্ট কিছু কর্মমুখী শিক্ষার সার্টিফিকেট অর্জন করে বের হবে।
৬. প্রতিটি কলেজ বা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ে ভর্তি হওয়া ছাত্রছাত্রী তার শিক্ষা জীবন শেষ করে বের হবে। অযথা টাকা খরচ করে এক সময় গিয়ে সার্টিফিকেট অর্জন করতে ব্যর্থ হওয়া যাবে না। অর্থাৎ ভর্তির সময় সঠিকভাবে যাচাই করতে হবে সে আসলে ভর্তির যোগ্য কিনা?
৭. সবশেষে সকল নাগরিককে বিশ্বাস করতে হবে শিক্ষা ব্যবস্থা উন্নতি ছাড়া কোনভাবেই একটি দেশ উন্নত হতে পারে না।
শিক্ষা ব্যবস্থা নিয়ে আমার পড়া খুব ভালো একটা বই। আমাদের দেশে দেখা যায় অফিসাররা সকাল বেলা সুপার গ্লু দিয়ে অফিসের চেয়ারে বসে আর এই বইয়ের লেখক একজন হার্ভার্ড গ্ৰ্যাজুয়েট হবার পরেও মানুষের দ্বারে দ্বারে গিয়ে শিক্ষার মানের খবর নিতেন।
এই বইটি বাংলাদেশের যারা শিক্ষা মন্ত্রী, শিক্ষা উপদেষ্টা, শিক্ষা মন্ত্রণালয়ের উচ্চ পদস্থ কর্মকর্তা, কারিকুলাম প্রণয়নকারী, পাঠ্যপুস্তকের বিশিষ্ট গুনী লেখক ও শিক্ষকদের অবশ্যই পড়া উচিত।
সাথে আরো দুটি বই পড়ার জন্য পরামর্শ দিলাম:
১. তিন ভুবনের শিক্ষা: তানজীনা ইয়াসমীন, তানবীরা তালুকদার ও রাখাল সাহা
২. আপনাকেই বলছি স্যার বারবিয়ানা স্কুল থেকে: সলিল বিশ্বাস
#ধূসরকল্পনা
December 11, 2020
The Washington Book Review said that this is a must-read book for every American and I would agree with this wholeheartedly.
This book is just amazing. It is good to know that there are people out in the world, especially people in positions of power, that actually want to protect their kids, along with kids in brown and black communities. Using a great and warming tone, Arne Duncan tells the story about growing in Chicago and transforming education as much as he can. Talking about teachers cheating to school shootings to giving apples to kids so they can eat to being in the White House, this book is an unforgettable read that will encourage you to get up and do something in a society that does not value our students.
"The goal is teaching is not to teach but to have kids learn" (103)
"The lie underneath all of this is one that says America values its teachers. But the truth is we don't. If we really valued the women and men dedicated to educating our children, then our teachers would be more respected, better paid, and have tons of support from all levels of society. They could count on us. But, as it is, they can't count on us, and we should be ashamed of it. But the root lie on which all of the lies in this book is built is far, far worse, and should be the ultimate source of our shame. The truth is that we do not only don't value our teachers. It's that we don't value our kids." (178)
"You'll notice that when black and brown kids get killed by the hundreds, as they have been in Chicago and other cities for years and years, the NRA doesn't talk about mental illness. Instead, when black and brown kids get slaughtered the NRA and its sympathizers more often talk about law and order, policing and broken families, drugs, gangs - anything but the easy availability of guns as protected by the NRA and the politicians beholden to it. When black and brown kids go down in droves, the implication is not that a single person is defective, as with the Sandy Hook killer, but instead that an entire population is defective. As if people of color are somehow prone to violence". (191)
"School is concerned with a lot of numbers, but what we're really concerned with here are people. That is our business. And that is how this school works" (223)
This book is just amazing. It is good to know that there are people out in the world, especially people in positions of power, that actually want to protect their kids, along with kids in brown and black communities. Using a great and warming tone, Arne Duncan tells the story about growing in Chicago and transforming education as much as he can. Talking about teachers cheating to school shootings to giving apples to kids so they can eat to being in the White House, this book is an unforgettable read that will encourage you to get up and do something in a society that does not value our students.
