Education Reform

Introduction
In Tinkering toward Utopia, Tyack and Cuban investigate the issue of educational reform and its evolution throughout the history of the United States. They point out that the words tinkering and utopia can both have negative and positive connotations depending on the context in which they are used. While many of the utopian experiments of the past have failed for a variety of reasons, seeking to achieve the best system possible is not an endeavor destined to fail. In addition, tinkering with the education system can bring about effective changes even if the original vision was not completely achieved. In this book, the authors look at the numerous changes that have happened in education and discuss the often protracted timeline …show more content…
In the first chapter, Tyack and Cuban discuss the fact that criticism of public schools has gradually increased since the 1970s. However, many should applaud school’s efforts due to the progress they have made in light of all the obstacles they encounter with students. One question raised is whether schools are meant to transform society or if the reverse is true. If the goal of education is to change societal norms, then schools have not been successful with reforms, but if society shapes schools, then educators have conformed to the demands of the people as best as possible. While schools may not have reached the hopes of many, this is often due to the misapplication of testing and the glacial pace of change in schools. Many reforms have been implemented, thought they take much longer than many people believe. In addition, standardized testing, one aim of many reformers, has been misused. For example, the SAT is meant as a test to determine college readiness and should not be used as a report card for school’s effectiveness as a …show more content…
The authors give a clear, concise history of attempts to reform schooling in the United States, while also providing ample examples of why many were not as successful as some had hoped. Although there are five main arguments or topics in the book, one can glean two major messages from the text. First, although many reforms have been nothing more than shooting stars of change and many people have soured on their views of schooling, schools have improved gradually and accomplish much in the face of opposition. Public opinion polls may show declining confidence in our schools, but teachers and their classrooms have improved, especially considering the challenges that students of today pose. While there is room for improvement and schools should strive to change with the times, schools are better today than in the past and teachers possess more qualifications than ever before. Secondly, reforms can only be successful if teachers are invested in their implementation. Most teachers attempt to do their best each day, but outsider reforms often treat teachers as if they are incapable of finding success. Future reforms need to ensure that teachers feel valued and an integral part of the change that is proposed. Therefore, reformers should work closely with teachers in developing reforms before attempting to put them in place. Tyack