Twitter Book Club: Theodore R. Sizer (1984) Horace's Compromise - Part 4: The Structure

Part 4: The Structure

1. Hierarchical Bureaucracy

"Run a school like a factory, and you will get uneven goods." Sizerless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

"Disorder terrified the late-nineteenth-century middle-class American, who thought he saw his stable life ruptured ... http://tl.gd/bv9mrrless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

"While there are obvious advantages to hierarchical bureaucracy, it has its costs, and these are today paralyzingly... http://tl.gd/bv9p96less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

Lets repeat that:

"While there are obvious advantages to hierarchical bureaucracy, it has its costs, and these are today paralyzingly American education. The structure is getting in the way of children's learning." Sizer

RT @anderscj: While there R obvious advantages 2 hierarchical bureaucracy, it has its costs & these R 2day paralyzingly. http://tl.gd/bv9p96less than a minute ago via TweetDeck Favorite Retweet Replypammoran
pammoran

Interesting RT coming from a school district superintendent. Sorry Pam, I wish I had caught your RT earlier. I'd love to talk with you about this issue sometime.

"Minutes per year is hierarchical bureaucracy finally run totally amok." Sizerless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

"Large, complex units need simple ways of describing themselves, so those aspects of schoolkeeping which can be rea... http://tl.gd/bv9s5gless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

"None of us would want our marriages judged solely by a squabbles-per-year factor. If families were run by large bu... http://tl.gd/bv9ub7less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

"Most high school students have several teachers who know a bit about them, but no teacher who sees them whole." Sizerless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

2. Better Schools

"Good schools will have to resist this appeal of standardization: the particular needs of each student should be th... http://tl.gd/bvtsdbless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

I couldn't agree more:

"Good schools will have to resist this appeal of standardization: the particular needs of each student should be the only measure of how a school gets on with its business." Sizer

"Personalization of learning and instruction requires a flexible school structure. A flexible structure implies a s... http://tl.gd/bvtsfhless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

3. A Paralysis of Imagination

"That most self-styled school reformers are not nor have ever been practicing high school teachers or administrator... http://tl.gd/bvttpbless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

Sound familiar?

"Eventually, hierarchical bureaucracy will be totally self-validating: virtually all teachers will be semicompetent... http://tl.gd/bvu04jless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

"Eventually, hierarchical bureaucracy will be totally self-validating: virtually all teachers will be semicompetent, and thus nothing but top-down control will be tolerable. America is now well on the way to this state of affairs." Sizer

I've seen schools where this is true today.