assigned readings
Links to all officially assigned / required readings. While most reading assignments are the same among my different classes, there are several differences, so please always make sure you are clicking in the right place. Also, please let me know ASAP if you encounter any broken links so I can fix them ASAP!
If any of these readings or topics pique your curiosity, you can read more about them on the GO DEEPER supplemental readings page.
Essay #1 READINGS
ESSAY #2 readings
"Lost in the Meritocracy" by Walter Kirn (alternate link)
"Against School" by John Taylor Gatto (alternate link)
“Are American Students Lazy?” by Scott Jaschik
"In Praise of the F Word" by Mary Sherry (alternate link)
“Why do Girls Outperform Boys in School?” by Alexander Pralea
“It’s a Boy Thing (Or Is It?)” by Sara Mead
"Black Education" by Walter Williams (warning: controversial!)
"Achievement Gap Between White and Black Students Still Gaping" by Lauren Camera
“Grade Inflation, Higher and Higher” by Scott Jaschik
"Same Performance, Better Grades" by Aina Katsikas (alternate link)
"Who's teaching L.A.'s kids?" by Jason Felch, Jason Song, and Doug Smith (alternative link)
"In the Basement of the Ivory Tower" by Professor X (alternative link)
"The Art of Being Interesting" by Jonathan Morrow
ESSAY #3 READINGS
"All teachers fired at Rhode Island school" by Randi Kaye
“Four years later: Student achievement and Central Falls’ transformation” by Tom
Hoffman
“Education secretary calls for 12-hour school days, longer school year” by Paul
Connor
"Extended School Year Would Have Dire Economic Effects, Critics Say"
by Cristina Corbin
“To Increase Learning Time, Some Schools Add Days to Academic Year” by Motoko Rich
“To improve learning, some schools lengthen the school day or year” by Sarah Carr
“The Disadvantages of Longer School Days” by Kristine Tucker (note: if you scroll down from the Tucker article, there are two more articles about the cons of ELT)
“Is making students stay after school the way to improve education?” by Jay Matthews
“Summer learning loss: What is it, and what can we do about it?” by David M. Quinn
and Morgan Polikoff
“Today’s Exhausted Superkids” by Frank Bruni (alternative link)
"Is Too Much Homework Bad for Kids' Health?" by Sandra Levy
"Letter from a Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr.
"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift
final examination
“The Word Police” by Michiko Kakutani
(alternate, printer-friendly version)