Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Educational Issues, Expanded

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Table of Contents:
UNIT: Basic Theoretical Issues Issue: Should Schooling Be Based on Social Experiences? YES: John Dewey, from "Experience and Education," Experience and Education, 1938 NO: Roger Scruton, from "Schools and Schooling," The American Spectator, 2006 Philosopher John Dewey suggests a reconsideration of traditional approaches to schooling, giving fuller attention to the social development of the learner and the quality of his or her total experience. British philosopher Roger Scruton expresses the traditionalist view that Dewey’s progressive education, with its emphasis on “child-centeredness” and “relevance,” has had a disastrous effect on quality education. Issue: Should the Curriculum Be Standardized for All? YES: Mortimer J. Adler, from "The Paideia Proposal: Rediscovering the Essence of Education," American School Board Journal, 1982 NO: John Holt, from "Escape from Childhood," Escape from Childhood, 1974 Philosopher Mortimer J. Adler contends that democracy is best served by a public school system that establishes uniform curricular objectives for all students. Educator John Holt argues that an imposed curriculum damages the individual and usurps a basic human right to select one’s own path of development. Issue: Should Behaviorism Shape Educational Practices? YES: Carson M. Bennett, from "A Skinnerian View of Human Freedom," The Humanist, 1990 NO: Laura Zucca-Scott, from "Know Thyself: The Importance of Humanism in Education," International Education, 2010 Professor of educational psychology Carson M. Bennett presents the case for adopting the radical behaviorism of B. F. Skinner to improve the power and efficiency of the process of learning. Professor of educational psychology Carson M. Bennett presents the case for adopting the radical behaviorism of B.F. Skinner to improve the power and efficiency of the process of learning. Issue: Is Constructivism the Best Philosophy of Education? YES: David Elkind, from "The Problem with Constructivism," The Educational Forum, 2004 NO: Jamin Carson, from "Objectivism and Education: A Response to David Elkind's 'The Problem with Constructivism,'” The Educational Forum, 2005 Child development professor David Elkind contends that the philosophical positions found in constructivism, though often difficult to apply, are necessary elements in a meaningful reform of educational practices. Jamin Carson, an assistant professor of education and former high school teacher, offers a close critique of constructivism and argues that the philosophy of objectivism is a more realistic and usable basis for the process of education. Issue: Should "Public Schooling" Be Redefined? YES: Frederick M. Hess, from "What is a 'Public School?' Principles for a New Century," Phi Delta Kappan, 2004 NO: Linda Nathan et al., from "A Response to Frederick Hess: Linda Nathan, The Larger Purpose of Public Schools," Phi Delta Kappan, 2004 Frederick M. Hess, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, advocates a broadening of the definition of “public schooling” in light of recent developments such as vouchers, charter schools, and home schooling. Linda Nathan, Joe Nathan, Ray Bacchetti, and Evans Clinchy express a variety of concerns about the conceptual expansion that Hess proposes. UNIT: Current Fundamental Issues Issue: Are Truly Democratic Classrooms Possible? YES: Kristan A. Morrison, from "Democratic Classrooms: Promises and Challenges of Student Voice and Choice," Educational Horizons, 2008 NO: Gary K. Clabaugh, from "Second Thoughts about Democratic Classrooms," Educational Horizons, 2008 Associate professor of education Kristan A. Morrison explores historical and theoretical bases for implementing democratic practices in schools that would make student experience more appealing and productive. Professor of education Gary K. Clabaugh examines such factors as top-down management, compulsory attendance, business world influences, and federal mandates to declare Morrison’s ideas to be “out of touch” with reality. Issue: Do Public Schools Have Grounds to Punish Students for Their Off-Campus Online Speech? YES: Chief Judge Hon and Theodore A. McKee, from "Layshock v. Hermitage School District," United States Court of Appeals, 2011 NO: Chief Judge Hon and Theodore A. McKee, from "J.S. v. Blue Mountain School District," United States Court of Appeals, 2011 In Layshock v. Hermitage School District, Third Circuit Court judges approved a local Pennsylvania school officials' 10-day suspension of a high school student who mocked his principal with a fake MySpace profile that he accessed off-campus. On the same day and in the same circuit court as Layshock v. Hermitage School District, a different set of judges ruled in J.S. v. Blue Mountain School District that local Pennsylvania school officials overreacted and breached the First Amendment Rights of a junior high school student who ridiculed her principal online using MySpace with a computer that was accessed off-campus. Chief Judge Theodore McKee wrote the court's opinion for both cases. In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear either of these social media cases. Issue: Do American Schools Need a Common Curriculum? YES: The Albert Shanker Institute, from "A Call for Common Content," American Educator, 2011 NO: Jay P. Green et al., from "Closing the Door on Innovation," Education Next, 2011 The Albert Shanker Institute, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, promotes a common curriculum to build a bridge from standards to achievement across the nation. A coalition