The Making of Americans: Democracy and Our Schools - Hardcover

Hirsch, E. D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300152817 ISBN 13: 9780300152814

Publisher: Yale Univ Pr, 2009

Synopsis

From the bestselling author of "Cultural Literacy" comes a passionate and cogent argument for reforming the way we teach our children.

About this title

Review:

"The most cogent and persuasive version of [Hirsch's] views that I have seen. . . .This is not just a good book. It is an important book."--Robert Scholes, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Humanities Emeritus, Brown University--Robert Scholes

"E.D. Hirsch''s "The Making of Americans" is a wonderful book that is must-reading for everyone who cares about our children and our country. It is the one book I would recommend to every legislator and school board member."--Diane Ravitch, author of "Left Back "and "The Language Police"
--Diane Ravitch

"E.D. Hirsch's "The Making of Americans" is a wonderful book that is must-reading for everyone who cares about our children and our country. It is the one book I would recommend to every legislator and school board member."--Diane Ravitch, author of "Left Back "and "The Language Police"
--Diane Ravitch

"In "The Making of Americans, "Hirsch builds on [his] earlier work and widens the lens to connect his ideas on education reform to the fundamental rationales for our system of public schools in the United States. . . . Hirsch identifies two central reasons for the American 'common school': to create social mobility, allowing bright, hard-working students of all origins to enjoy the American dream; and to create social cohesion, binding children of diverse economic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds into citizens of a single nation. . . . Hirsch makes a highly cogent case to support the concept that a common curriculum is necessary in elementary schools to further both goals. . . . American education would be far better off if leaders heeded Hirsch's sound advice to restore a common-core curriculum."--Richard D. Kahlenberg, "The American Scholar. "
--Richard D. Kahlenberg"American Scholar" (09/30/2009)

"E. D. Hirsch is one of the very few academics in this country who can write for a wide audience about complex issues without ever condescending, oversimplifying, or falling into a populist rant."--David Labaree, Professor of Education, Stanford University
--David Labaree

"In this important defense of the idea of a common national curriculum, E. D. Hirsch makes a lucid and convincing case that our habit of confusing such a curriculum with retrograde social and educational views has given us 'sixty years without a curriculum.'"--Gerald Graff, 2008 President, Modern Language Association
--Gerald Graff

"Once again, E.D. Hirsch has written a powerful and illuminating book about public education in America. This time he not only highlights 'the knowledge deficit' that has long impaired our students' reading abilities, he also explains how this deficiency is undermining the role of education in developing an informed citizenry. With all the talk in Washington about national standards and what it means for a high school student to be 'college ready, ' this book is an essential read."-- Joel I. Klein, Chancellor, New York City Department of Education
--Joel I. Klein

"E.D. Hirsch's The Making of Americans is a wonderful book that is must-reading for everyone who cares about our children and our country. It is the one book I would recommend to every legislator and school board member."--Diane Ravitch, author of Left Back and The Language Police
--Diane Ravitch

"In this new book, E.D. Hirsch, a relentless advocate for universal common education, makes clear the very special relationship between education and democracy. Now more than ever we need his lessons to become part of our common wisdom."--Randi Weingarten, President, The American Federation of Teachers
--Randi Weingarten

"In The Making of Americans, Hirsch builds on [his] earlier work and widens the lens to connect his ideas on education reform to the fundamental rationales for our system of public schools in the United States. . . . Hirsch identifies two central reasons for the American 'common school': to create social mobility, allowing bright, hard-working students of all origins to enjoy the American dream; and to create social cohesion, binding children of diverse economic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds into citizens of a single nation. . . . Hirsch makes a highly cogent case to support the concept that a common curriculum is necessary in elementary schools to further both goals. . . . American education would be far better off if leaders heeded Hirsch's sound advice to restore a common-core curriculum."--Richard D. Kahlenberg, The American Scholar.
--Richard D. Kahlenberg"American Scholar" (09/30/2009)

About the Author:

\E. D. Hirsch, Jr., founder of the Core Knowledge Foundation, recently retired as professor of education and humanities at the University of Virginia. His previous books include Cultural Literacy and The Knowledge Deficit.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale Univ Pr
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0300152817
• ISBN 13: 9780300152814
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 261