Troublemaker

A Personal History of School Reform since Sputnik

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Education & Teaching, History, Educational Theory, Educational Reform
Cover of the book Troublemaker by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr., Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr. ISBN: 9781400828210
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: February 4, 2008
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr.
ISBN: 9781400828210
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: February 4, 2008
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

Few people have been more involved in shaping postwar U.S. education reforms--or dissented from some of them more effectively--than Chester Finn. Assistant secretary of education under Ronald Reagan, and an aide to politicians as different as Richard Nixon and Daniel Moynihan, Finn has also been a high school teacher, an education professor, a prolific and best-selling writer, a think-tank analyst, a nonprofit foundation president, and both a Democrat and Republican. This remarkably varied career has given him an extraordinary insider's view of every significant school-reform movement of the past four decades, from racial integration to No Child Left Behind. In Troublemaker, Finn has written a vivid history of postwar education reform that is also the personal story of one of the foremost players--and mavericks--in American education.

Finn tells how his experiences have shaped his changing views of the three major strands of postwar school reform: standards-driven, choice-driven, and profession-driven. Of the three, Finn now believes that a combination of choice and standards has the greatest potential, but he favors this approach more on pragmatic than ideological grounds, arguing that parents should be given more options at the same time that schools are allowed more flexibility and held to higher performance norms. He also explains why education reforms of all kinds are so difficult to implement, and he draws valuable lessons from their frequent failure.

Clear-eyed yet optimistic, Finn ultimately gives grounds for hope that the best of today's bold initiatives--from charter schools to technology to makeovers of school-system governance--are finally beginning to make a difference.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Few people have been more involved in shaping postwar U.S. education reforms--or dissented from some of them more effectively--than Chester Finn. Assistant secretary of education under Ronald Reagan, and an aide to politicians as different as Richard Nixon and Daniel Moynihan, Finn has also been a high school teacher, an education professor, a prolific and best-selling writer, a think-tank analyst, a nonprofit foundation president, and both a Democrat and Republican. This remarkably varied career has given him an extraordinary insider's view of every significant school-reform movement of the past four decades, from racial integration to No Child Left Behind. In Troublemaker, Finn has written a vivid history of postwar education reform that is also the personal story of one of the foremost players--and mavericks--in American education.

Finn tells how his experiences have shaped his changing views of the three major strands of postwar school reform: standards-driven, choice-driven, and profession-driven. Of the three, Finn now believes that a combination of choice and standards has the greatest potential, but he favors this approach more on pragmatic than ideological grounds, arguing that parents should be given more options at the same time that schools are allowed more flexibility and held to higher performance norms. He also explains why education reforms of all kinds are so difficult to implement, and he draws valuable lessons from their frequent failure.

Clear-eyed yet optimistic, Finn ultimately gives grounds for hope that the best of today's bold initiatives--from charter schools to technology to makeovers of school-system governance--are finally beginning to make a difference.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book The Translation Zone by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr.
Cover of the book Lending to the Borrower from Hell by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr.
Cover of the book The Best Writing on Mathematics 2011 by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr.
Cover of the book Jim and Jap Crow by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr.
Cover of the book When Victims Become Killers by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr.
Cover of the book The Power and Independence of the Federal Reserve by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr.
Cover of the book Chases and Escapes by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr.
Cover of the book Hybrids of Plants and of Ghosts by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr.
Cover of the book Unceasing Strife, Unending Fear by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr.
Cover of the book Confucian Perfectionism by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr.
Cover of the book The Invention of Religion by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr.
Cover of the book School Choice by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr.
Cover of the book Comparative Biomechanics by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr.
Cover of the book Making and Breaking Mathematical Sense by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr.
Cover of the book Philosophy before the Greeks by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jr.
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy