California in a Time of Excellence

James Andrew Laspina

Description

California in a Time of Excellence follows the Golden State's efforts to reform its public school system from 1983 to the present. Beginning with progressive curriculum reform initiatives that were launched even before the National Commission on Excellence in Education (NCEE) issued A Nation at Risk in 1983, James Andrew LaSpina traces these reform efforts through recurring culture wars, major clashes of personality, and a conflict between the state's tradition of progressive educational policy and a culture of conservatism that colored much of the so-called Left Coast's history since the sixties. While the battles over curriculum reform in California reflect those at the national level, the political world surrounding this conflict reveals the enormous significance of the conflict and its implications for our national future.
Preface. An Excellent Risk

Acknowledgments

Introduction. The Course of Reform: Making the Past Present

Part I. Architects

1. The Nation Idea at Risk

2. The Distant State

3. Clio Restored

Part II. Agents

4. A Community of Memory

5. The Test of Memory

6. We Are All Californians Now

7. California Makes Its Way

Coda. Education Reform as a Public Trust

References
Index

Sujets

• History of education
• Education

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 26 février 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781438425122
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

,A3PINA

#ALIFORNIA IN A 4IME OF %XCELLENCE

#ALIFORNIA฀IN฀A 4IME฀OF฀%XCELLENCE School Reform at the Crossroads of the American Dream

*AMES฀!NDREW฀,A3PINA

This page intentionally left blank.

Caîfornîa în a Tîme of Exceence

This page intentionally left blank.

Caîfornîa în a Tîme of Exceence

Schoo Reform at the Crossroads of the Amerîcan Dream

James Andrew LaSpîna

Pubîshed by State Unîversîty of New York Press, Abany

© 2009 State Unîversîty of New York

A rîghts reserved

Prînted în the Unîted States of Amerîca

No part of thîs book may be used or reproduced în any manner whatsoever wîthout wrîtten permîssîon. No part of thîs book may be stored în a retrîeva system or transmîtted în any form or by any means încudîng eectronîc, eectrostatîc, magnetîc tape, mechanîca, photocopyîng, recordîng, or otherwîse wîthout the prîor permîssîon în wrîtîng of the pubîsher.

For înformatîon, contact State Unîversîty of New York Press, Abany, NY www.sunypress.edu

Productîon by Ryan Morrîs Marketîng by Mîchae Campochîaro

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

LaSpîna, James Andrew.  Caîfornîa în a tîme of exceence : schoo reform at the crossroads of the Amerîcan dream / James Andrew LaSpîna.  p. cm.  Incudes bîbîographîca references and îndex.  ISBN 978-1-4384-2493-4 (hardcover : ak. paper)  ISBN 978-1-4384-2494-1 (pbk. : ak. paper)  1. Educatîona change—Caîfornîa—Hîstory. 2. Educatîon and state— Caîfornîa—Hîstory. I. Tîte.

LA243.L37 2009 370'.9794—dc22

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

2008018849

Preface. An Exceent Rîsk

Acknowedgments

Contents

Introductîon. The Course of Reform: Makîng the Past Present

PART I. ARCHITECTS

Chapter 1. The Natîon Idea at Rîsk

Chapter 2. The Dîstant State

Chapter 3. Cîo Restored

PART II. AGENTS

Chapter 4. A Communîty of Memory

Chapter 5. The Test of Memory

Chapter 6. We Are A Caîfornîans Now

Chapter 7. Caîfornîa Makes Its Way

Coda. Educatîon Reform as a Pubîc Trust

References

Index

vîî

î

x

2

4

7

1

9

7

9

3

9

5

115

147

169

173

191

This page intentionally left blank.

