Outrageous Learning: An Education Manifesto

by Scott D. Oki

It is no secret that K-12 public education in the United States is in crisis. Schools are plagued by poor student achievement, low graduation rates, entrenched unions, demoralized teachers and disaffected parents, when by rights U.S. schools should be the finest in the world. The troubles of the nation's schools have caught the attention of software innovator and philanthropist Scott Oki. In this thought provoking new book, Oki describes the ills facing public schools and coolly applies the same frank, no-nonsense analysis that made him one of the most successful top executives at Microsoft and a recognized leader in the technology world. In addition to his refreshing openness about the problems of public education, Oki presents eleven "planks," foundational ideas which offer a positive vision for bringing constructive change to public education. Oki avoids the insider jargon and heavy academic prose common to books on public education. He uses plain language to present his ideas in an accessible conversational style. Oki's fresh, forward-looking approach will have instant appeal to anyone interested in improving the education and life opportunities of our nation's school children.

Genres: Nonfiction

108 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jeffcamp · Rating 2 out of 5]

I suppose anything labelled a manifesto should be viewed skeptically. What I like about Oki's book is that it challenges readers to think systemically about education, and doesn't assume that the way things work/fail now is the way they have to be. I am very aligned with Oki's challenge to "think of students in the singular and individual sense." (This is the heart of the EACH approach described at http://www.fullcirclefund.org/EACH ) His proposal to give every student an individualized learning plan (IEP) is seductive but expensive. It would ultimately be the wrong area to spend money.

Oki describes some of the systemic problems well, but his solutions fall flat, mainly by underestimating the challenges that face low-income students and their families. The systems that support children (including education) underinvest in human capital at every level. Oki calls for concentrating schools on great teaching, but also calls for removing almost all of the support structure from around teachers -- effectively freeing them to fail alone. Further, although teaching is critically important, it is not sufficient on its own. Oki also calls for removing virtually all support services (transportation, nutrition, and more) from the schools' list of responsibilities in a way that would create great risks. Hunger can disrupt learning even more fundamentally than a weak teacher. Oki also systematically assumes that parents bring a lot to the table, which is unfortunately not true in way too many cases.

Oki is most persuasive when he talks about character education (his plank 10) with reference to Scout programs.

Readers with an interest in education policy may be interested in the issue primers available at http://ed100.org

[Spacek Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is outrageous and worth reading because it gives a great perspective on how the business world looks at education. Oki has an essentialist educational philosophy in the "fixed mindset" identified by Carol Dweck. Several points are brought up worth considering, however, much of what Oki promotes schools are now doing. I would be interested in each of the 11 planks that he puts forth if done in more depth with research to back up his thought.

[Joel Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read by anyone concerned about our education system ✔️

[Susanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is clear to me, that while Oki has put a lot of thought into what is wrong with the education system and how he thinks it should be run, he has no idea what it is like to be an educator or to work with a classroom full of today's children. Does he realize that cutting out transportation, while it would save billions of dollars each year, would essentially ensure that children of low-income families without cars would stop attending school? When he proposes that the education system get out of the food-service business, has he thought about children who take home the left-overs from their SCHOOL LUNCHES to feed their parents at the end of the day? Giving "parents the responsibility to feed their child each morning before they go to school, to make a brown bag lunch, and to feed them a healthy meal for dinner" sounds great -- but MANY parents DON'T. He says let the welfare system take care of those issues. The welfare system CAN'T take care of those issues; it is overloaded as it is.

I haven't even finished the book, but as a public school teaching veteran, I'm all worked up about the extent of the issues that face our public education system AND at Oki's ignorant "education manifesto." Yes, public education needs help. Yes, many of today's youth are not prepared to lead successful and independent adult lives. Yes, teachers are overworked and often unqualified to meet the needs that show up in their "caseload." Oki needs to quit pontificating about how to improve the education system, and focus on how to improve his "outrageously priced" golf courses.