EduMeme

There are three sets of blogs I attempt to read on a regular basis. The biggest group are the ed blogs that I read for work, which you can see in the blogroll to the right. I also read a few select political blogs. Finally, there are a couple of individual blogs I read for my own amusement.

One phenomenon I enjoy on individual blogs are blog memes--basically a set of questions that people answer on their blogs and then pass onto other bloggers they read/admire/like/what have you. For an example, see this post on Matthew Yglesias' blog.

In my time blogging about education and reading education blogs, I've never come across an edublog meme. So I'm going to try to start one, taking a page from the book meme that's popped up lately on some individual blogs I read. Questions below, with my answers.

1. What book has most influenced your thinking about education?

This is a hard one. Virtually all the books listed below (except Robbins) have had some impact on my thinking, particularly Hirsch, Ravitch, and the cursed Emile. It's not so much that any of them caused me to have a particular policy position, but they've impacted what I bring with me when I think about issues in education, the questions I ask and the things I prioritize. My religious beliefs about the need for social justice, which are particularly shaped by the Gospels and the book of Isaiah, also play a role here. There's no earth-shattering moment or revelation for me that changed my thinking, so much as a slow process of building up ideas over time from reading and experience. (I know this is a lame start)

2. What education-related book do you think is way over-hyped?

The Overachievers, by Alexandra Robbins. I'm just tired of books about the terrible, terrible stress and pressure we put on those poor, poor, affluent kids facing the dire(!) possibility they may not get into the Ivy League school of their (parents') dreams. Why do we waste so much time and energy on such a tiny segment of the population?

3. What education-related book do you think a lot more people should pay attention to/read?

Unequal Childhoods, by Annette Lareau. This book is based on sociological research about the different approaches to childrearing and experiences of children in low-income/working class versus affluent/middle-class homes. It's centered around a series of fascinating in-depth case studies of individual children and their families

4. What is an important issue in education that you would like to see a good book written about?

I'd like to see a really good book that explores historical trends in how we think about children and childhood; the legal and social history of thought around the respective rights and responsibilities of parents, the state and kids themselves with regard to making decisions about children's lives; and what that means for how we think about public education and other social services that impact children.

5. What is a book related to education that you wish hadn't been written?

Emile, by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. It's not an original choice, but I do think Rousseau's ideas are at the root of a line of thought that has had horrible educational results for a lot of youngsters.

6. What are five books you'd recommend to an aspiring educator, education researcher, or education policy person? (Not necessarily the five most important books, just five that are worth reading)

Left Back and/or The Troubled Crusade, by Diane Ravitch. The historical story is very interesting. I don't think you can really know or question current educational systems and practices effectively without first knowing how we got here.
A Hope in the Unseen, by Ron Suskind. Suskind followed Cedric Jennings, a very smart African-American teenager from southeast DC who was determined to go to an elite university. The story tracks both the education Cedric received at DC's Ballou High School and his experiences at Brown. There are a number of good books in this vein, but I recommend this one because it's about DC and Suskind is an excellent journalist and writer.
Emile, by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. It's been hugely influential, so people should be familiar with it.
The Schools We Need: And Why We Don't Have Them, by E.D. Hirsch. The argument for content and coherent curriculum, with lots of evidence to back that up. Particularly worth reading if you think you disagree with Hirsch.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. If you're going to write about or do analysis on the law, it's a smart thing to know what it actually says. A shocking number of people opining in this area don't.

I'm passing this along to my co-bloggers Kevin, Elena, and Erin; Joe Williams; Leo Casey; and Jenny D.