How Political Correctness Weakens Schools

Stop Losing and Start Winning Educational Excellence

By (author) Jim Dueck

Publication date:

19 December 2016

Length of book:

194 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781475829860

Education for this generation’s youth is the key for our nation’s future well-being but it is now threatened by political correctness. A politically correct environment seeks to avoid controversial issues by maintaining the status quo on matters related to workers in the education system while avoiding the best interests of the stakeholders, and it is for this reason that political correctness must be challenged on many issues in our school system, so that our children have a better chance for learning well and then living well.

This book’s focus is on using accountability to pressure the system toward implementing reforms necessary for winning. It deals with educational policies, which are controversial and also identified by others for being problematic, rather than classroom practices. The solutions, or recommendations, proposed are intended to ensure that policies align with the best interests of students, parents, and taxpayers rather than with those of the service providers.

Preface
Introduction

Learning Well and Living Well
Low Expectations Provides for Mediocre Education
Moving from Intuition to Intelligence
Harnessing Power Through Comparability
Choice: A Democratic Right
Coaches Are Not Evaluators
Birth Rather Than Worth Matters Too Much
Teachers’ Professional Development
Reducing Administration Costs
Maximizing Students’ Work Year
Unions Belong in The Accountability Tent
Accountability for University Departments of Education
Job-For-Life Is a Wrong Practice
Rewarding Performance
Holding Parents Accountable
Reducing Unfairness To Students
Meeting The Costs

Summary of Recommendations
References

Jim Dueck continues to be a provocative voice around issues of educational reform and improvement. With decades of experience behind him, Dueck offers recommendations on issues ranging from school accountability to educator accountability, from tenure to professional development to teacher preparation. You may not agree with everything he proposes, but he’ll make you think.