PREFACE

An Exceent Rîsk

In 1983, a month before the Natîona Commîssîon on Exceence în Educatîon presentedA Natîon at Rîsk to the Amerîcan pubîc, I had just competed a Master’s degree în Educatîon at UCLA, whîch was the irst stage în a doctora program în the schoo of educatîon. At the tîme, I was a reatîve newcomer to the West Coast and not aware that Caîfornîa had aready aunched îts own educatîon reform movement to restore exceence to the state’s pubîc schoo system. When I ater entered the doctora program în 1989, UCLA had become deepy învoved în these reforms, partîcuary în the subject area of hîstory. In a respects ît appeared that the state’s comprehensîve educa- tîon reform înîtîatîves gave substance to the preambe of the now hîstorîc report, whîch exhorted the Amerîcan peope to make “the împeratîve of educatîon reform” a reaîty for the natîon’s pubîc schoos. I became învoved în the reform of the state socîa studîes currîcuum through the UCLA hîstory department whîch, aong wîth the schoo of edu- catîon, payed a eadîng roe în movîng the state socîa studîes currîcuum to a more în-depth study of hîstory. By the tîme I had competed my doctora studîes, the UCLA facuty învoved în these reforms had become embroîed în a cascadîng serîes of poîtîca conlîcts. The irst was over a serîes of K–8 hîstory textbooks adopted by the state for îts new hîstory-centered socîa studîes currîcuum. But thîs turned out to be merey a warm-up for what foowed: a shrî poîtîca attack on the makîng of K–12 natîona hîstory standards deveoped at UCLA. I chose to remaîn a dîstant observer of what appeared to be the irst of many cuture wars over the Amerîcan schoo currîcuum and, înstead, pubîshed a argey apoîtîca book on the desîgn of the controversîa Caî- fornîa K–8 hîstory textbooks. However, în the process of doîng research for thîs study, I vîsîted severa eementary schoos to see how the new hîstory textbooks were beîng used în the cassroom. On one occasîon when I was întroduced to a cass by the teacher, who înformed her students that I was wrîtîng a book on theîr socîa studîes textbooks, severa students exuberanty procaîmed: “Exceent!” Unexpect- edy, sîmîar moments foowed. After I overheard students usîng the same

vîî

vîîî

Preface

expressîon în assessîng the work of theîr peers, I began to wonder. Was thîs a pedagogîca devîce to mode exceence? Was the word a suggestîve form of accuturatîon used by teachers to make theîr cassroom a specîa pace for earnîng and to attune theîr students to a cuture of exceence? If teachers coud mode theîr attîtudes and dîsposîtîon în such an îngenîous way, I wondered about the state’s reatîonshîp wîth schoos. Was ît a versîon of thîs pedagogîca devîce at a much grander scae? Had the state managed în some way durîng the past decade to create a cuture of exceence în the schoos? And there ît was, the moment of înspîratîon. The enthusîastîc excamatîon of precocîous chîdren gave rîse to the pres- ent study. Had I been wîse I woud have kept my focus on the desîgn of text- books. For a poîtîca novîce the confoundîng state arena of Caîfornîa educatîon poîtîcs made a crîtîca reassessment ofA Natîon at Rîsk, îke the era of schoo reform ît catayzed, appear more îke an eusîve goa than a doabe project. Nevertheess, îke my exempary prodîgîes, I took the cue. But ît turned out to be ess about deveopîng an understandîng of the educatîona îdea of exceence than about comîng to terms wîth the înstîtutîona cuture that supported thîs reform. A decade woud pass between the pubîcatîon of the monograph on Caîfornîa textbooks and the present study of the poîtîca processes that întended to make ît an înstructîona reaîty în the cassroom. But unîke the prînted pages of a textbook, whîch are ixed, poîtî- ca events unfod în tîme. You cannot turn the page to get ahead of the story. You can’t parse poîtîca compexîty înto a sîmpe tempora sequence of chapters and essons. If hîndsîght has paced the key assumptîons ofA Natîon at Rîskthe performance of the schoos and the economy în a about hîghy questîonabe îght, neîther has tîme been kînd to Caîfornîa’s exce- ence movement. In îtsef that basîc factor (the uncertaîn order of change) tends to drîve hîstorîca assessment, but ît îs not the prîmary purpose of thîs study. Though I hoped to render a compeîng pîcture of that era of state and natîona educatîon reform, as the study progressed I returned to my înîtîa împressîons of those schoo chîdren. Yes, I wanted to present a reasonabe expanatîon of the poîtîca processes that contrîbuted to makîng thîs state reform a reaîty. But în tîme I came to reaîze that îf I coud understand the condîtîons that made those chîdren fee that anythîng was possîbe, îf I coud capture that moment, then perhaps such an account woud be worth the rîsk.