Why I Love Ronald A. Wolk or Wasting Minds: A Book Review

Months ago, I "won" a book from one of the educational pages I subscribe to on Facebook. The book is Wasting Minds: Why Our Education System is Failing and What We Can Do About It by Ronald A. Wolk. Mr. Wolk is the founder and former editor of Education Week, Teacher Magazine, and Quality Counts. He is currently chairman of Big Picture Learning, an organization devoted to creating small, innovative schools. I do not know the man, but I love him.

I do a lot of reading, but I don't think I have ever read a book that made me want to come out of my skin--in a good way. I actually couldn't read this book in bed at night because I would get so fired up that I couldn't sleep. My husband and sons had to put up with lengthy, impassioned soap-box speeches after almost all of my reading episodes. I told my 17-year-old, "have you ever had a conversation with someone and they're going on and on and you're thinking--'THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING AND TRYING TO TELL PEOPLE FOR YEARS!'?" That's how reading this book was for me.

Mr. Wolk cites many credible sources, and (for the first time in years) I found myself reading with highlighter in hand. A few of the awesome quotes that I deemed worthy of highlighting are:

• "To insist that all students be treated the same way, that they all study the same subject at the same time in the same way, is a strategy that denies reality." (p.25)
• "Civil rights leaders need to realize that until a high-quality education is available to all minority children, standards-based accountability is a form of discrimination." (p.29)
• "The conundrum is that if we can't define an adequate education and agree on it, then how can we determine what it costs or how to allocate funds to achieve it?"(p.90) I know, right?? 

The book is organized in two parts. In the first part, Mr. Wolk lists the Flawed Assumptions of our current system. In part two, he lists strategies for a second, parallel strategy (you'll have to read the book to find out why it's parallel). He concludes with "Can We Get There from Here?" 

I'd like to send a copy to Arne Duncan and every member of Congress for immediate implementation. Mr. Wolk admits his own strong liberal leaning, but as an Independent who is very familiar with conservative opinion, I think his assertions and strategies fall in line with the question we all want to answer with school reform: "What's best for kids?"

If you're interested in where to start, start with Wasting Minds.