To contact Chris Winter, send email to this address.Copyright © 2005-2023 Christopher P. Winter. All rights reserved.
This page was last modified on 12 March 2023.
| LEARNING |
Topics of books reviewed here are the history and practice of education (especially in the U.S.), assessments of the knowledge and skills of Americans versus their counterparts in other countries, critiques of their abilities, and recommendations for improvements. |
| PRINCIPAL AUTHOR |
TITLE (Linked to review) |
RATING (0-5) |
REVIEW DATE |
ONE-LINE DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bauerlein, Mark | The Dumbest Generation | 5.0 | 9/24/2008 | With passion and scholarly precision, Mark Bauerlein reminds us of the ongoing decline in basic skills and general knowledge among our graduating students. |
| Clavell, James | The Children's Story | 5.0 | 3/12/2023 | James Clavell's allegorical tale, written during the Cold War, is still prescient, still a warning to be heeded. |
| Hirsch, E. D. | The Schools We Need | 5.0 | 5/27/2006 | As Mark Twain might have said, "Everyone talks about the schools, but no one does anything about them." E.D. Hirsch explains the problem in this book, sets forth solutions, and reveals that he is doing something. |
| Leslie, Ian | Curious | 5.0 | 11/25/2014 | This vital drive, curiosity, is essential to progress but can be snuffed out — and, as Ian Leslie explains, too often is. |
| Mooney, Chris | Unscientific America | 5.0 | 1/12/2012 | The authors recommend measures to improve our nation's scientific literacy. |
| Ravitch, Diane | The Death and Life of the Great American School System | 5.0 | 1/22/2012 | Diane Ravitch finds that NCLB leaves quality in education behind because (as Vince Lombardi might have said) it makes testing the only thing. |
| Ravitch, Diane | The Language Police | 5.0 | 3/02/2006 | All about how fringe-group pressure for politically correct language makes textbook publishers knuckle under |
| Ravitch, Diane | Left Back | 5.0 | 12/13/2009 | One hundred years of failed reforms of American education are chronicled in this book. |
| Trefil, James | Why Science? | 4.5 | 9/24/2011 | Physicist and educator James Trefil explains why the chief benefit of understanding science is not fancy new technology, but a citizenry empowered to make rational decisions about their nation's future. |
| Worth, Katie | Miseducation | 5.0 | 12/01/2022 | Journalist Katie Worth probes the status of K-12 science education in America today — and the motivations of those who prepare it. |
| The books are rated from 0 to 5 in increments of 0.5. Colors represent the following quality ranges: | ||||
| 4.0 to 5.0 | Quality: | HIGH | (Color = Aqua) | Competent to exceptional; well worth the money |
| 2.0 to 3.5 | Quality: | FAIR | (Color = Lime) | Useful despite some flaws; may or may not be worth buying. |
| 0.5 to 1.5 | Quality: | POOR | (Color = Yellow) | Seriously flawed; read it if you wish, but don't buy it. |
| 0.0 to 0.0 | Quality: | YUCK | (Color = Fuchsia) | Avoid this book at all costs! |
To contact Chris Winter, send email to this address.