"Saving K-12" is a citizen's guide to improving public education. The experts have made everything so murky, the average citizen cannot understand what is occurring in the classrooms.
"Saving K-12" is a great gift for smart people.
Can be ordered on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million.
This book consists of 65 articles divided into 10 thematic categories, for example: reading; math; common core; weird theories and methods; a hundred years of decline; why don't our community leaders lead; how do we fix this mess; and much else.
I believe we can have better schools at less cost.
This is light reading about heavy topics. Parents should read this book. Anybody who wants to improve school and society should read this book. If you personally don't want to read the book, you certainly know someone who will enjoy it. (Saving K-12 is the perfect cheap gift for smart people.)
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A dozen people gave me enthusiastic endorsements, for example, here are the first three:
“Bruce Deitrick Price is a fierce advocate of education and in particular literacy instruction. A true believer in phonics instruction in early literacy, Bruce backs up his opinions with solid research and facts. His well-researched and thought-provoking articles are an asset for parents and educators alike. He is in a league of his own.” Kim Latta, founder of Exceeding Reading
“There is nothing more important than your child's education, and no one has a better grasp on what is happening in the schools of the current day than columnist/author Bruce Price.” Judi McLeod, Editor of Canada Free Press
“Bruce hits the nail on the head. Instead of improving curriculum and instruction, education has stepped up obfuscation and doubled down on excuses.” Professor John Stone, President of Education Consumers Foundation
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I've posted a sample chapter so you can see how the book starts off. I welcome reviews. My broader goal is to raise the level of the education debate in this country. I want to get people talking, arguing, and becoming more knowledgeable about the problems in K-12.
Here is a smart, serious review of this book. https://illinoisfamily.org/education/every-12-years-review-book-saving-k-12-part-two/
Here is a short interview which gives a sense of how I approach this work, for example: "I'm not writing think tank analysis. I'm telling the public how to fight back."
Excerpt
Public Schools Are Worse Than Most People Believe
(And Have Been For Far Longer Than Most People Realize)
Most Americans hardly grasp how bad the public schools are. The Education Establishment has done a brilliant job at propaganda and deception. They have tried to deceive the public; and the public is deceived. Unfortunately. So here are several quotes from some of the smartest, most successful people in the USA, people you should trust completely. And they are saying that educationally speaking we are now having a near-death experience:
“When I compare our schools to what I see when I’m traveling abroad, I’m terrified for our workforce of tomorrow.” Bill Gates, founder, Microsoft Corp.
“If companies were run like many education systems, they wouldn’t last a week.” Thomas Donohue, president, US Chamber of Commerce
“Will America lead… and reap the rewards? Or will we surrender that advantage to other countries with clearer vision?” Susan Hockfield, President, MIT
“Our record at fixing our K-12 education system is virtually unblemished by success.” Norman Augustine, former CEO of Lockheed Martin
“If you don’t solve (the K-12 education problem), nothing else is going to matter all that much.” Alan Greenspan, former Chairman, Federal Reserve
Scared? You should be.
Furthermore, the public seems to have no idea that the sabotage of the public schools (and thus our economy) was started long ago, 100 years or more. All the wonderful new methods discussed in your daily paper are the same old dreck from your grandparents’ day. The ideas were bad then, and still are today. (Typically, progressive ideas stress sociological and psychological abstractions, but there’s no mention of actually learning anything.
So-called educators actually say such nonsense as, “It’s not important that children know historical facts as long as they can think historically.”)
Probably John Dewey’s quote from 1898 sums up the assault best: ”I believe that we violate the child’s nature and render difficult the best ethical results, by introducing the child too abruptly to a number of special studies, of reading, writing, geography, etc., out of relation to this social life.” That is, don’t teach them anything....
One reason for optimism is that even the people inside education must know how rotten it is. These phonies have created an illiteracy crisis and tens of millions of students who never master basic math (such as fractions and decimals). How do these pretenders live with their failures?
My hope is that more people get involved, get informed, and get indignant. Find out why Sight-Words don’t work, Constructivism is nonsense, and New/Reform Math are hoaxes. You’ll never trust the Education Establishment again. That’s when we’re going to see progress.
[pages 13-15 in book]
[also see sample chapter]
Professional Reviews
Best endorsement so far
"Bruce Price’s SAVING K-12 is a MUST read!
It is precise, concise and powerful.
Action is required…for the sake of our children,
our grandchildren and the future of
the American Republic!"
Robert W. Sweet, Jr.
President
The National Right to Read Foundation
BookPleasures -- Norm Goldman
“Price offers a searing take and some very powerful arguments concerning the poor state of the US education system. You may not agree with all he has to say but you have to admit that he is not afraid to speak his mind as he reminds us that we need to be conscious as to how our education system is constructed, by whom, and what are the intended and unintended consequences.“
Amazon Review #1
Price is a lively and entertaining writer. One section flows smoothly to the next, almost in a stream-of-consciousness style. Most citizens will enjoy reading Saving K-12. For those who might not, he provides trigger warnings.
Besides, Saving K-12 is a useful resource. Are you flummoxed by some education establishment doublespeak? You can probably find an explanation and counterpoint in Saving K-12.
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Reviews for "Saving K-12-- What happened to our public schools? How do we fix them?"
Not by me, this is one of my favorite reviews of "Saving K-12." Short but complete. I found it on the Internet, a distributor named Better World Books.
Review by viennamax:
"I call this one an important book. Because it puts the emphasis on the aspect of social engineering that is so flagrant in public schools all over the Western World. The volume is very easy to digest, even a bit over-redundant. However, inside are the right triggers for criticizing an institution which is [on] the downward-path for more than 80 years: our public schools. And, inherent in that, the condemnation of millions of young souls to illiteracy. So, if you're prone to a better learning set-up: read this book!"
Review by viennamax
(LibraryThing)
Review found on Better World Books
This book is for all first responders (law enforcement, fire, or other emergency personnel) who are or want to be supervisors in their agencies. It goes through all facets of good leadership.
A quick and easy method for analyzing the parts of a sentence and learning English grammar. Now available as an eBook in PDF format. All study notes, exercises and tests are reproducible blackline masters that teachers can take directly to the copy m
