An indictment of the American educational system criticizes the fact that the system has discarded the traditional goals of transmitting knowledge and fostering cognitive skills in favor of building self-esteem and promoting social harmony.

Inside the Black Box of Classroom Practice takes as its starting point a strikingly blunt question: "With so many major structural changes in U.S. public schools over the past century, why have classroom practices been largely stable, with a modest blending of new and old teaching practices, leaving contemporary classroom lessons familiar to earlier generations of school-goers?" It is a question that ought to be of paramount interest to all who are interested in school reform in the United States. It is also a question that comes naturally to Larry Cuban, whose much-admired books have focused on various aspects of school reform--their promises, wrong turns, partial successes, and troubling failures. In this book, he returns to this territory, but trains his focus on the still baffling fact that policy reforms--no matter how ambitious or determined--have generally had little effect on classroom conduct and practice. "For forty years, Larry Cuban has been a voice of thoughtful analysis amid the overwrought rhetoric of American education reform. His distinctive contribution--updated, deepened, and extended in this book--has been to focus our attention on the persistent gap between the misconceptions of policy elites and the realities of daily practice in the classroom. One hopes that the next generation of American educators will learn the essential lessons of Cuban's analysis more deeply than the current generation. Young people considering a career in education should hold the lessons of this book close to their hearts." -- Richard F. Elmore, Gregory R. Anrig Professor of Educational Leadership, Harvard Graduate School of Education "Larry Cuban's well-written book convincingly demonstrates why current education reforms don't work, can't work, and won't work." -- Diane Ravitch, research professor of education, New York University "Anyone with a deep interest in public schools should read Inside the Black Box of Classroom Practice. Cuban takes the reader through the history of earnest efforts to improve our schools--through technology, structural reforms, and accountability systems--and shows why they have met with mixed and often disappointing results. His recommendations for us are both cautionary and hopeful, and always respectful of the dilemmas that teachers face each day they walk through the classroom door." -- Gary Yee, board director, District Four, Oakland Unified School District, and retired vice chancellor, Educational Services, Peralta Community College District Larry Cuban is professor emeritus of education at Stanford University.

An indictment of the American educational system criticizes the fact that the system has discarded the traditional goals of transmitting knowledge and fostering cognitive skills in favor of building self-esteem and promoting social harmony.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The American educational system has been declining for years, and it has been made worse by the rise in grade inflation and cheating. #2 American educational deficiencies extend far beyond mathematics. When asked if they thought they were good at mathematics, only 23 percent of American 13-year-olds said yes, compared to 68 percent of Korean 13-year-olds. #3 American students are lacking in knowledge and the ability to tie what they know together to form a coherent chain of reasoning. Many American students seem unaware of the need for such a process. #4 The phrase I feel is often used by American students to introduce a conclusion, rather than say I think, or I know, or even I conclude. This is often considered sufficient by many teachers and students.

With a focus on the future of American education--and the goals and nature of teaching in a global economy--this forward-thinking text provides you with a comprehensive overview of the foundations of modern American schooling. The book's premise is that education in the 21st century must facilitate more complex, deeper, and more varied learning that will enable all citizens to survive and thrive in an ever-changing world. In presenting traditional topics and important educational issues--including diversity and equity, the accountability movement, effective schools, instructional best practices, and alternatives to public schools--the authors cultivate the very skills and knowledge base that they believe are critical for success in a "flat" world. With the overarching goal of furthering higher-order thinking, they model the principles of evidence-based practice and the critical-thinking process by examining issues and controversies in depth and presenting supporting research to validate their conclusions. Activities support the critical-thinking focus and promote your self-understanding, challenging you to weigh "common knowledge" against real evidence and form your own conclusions. Written in an appealing, conversational style, and using examples that immediately resonate with prospective student teachers, this thought-provoking new text provides a timely and insightful perspective of American education.