Chapter 3: “There is No Better Way to Study Curriculum than to Study Ourselves”¹

In 1982, the report “A Nation at Risk” predicted a national catastrophe in America’s educational system. Overnight, the crisis in education hit the top of the charts. The national news magazines seem to discover schools, as do the television networks. The prevailing belief from parents to policy makers is that schools are failing to provide a quality education and America cannot prosper unless its schools are successful. Teachers are believed to be the reason for student failure and standardization is the solution. Success can only be measured in one clear cut, rational way. Many university researchers, consultants, and policy makers with little knowledge of what goes on in schools across America weigh in on the best ways to improve teaching. They reject the notion of teaching as an intuitive, subjective, and spontaneous endeavor and silence the voice of teachers (Schubert, 1990, p. 99). This silencing allows for little notice of the social-emotional components of student teacher relationships that take place in real classrooms every day. My experience in high school in the 1980s is one example of the impersonal nature of educational reform in this era, a depersonalization that continues to exist today. By the end of the 20th century, the only thing that matters is test scores.