Fixing Schools

ASEE Prism, Feb 2006 by Grose, Thomas K

BOOK NOTES

ONLY TWO-THIRDS of American school kids graduate with basic or betterthan-average math and language skills, and the odds are even worse for poor and minority students. In his new book,"Crash Course," Chris Whittle offers a number of recommendations to fix U.S. schools. Whittle is CEO of Edison Schools, a private company that manages public schools, mainly in tough inner-city districts. Only good salaries can attract good teachers, Whittle maintains. He'd double or triple teacher salaries. To pay for them, he'd increase class sizes and make more and better use of student tutors; students would also spend more time doing independent study. Whittle also urges the federal government to spend more than the current $260 million a year on education research and development. The amount, he says, should be closer to $4 billion.The United States, Whittle insists, needs to develop better ways to design and manage schools. Clearly, that point is inarguable. -TG