Selected Bibliography

Dumbing Down Our Kids: Why American Children Feel Good About Themselves But Can't Read, Write, or Add

America's schools are in crisis. Our kids rank near to, or at the bottom of, international tests in math and science. National reading scores continue to fall. Despite increases in spending, our schools persist in turning out children lacking in basic skills and knowledge -- children who are wholly unprepared to compete in the twenty-first century. While the educational establishment points its finger at society, families [poverty, family breakdown, lack of parental support, etc.], and television, Charles Sykes focuses on the schools themselves.

In this book, Sykes argues that the school wars of the 1990s will be the defining cultural and political debate of our time. While many parents bask in the glow of complacency about their own children's education, Dumbing Down Our Kids documents the collapse of standards in our schools, the flight from learning, and the triumph of mediocre, feel-good education that is more concerned with pumping up self-esteem than it is with passing on knowledge.

This dubious triumph includes the latest educational fad, "Outcome Based Education." Although known by different names in some states, OBE is the most recent in a long series of "reforms" that have eroded our schools. Charles Sykes traces these fads from their roots in the early "progressive" theories of John Dewey, through Dick and Jane and Spot, Life Adjustment, New Math, Mastery Learning, and other reforms-gone-wrong. With examples, both infuriating and hilarious, drawn from schools around our nation, Sykes discusses:

Why American students test poorly in language, math, and science when compared with peers from other countries.

Why "self-esteem" has supplanted grades and genuine achievements in our schools.

How the education establishment, teachers' unions, and school boards lower standards in our schools while continuing to raise budgets and taxes.

How curriculum and standard tests are being dumbed down so everyone can pass but no one can excel.

Political correctness from kindergarten through high school: how schools, not parents, teach moral "values."

Why many good teachers burn out or are discouraged, while bad ones are rewarded.

Sykes concludes with a checklist for parents, students, and teachers who want to evaluate their schools, and a series of recommendations to restore quality learning to America. Written with pasion, insight, and bubble-pricking humor, Dumbing Down Our Kids is an essential book for anyone interested in children and their education.

The Educated Child: A Parent's Guide From Preschool Through Eighth Grade

The purpose of this book is to help you secure a good education for your child from early childhood through the eighth grade. As far as learning goes, these years are far and away the most important. They are the time when children acquire the bricks and mortar of a solid education - the knowledge, skills, habits, and ideals that will serve as the foundation of learning and character throughout their lives. If that edifice is solid by the end of eighth grade, then a student's future is bright indeed. If poorly constructed, the outlook is much dimmer.

Our aim is three-fold. First we hope to remind parents of their own responsibilities in educating their children. There are few secrets to raising good students. What needs to be done is mostly a matter of common sense. But there is much you can do, and a few things that you must do, to see that your child learns well.

Second, this book will help you determine whether your school is doing a good job. Many parents assume that their children's schools maintain high expectations and offer a quality education. They naturally want to believe that the academic program is strong. Our message to you is: "Trust but verify." The reality is that too many American schools are not doing right by their pupils. In the coming chapters, you'll find some tools you can use to figure out whether your child is truly getting a good education, and some suggestions about how to correct problems at school.

Third, this book paints a fairly detailed picture of what a well-educated child knows and can do. For much of American history, there existed the idea of a "good education." It meant possessing certain knowledge and skills, and behaving in a certain way. Today, regrettably, such a vision is missing from many schools. They are reluctant to specify the lessons that all children should learn. This is a shame, because some things are more important to know than others.

This book helps you know what to look for in a good education. It reminds you of what to stand for as a parent, and what you should not stand for. It draws on common sense, the experience of many teachers and parents, the wisdom of the ages, and much of the best available research. We can all use allies in our efforts to raise children. Think of this book as an ally to help you keep yourself, your child, and your school on track.