I’ve just finished a long historical piece called “The War Against Reading” (#30 on Improve-Education.org.) The main focus is on Whole Word and why it can’t possibly work. If you are confused about any of this, please check it out.  The article mentions a second, complementary war against arithmetic. This war was waged under the banner of New Math, then New New Math, which is a derisive term for Everyday Math, TERC, etc. Some of the same rhetoric is used in both wars: fuzziness is fine; guesses are good; students should bring their own meanings to the page; and precision is no big deal.

 In thinking over this piece, I realized that there was a third front to the war, which was almost as important as the other two. Namely, the war against memorization and facts. Educators for 100 years have criticized requiring students to know—i.e. actually be able to recall—anything! I tell you, if you are idealistic and assume other people are, you are going to be in for a shock as you peer into this swamp. Left to their theories and tendencies, our educators would guarantee that students could hardly read; could do simple arithmetic only with a calculator; and be utterly ignorant of even the most basic information. Which is why there’s a TV program called Are You As Smart As A Fifth Grader? Imagine that being asked 50 years ago! Late News: And there is Jay Leo and Jaywalking. I believe Leno is doing more than anyone else to make the country aware of our educational decline. Accordingly, my site Improve-Education.org named him Educator of the Year for 2008. If you are not familiar with Jaywalking, you can check this short video: Educator of the Year—Jay Leno