"The goal is teaching is not to teach but to have kids learn" (103)
"The lie underneath all of this is one that says America values its teachers. But the truth is we don't. If we really valued the women and men dedicated to educating our children, then our teachers would be more respected, better paid, and have tons of support from all levels of society. They could count on us. But, as it is, they can't count on us, and we should be ashamed of it. But the root lie on which all of the lies in this book is built is far, far worse, and should be the ultimate source of our shame. The truth is that we do not only don't value our teachers. It's that we don't value our kids." (178)
"You'll notice that when black and brown kids get killed by the hundreds, as they have been in Chicago and other cities for years and years, the NRA doesn't talk about mental illness. Instead, when black and brown kids get slaughtered the NRA and its sympathizers more often talk about law and order, policing and broken families, drugs, gangs - anything but the easy availability of guns as protected by the NRA and the politicians beholden to it. When black and brown kids go down in droves, the implication is not that a single person is defective, as with the Sandy Hook killer, but instead that an entire population is defective. As if people of color are somehow prone to violence". (191)
"School is concerned with a lot of numbers, but what we're really concerned with here are people. That is our business. And that is how this school works" (223)
September 5, 2018
I'm not sure it finishes the job, but it's a decent serious attempt at a much needed US public school policy discussion. I really enjoyed the first few chapters because they identify the elephant in the room in a serious and alarming way. School boards are lowering educational standards rather risking not meeting standards.
I really enjoy Arne's discussion on countermeasures for school violence. He discusses traditional security and compares the success with commonly ignored school councilors.
I appreciates towards the end he finally introduces universal pre-k however this section was honestly a little weak. He says it's a great idea but doesn't go into hard statistics to back up the affects of pre-k schooling.
Lastly, I totally get that Arne is focused on the majority and the at-risk-community, however there's not much in this book that discusses the upper 1% of kids with potential. More time in schools might statistically help populations and at-risk-youths however I dare say the super intelligent kids that lack social interest will gain much from this. This is a group of kids that need teachers trained to identify these kids and find opportunities to steer them towards opportunities of interest. For example if a kid is demonstrating high proficiency for computer coding at a young age, I think we need avenues to steer these kids towards books and circulums that can keep their interest rather than teaching them at the speed of the slowest kid in the room.
While I highly support educating to a baseline, I also would like to see programs pushing "the top" farther up. I understand that Arne did this by trying to push the baseline to the top, but I'm really interested in also pushing the .01% that are going to invent the next new technology.
Good opening book. Give me more.
I really enjoy Arne's discussion on countermeasures for school violence. He discusses traditional security and compares the success with commonly ignored school councilors.
I appreciates towards the end he finally introduces universal pre-k however this section was honestly a little weak. He says it's a great idea but doesn't go into hard statistics to back up the affects of pre-k schooling.
Lastly, I totally get that Arne is focused on the majority and the at-risk-community, however there's not much in this book that discusses the upper 1% of kids with potential. More time in schools might statistically help populations and at-risk-youths however I dare say the super intelligent kids that lack social interest will gain much from this. This is a group of kids that need teachers trained to identify these kids and find opportunities to steer them towards opportunities of interest. For example if a kid is demonstrating high proficiency for computer coding at a young age, I think we need avenues to steer these kids towards books and circulums that can keep their interest rather than teaching them at the speed of the slowest kid in the room.
While I highly support educating to a baseline, I also would like to see programs pushing "the top" farther up. I understand that Arne did this by trying to push the baseline to the top, but I'm really interested in also pushing the .01% that are going to invent the next new technology.
Good opening book. Give me more.
October 10, 2024
This book came to me by chance and I went into it without knowing what to expect. I was a student for all of the author's term as Secretary of Education. 'How Schools Work' reminded me of many of the policy updates I lived through, and it was interesting to have context behind what, at the time, felt like incomprehensible changes.
Overall the book is just ok. I would recommend it for people who I feel aren't involved in education and could use some inspiration to do so. Duncan provides many compelling examples of individuals making their school work and showing what an engaged community can accomplish. He also does a decent job impressing the variety of schools and challenges contained within the US.
What I found lacking was the discussion about particular policies. Duncan connects his proposals to real examples of them in action. In many cases, I found myself left with more questions after the proposal than before (how well does this translate to other schools? how would we fund this policy? why is an alternate conclusion not more likely?).
I also would've loved a deeper look into Duncan's journey as CEO of Chicago schools and Secretary of Education. We get some of a view into the day-to-day in this book but it seems very high level. We rarely get to see how policies are communicated and rarer still is the process of getting them implemented (ideation onward). Really what I wanted is a version of American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company but for the journey of an educator.
Overall the book is just ok. I would recommend it for people who I feel aren't involved in education and could use some inspiration to do so. Duncan provides many compelling examples of individuals making their school work and showing what an engaged community can accomplish. He also does a decent job impressing the variety of schools and challenges contained within the US.
What I found lacking was the discussion about particular policies. Duncan connects his proposals to real examples of them in action. In many cases, I found myself left with more questions after the proposal than before (how well does this translate to other schools? how would we fund this policy? why is an alternate conclusion not more likely?).