of opponents, led by Jay P. Greene, Sandra Stotsky, Bill Evers, Greg Forster, and Ze’ev Wurman, offers a critical response to what they see as an effort to nationalize public education. Issue: Can the Common Core State Standards Be Successful? YES: William H. Schmidt and Nathan A. Burroughs, from "How the Common Core Boosts Quality and Equality," Educational Leadership, 2012/2013 NO: Tom Loveless, from "The Common Core Initiative: What are the Chances of Success?" Educational Leadership, 2012/2013 With a focus on the new math standards, Michigan State University researchers William Schmidt and Nathan Burroughs indicate the Common Core State Standards will address two tenacious problems in U.S. education: the mediocrity quality of mathematics learning and unequal opportunity in U.S. schools. Tom Loveless, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, takes the position that chances for the Common Core Standards to be successful are "slim at best" when compared to the claims on how well similar policies have worked in the past. Issue: Can Failing Schools Be Turned Around? YES: Karin Chenoweth, from "It Can Be Done, It's Being Done, and Here's How," Phi Delta Kappan, 2009 NO: Andy Smarick, from "The Turnaround Fallacy," Education Next, 2010 Karin Chenoweth, a senior writer with the Education Trust and author of How It’s Being Done, describes strategies employed to bring about dramatic improvements in low-performing schools. Andy Smarick, a visiting fellow at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, advocates the closing of failing schools to make room for replacements through chartering. Issue: Are Local School Boards Obsolete? YES: Marc Tucker, from "Changing the System Is the Only Solution," Phi Delta Kappan, 2010 NO: Diane Ravitch, from "Why Public Schools Need Democratic Governance," Phi Delta Kappan, 2010 Marc Tucker, president of the National Center on Education and the Economy, calls for shifting the running of public schools to the states, allowing local boards to focus solely on the improvement of learning. Education historian Diane Ravitch feels that a movement of control to the state level or to the mayor’s office will undermine democratic deliberation and move toward a top-down business model. UNIT: Current Specific Issues Issue: Is There Support for Arming Teachers in Schools? YES: Nirvi Shah, from "Teachers Already Armed in Some Districts," Education Week, 2013 NO: National School Safety and Security Services, from "Arming Teachers and School Staff with Guns: Implementation Issues Presents School Boards and Administrators with Significant Responsibility and Potential Liability," National School Safety and Security Services, 2013 Nivri Shah examines arming teachers in schools shortly, after the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy, noting the one Texas district superintendent concluded that "school personnel are the first responders." Led by President Kenneth Trump, the National School Safety and Security Services assert that teachers want to be armed with "textbooks and computers, not guns." Issue: Has the Time Arrived for Universal Preschool? YES: David L. Kirp, from "The Kids-First Agenda," Big Ideas for Children: Investing in Our Nation's Future, 2008 NO: Douglas J. Besharov and Douglas M. Call, from "The New Kindergarten," The Wilson Quarterly, 2008 David L. Kirp, a professor of public policy and author of The Sandbox Investment, calls for expansion of federal support for universal preschool and other child care services. Professor Douglas J. Besharov and research associate Douglas M. Call of the University of Maryland School of Public Policy examine the development of child care programs and conclude that the case for universal preschool is not as strong as it seems. Issue: Is the Inclusive Classroom Model Workable? YES: Mara Sapon-Shevin, from "Learning in an Inclusive Community," Educational Leadership, 2008 NO: Wade A. Carpenter, from "The Other Side of Inclusion," Educational Horizons, 2008 Professor of inclusive education Mara Sapon-Shevin presents a redefinition of the inclusive classroom and offers specific strategies for bringing it about in practice. Associate professor of education Wade A. Carpenter expresses concerns about the inclusive ideology’s uncritical infatuation with socialization. Issue: Do Teachers Unions Stymie School Reform? YES: Andrew Coulson, from "A Less Perfect Union," The American Spectator, 2011 NO: Louis Malfaro, from "Lessons on Organizing for Power," American Educator, 2010 Andrew Coulson, director of the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute, contends that the NEA and AFT monopolize public school operations, resulting in a collapse of productivity. Louis Malfaro, an AFT vice president, sees the teachers unions as uniquely able to build productive relationships and exert positive influence on the improvement of teaching and learning. Issue: Should Teacher Preparation and Licensing Be Regulated by the Government? YES: James Cibulka, from "Strengthen State Oversight of Teacher Preparation," Education Next, 2013 NO: David Chard, from "Training Must Focus on Content and Pedagogy," Education Next, 2013 Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation President Jim Cibulka states that tightening government licensure regulation is needed to assure candidate and program quality that can result in a more favorable learning environment for Pre-K-12 students. David Chard indicates that current state control of teacher preparation and licensing does not ensure that teachers will be of high quality. Issue: Can Zero Tolerance Violate Students Rights? YES: David Souter, from "Majority Opinion, Safford Unified School District #1 v. Redding", United States Supreme Court, 2009 NO: Clarence Thomas, from "Dissenting Opinion, Safford Unified School District, et al., v. April Redding," United States Supreme Court, 2009 Supreme Court Justice David Souter holds that a search in school requires a reasonable belief that evidence of wrongdoing will be found and that the search is not excessively intrusive in light of the age and sex of the student. