Marjorie Kovler Lecture Series, University of Chicago

Al Shanker begins with his personal history and the changes in schools and the educational system he has witnessed. He also discusses the history of teachers' unions. He acknowledges the problems present in schools, and he says that teachers need three things: higher salaries, smaller classes, and more time during the day to grade work and to interact with colleagues. Shanker states, however, that teachers probably will not receive these because of the high cost and not enough personnel. Shanker then addresses what students need. He cites the recent National Assessment in Educational Progress (NAEP) findings to illustrate that students are performing poorly. He then describes why the current educational model is not conducive to successful learning. Children are expected to sit quietly for hours, a task difficult even for adults, and are discouraged from working with their classmates. Further, Shanker argues that calling on kids for answers can humiliate those who do not know the answers. Shanker argues for a restructuring of the school model as we know it. He offers an example of a school in Cologne, Germany that has done this, describing its methods. He urges that experimentation be encouraged in the U.S., but warns that we have not been good at looking to the long term or giving enough time to work through the mistakes. Instead, he insists, we want instant gratification and we worry about each year's bottom line. He recognizes that there is no 'golden age' of education to which we can return, but he asserts that fostering teamwork, collaboration, and incentivizing competition among students will improve education. He also argues for different assessment methods that will test students' abilities to think rather than their abilities to take multiple choice tests. During a follow-up question and answer session, Shanker addresses issues such as decentralization of school systems, charter schools, Secretary of Education William Bennett's performance, and certain school systems' ability to engage in education experimentation.

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