I also would've loved a deeper look into Duncan's journey as CEO of Chicago schools and Secretary of Education. We get some of a view into the day-to-day in this book but it seems very high level. We rarely get to see how policies are communicated and rarer still is the process of getting them implemented (ideation onward). Really what I wanted is a version of American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company but for the journey of an educator.
July 21, 2019
Learn for yourself is the first thought I had when reading this book. My initial impression of former U.S. Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama - Arne Duncan was anti-Unions, creator of conservative educational policies and doesn't care about traditional public schools. After reading "How Schools Work: An Inside Account of Failure and Success from One of the Nation's Longest-Serving Secretaries of Education" my perspective has changed. Mr. Duncan proposed solutions to the age-old question, how to close the achievement gap so that all children can achieve. It was appreciated to learn from his perspective that federal policies such as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) are imperfect! The intention was great but the outcomes was not achievable. One question still remain, if children enter the school system unprepared, can parents and the community be held accountable? Far too many times accountability falls on the teacher and the school system. This is not a blame someone review, but we need parents and the local community as active stakeholders in early childhood education in order to equip students to be prepared for K-12 schooling. Overall, the book is a good read. I appreciate Mr. Duncan's honesty and realness about his experience in Chicago as a servant of the community until his final days as U.S. Secretary of Education. Of course his work continues! I look forward to learning more about his influence in education.
September 28, 2018
A helpful read. Duncan focuses almost entirely on the issues of inner city schools, with which he has the most experience. As Obama's pick as Secretary of Education, Duncan took a surprisingly free-market approach to improving schools in arguing for charter schools, closing consistently underperforming schools, removing teachers with records of poor performance, and motivating schools with competitions for funds (Race to the Top). It was fascinating to read about how he embraced data science from the University of Chicago for insights such as which teachers were fudging test scores. There are some sobering statistics: "If you took 100 black and Latino high school freshmen in Chicago public schools, only 3 would graduate from college in their 20s." Or, "Only 9 percent of poorer students finish college, while 70 percent of financially stable students finish college." There success stories, though. Duncan found that in poor black Chicago neighborhoods, 60 percent of the arrests of teens were taking place in school. They identified the schools with high arrest rates and created a de-escalation program that dramatically reduced that rate. Silver linings.
April 26, 2021
There are points to agree with, but they are shallow or broad or both. Duncan reveals his lack of expertise by reiterating administrative talking points - talking points that, despite his insistence that he didn't like the politics of the job, reek of political stump speech pandering. Ultimately, though this should have been his ultimate defense of his positions, this book makes it painfully clear that a bureaucrat, even one with specifically educational bureaucracy background, should not lead the Education Department. Other secretaries are generally experts of their subject due to education and experience - Duncan tries to prove his experience made him the right man for the job, but his experience was ancillary to the work done in schools. Never a teacher (though he'd tell you the different organizations he was in made him 'like' a teacher); never a principal. Just another example of someone outside the realm of public education trying to tell public educators what they're doing wrong. His insistence on using studies by ECONOMISTS should be proof enough.
August 16, 2018
I worked with Arne (his preference over “Mr. Secretary”) in D.C. and consistently saw him heed the direction from President Obama to “Just do what you think is right for kids, and let me worry about the politics.” While I hoped for more detailed reflections about his time as Secretary, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, and how he’s helping reduce violence with Steve Jobs’ widow, the book has important lessons for enacting systemic improvement in public education. In addition to calling for universal preschool and more out-of-school time programming, addressing students’ social-emotional needs before academics, and ensure there is a great principal and great teachers in every school, Arne’s observation of what makes for great instruction has lessons for all of us. He writes, “I’m telling this story about practice, repetition, trust, frustration, failure, and ultimately success, because this is what great teaching and learning looks like.”
February 10, 2019
Many of the early “lies” Arne describes are just people raising concerns about his ideas. Later, he identifies some actual lies that no one in education will be surprised by (e.g., the US doesn’t actually care about teachers, or students). The book is an ok memoir, but doesn’t discuss “how schools work” at all. Instead, the book seems to be more about nepotism and dedication to a capitalistic approach to funding education. Sure, the author wants to talk about using carrots, but you don’t change anything when there are only two winning states. The author uses conclusions for the widely discredited NCTQ report, which causes me to be suspicious of any of the author’s supposed evidence based thinking. I don’t disagree with many of the larger themes of the book, but the self-congratulatory nature of the writing was a pretty big turn off. Do US schools need to improve, yes. Does Arne have any idea how to do it? If he does, he didn’t tell us in this book.
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