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas argues that the Fourth Amendment is not violated when there is reasonable suspicion that the student is in possession of drugs banned by school policy and the search is in an area where small pills could be concealed. Issue: Do American Students Need More Time in School? YES: Chris Gabrieli, from "More Time, More Learning," Educational Leadership, 2010 NO: Larry Cuban, from "The Perennial Reform: Fixing School Time," Phi Delta Kappan, 2008 National Center on Time and Learning chairman Chris Gabrieli claims that current school time schedules are outmoded and calls for expansion of the instructional day and year to close the achievement gap and provide enrichment opportunities. Stanford University professor emeritus Larry Cuban reviews the history of school time expansion and finds scant research to support such demands. Issue: Is the Road to Virtual Schooling Smoothly Paved? YES: William Crossman, from "From the Three R’s to the Four C’s", The Futurist, 2012 NO: Erin Dillon and Bill Tucker, from "Lessons for Online Learning," Education Next, 2011 Futurist philosopher William Crossman depicts the inevitable movement from brick-and-mortar schools to a flexible learning environment dominated by digital multi-sensory media. Erin Dillon and Bill Tucker of Education Sector wave caution flags because of the current lack of data on the efficacy of K-12 online learning and the need for independent quality control. Issue: Is the "21st Century Skills" Movement Viable? YES: Andrew J. Rotherham and Daniel T. Willingham, from "21st Century Skills: The Challenges Ahead," Educational Leadership, 2009 NO: Diana Senechal, from "The Most Daring Education Reform of All," American Educator, 2010 Education policy expert Rotherham and psychology professor Willingham see great promise in the movement to bring needed skills to all students if the delivery system works satisfactorily. Education writer and former teacher Diana Senechal expresses deep concern about the movement’s focus on current societal needs to the detriment of core academic studies. Issue: Does the Four-Day School Week Deserve Another Look? YES: Marissa Skogen, from "Four-Day School Week: A Viable Option for Small Public Schools," University of Great Falls, MT, 2012 NO: Jonathan A. Plucker, Katherine Cierniak, and Molly Chamberlin, from "The Four-Day School Week: Nine Years Later," Education Policy Briefs, 2012 Researcher Melissa Skogen contends that there are not enough overridding negative consequences of the four-day school week to inhibit schools from making the change. Educators Jonathan Plucker, Katherine Cierniak, and Molly Chamberlin have some positive comments, but conclude their review of the four-day school week with concerns that include: no conclusive evidence of the impact on student achievement; districts not having experienced originally anticipated savings to the operating budget; potential negative impact for at-risk students; arranging childcare on the 5th day; and lack of peer-reviewed research. Issue: Should Educators Be Cautious Regarding Flipped Classrooms? YES: Allison Mousel and Leah P. McCoy, from "Flipping the High School Mathematics Classroom," Research Digest, 2013 NO: Amy Roehl, Shweta Linga Reddy, and Gayla Jett Shannon, from "The Flipped Classroom: An Opportunity To Engage Millennial Students Through Active Learning Strategies," Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 2013 Allison Mousel and Leah McCoy are not against flipped learning but caution it cannot conclusively suggest that the flipped instructional method has an effect on students' belief of competency, compared to traditional instruction. Amy Roehl, Shweta Linga Reddy, and Gayla Jett Shannon affirm the benefits, even transformational effect, of a Flipped Classroom that includes a current level of urgency for alternative methods of instruction.

About the Author :
GLENN L. KOONCE is Chair of theEducational Leadership Programs in the School of Education at RegentUniversity. A Vietnam combat veteran and 30 teacher, principal, and assistant superintendentveteran in the public schools, Dr. Koonce has been recognized as Principal ofthe Year for the State of Virginia, President of the Virginia Association ofSecondary School Principals, President of the Virginia Education Coalition,President of the Virginia Professors of Educational Leadership, President ofthe Virginia Education Research Association, Boss of the Year several times inthe public schools, Education Professor of the Year for Regent UniversitySchool of Education, Distinguished Service Award from Regent University, andDistinguished Service Award from the Virginia Professors of EducationalLeadership. Research, consulting, publications, teaching, and service from thelocal level to international levels, and serving on the editorial review boardfor publications from the National Council of Professors of EducationalAdministration (NCPEA) and the EuropeanJournal of Education Sciences round out his extensive experiences. Hispersonal interests include spiritual, family, community, and wellnessactivities of all kinds. He loves music, travel, and adventures, in noparticular order. He is married to Suzanne, has four children, and nine grandchildren.