Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing America's Schools Back To Reality
In his 2008 book, Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing America's Schools Back to Reality, author Charles Murray seeks to destroy the notions that the American people and government have operated under in past decades: the belief that schools and the educational system itself must be structured in a way that forces education down the throats of the masses, which has proven wholly ineffective in Murray's eyes. Murray, alternately, argues that the American educational system has based itself in romanticized ideals of demanding excellence from every student, which is simply impossible, largely ineffective, and debilitating to students and individuals who are actually academically and intellectually superior enough to succeed in education, thereby restructuring the system and perhaps the American landscape completely.
Murray has noted that his book seeks to counter the ideas of the past, saying, "American educational romanticism asks too much from students at the bottom of the intellectual pile, asks the wrong things from those in the middle, and asks too little from those at the top" (Murray/AEI, 1). In beginning to adjust for the problems of the past, Murray notes that four simple truths about education must be understood: the fact that ability varies; the fact that half of children are below average, the fact that too many people are going to college, and the notion that America's future depends on how we educate the academically gifted. Murray does an exceptional job at expanding on these ideas, providing significant back-up to align with his beliefs and providing insightful knowledge regarding his beliefs. However, many readers may disagree with Murray's ideals, finding them cynical and high-brow. However, in understanding the facts presented in Murray's work, there is no doubt in the minds of any reader that a significant problem with the American educational system does in fact exist, Murray only offers the chance for individuals to note this and aid the country in finding a way out of such a mess.
Murray begins his analysis by singling out the generally-accepted American mindset of "educational romanticism," based on an idealized image of the potential that children can bring to the classroom and of our ability to realize that potential (Murray, 11). Such an ideal can be largely considered one that operates solely under fantasy -- a fantasy that all children are above average. However, the fact remains that this is simply untrue. Teachers in American schools have for years taught children that there is absolutely nothing beyond their abilities if they only try hard enough. This notion is not only highly fantasied, setting teachers and schools up for failure, but unintentionally cruel toward the children who are taught this -- setting these very children up for failure, as their skills rarely meet or surpass the "truths" that their teachers present them with at school.
Murray notes that it would be beneficial for the American public to understand and accept the truth that not all children are equal in their talents and abilities. Maybe, Murray notes, some children are naturally more gifted than others in certain areas that will lead to success in their academic futures. By no means does Murray note that these increased abilities make someone a better person, but they certainly make one a better scholar and a more desirable and logical candidate for continued education in the realm of undergraduate and graduate admittance.
Next, Murray argues that half of all children are below average. Certain tasks, he notes, are beyond the capability of many children (Murray, 42). Murray notes that such government programs such as "No Child Left Behind" have done nothing but promote the aforementioned "you can do it if you try" attitude that often leaves children and teachers discouraged and full of self-doubt when such successes never come to fruition. Adjusting the system that America currently utilizes would mean spending less effort on the education of some children that do not fit into the category of academically gifted, and would aid in making room for the honing of skills by those who will succeed in continued education (Murray 45). Further, in adjusting the way we as Americans currently view education, Murray notes that we can move children from far below the average in to a realm that more suits their own capabilities (Murray 55). Additionally, students who do not excel in these studies, Murray notes, should be allowed to hone their other skills during their high school experiences, focusing on more vocational studies in which they themselves will later excel.
Third, Murray notes that far too many individuals are currently attending college, and that college curriculum is rightly above the knowledge and skill-base of many of the student who are actually enrolled. In the fall of 2005, more than 1.5 million students enrolled in college, which is exponentially too many considering that half of these students were in the "below-average"...
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