"EDUCATION & WORK FOR THE YEAR 2000" (ARTHUR WIRTH).   Term Paper ID:23867 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Critical review of work on problems of school system & workplace & suggested reforms.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Critical review of work on problems of school system & workplace & suggested reforms. Paper Introduction: Arthur Wirth's Education and Work for the Year 2000 provides an excellent critique of the centralized, bureaucratic foundation of school and the workplace in American society. Wirth analyzes the current relationship between the employment and educational sectors and concludes that the two are intimately connected. Unfortunately, school reform has lagged behind reform in the workplace. Wirth contends that the reliance of the educational system on standardized test measurement and rote learning has already hampered the future growth of the U.S. economy and will create irreparable damage if left unchecked. According to Wirth, the recent transformation of the American workplace has been so radical that the correct term to describe the change is revolution. In chapter three, Wirth analyzes the employment demands of the electronic/computer Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Wirth's assessment of the dubious benefits of standardized testingmakes sense. 33). . According to Wirth, the recent transformation of the Americanworkplace has been so radical that the correct term to describe the changeis revolution. Students inprivate or suburban schools enjoy well-equipped facilities and committedteaching staffs. Wirth (1992) cites findings from a report titledInvesting in Our Children: Business and the Public Schools, compiled bythe Committee for Economic Development (CED) in 1985, that "concluded thateconomic productivity and the quality of education cannot be separated" (p.72). Wirth should have devoted more space to an examination of theJapanese model of education and why most aspects of that model are notapplicable for the United States, because this continues to be a subjectthat generates much debate. After several years' instruction, these students will likely scorehigher on their exams than those who have not benefitted from such a headstart. Wirth describes Taylorism as an "automating" strategy inwhich technical experts retain power, as opposed to an "informating"strategy which empowers workers with access to information that encouragesthem to become active in creative work processes (Wirth, 1992, p. An example is FranklinHigh School in New York, which became the Manhattan Center for Science andMathematics. Wirth suggests restructuring American schools to make them schools ofchoice, focusing on offering specific educational programs that areattractive to both students and teachers alike. 52). . 133). In contrast, in the United States, theclassic model of the working father and homebound mother is rarely seen.Another factor not mentioned by Wirth, but highly in favor of the superioreducational achievement results by Japanese students, is that the averageJapanese school year is much longer than America's. Education and work for the year 2 . Japanese mothersroutinely subordinate their own career aspirations in favor of helpingtheir husbands and children. Wirth's book is highly readable and, given the interdisciplinarynature of the topic, will be of interest to students and professionals inthe areas of education, social science, and business management. According to Wirth (1992),progressive learning environments eschew such examples of Taylorism: "Thetrend is . Japanese students arein school for 24 days compared with about 18 days for American students. Likewise, computer curricula in the schoolshould be integrated with a hands-on, team orientation, "one that combinesthe democratic with the technical" (Wirth, 1992, p. Wirth advocates equally innovative approaches for the teaching andthe inclusion of computers in the classroom. . Standardizedtesting creates anxiety in teachers and students alike: "learningsituations are structured to lead to one right answer, and both teachersand students are evaluated in ways that emphasize only quantifiableresults" (Wirth, 1992, p. The top-down orientation of control is also being challenged in theeducational system. (1992). Although he admits that he has noprecise answers to the problems of America's schools, Wirth's detaileddescriptions of the various gaps in American society and the system ofdualism that is being created serves as a call for immediate action. Therefore, students who score higher on standardized tests may notbe smarter, just better prepared. Wirth describes several programs that use thisapproach, including one at the Rindge School of Technical Arts inCambridge, Massachusetts. Wirth analyzes the currentrelationship between the employment and educational sectors and concludesthat the two are intimately connected. Taylorism emphasized central control and assembly-line production. 182). Students at this school are divided into teamsand work on various interactive projects. 199). Attendance and the number of students receiving diplomas atthe school soared: "Although the school is now independent of thedistrict, it shows that school redesign growing out of the choice policycan lead to high-quality education in a desperate urban poverty area"(Wirth, 1992, p. A shift in corporate culture is required, one whichwould result in flatter hierarchical structures. Arthur Wirth's Education and Work for the Year 2 provides anexcellent critique of the centralized, bureaucratic foundation of schooland the workplace in American society. Unfortunately, school reform haslagged behind reform in the workplace. References Wirth, A. Progressive schools areexperimenting with innovative ways to evaluate student learning, such asportfolios of student work on individual projects, and oral and writtenexaminations. The average Japanese family is composed ofchildren, a working father, and a homebound mother. 11). Another example is the type ofelementary school envisioned by educator John Dewey in which students learnthrough studying occupations: "Education through the occupations meant forDewey an education that engages the intellect in reflection upon practicalactivity--the share practices of the community that are the roots of humanlearning" (Wirth, 1992, p. 1 5). While the decentralization focus of theCED report was laudable, Wirth aptly points out a major flaw in the report: the conclusion that schools should focus on stardardized test scores asthe bottom line output measure. General Motors, with its Saturn autoplants, has been one of the most successful American manufacturing firms inreplacing automating strategies with informating strategies in theworkplace. Wirth is correct in asserting that the team approach to workplace andschool performance is one of the most valuable lessons to be learned fromthe Japanese model. 37-38). . Judging teachers by the quantitativemeasures which their students produce fosters competitiveness among theteaching staff and discourages risk-taking. School management isoften resistant to such changes, fearing a loss of bureaucratic control,but the result is the creation of a true learning environment: "Such aninformating strategy can lead to a new distribution of knowledge andauthority that permits many to contribute and negates old statusboundaries" (Wirth, 1992, p. More than half of the labor force iscurrently employed in information-related fields; the service sector hasexperienced explosive growth. Too often science educationis reduced to memorizing a set of accepted facts and truths to enhancestudent performance on standardized tests. In general, these students will encounter no problems incoping with the demands of tomorrow's high technology society. Critics of American schools often point to the high performance onstandardized tests of Japanese students as an example of the correctapproach to education, but Wirth does not fall as easily into this trap.Wirth instead examines the fundamental differences between American andJapanese societies, particularly the existence of a sizeable ghettounderclass in the United States: "Japan enters world competition with nocomparable economic or moral handicap" (p. One thing that the author failed to mention in his critiqueis how standardized testing has created a thriving cottage industry.Companies like Princeton Review and Kaplan hold intensive courses intesting strategy for those privileged enough to afford them. Japanese elementary students are indoctrinatedwith the need to promote group harmony, based on the moral code of feudalSamurai warriors. The report recommended that individual schools be given a stake inthe system by sharing in decision making, thus minimizing the role of thestate and district. This code promotes a social structure in which malesdominate the workplace. In somewealthier communities, parents begin sending their seventh and eighth gradestudents to these test factories to prepare for their college entranceexams. In chapter three, Wirth analyzes the employment demands ofthe electronic/computer revolution. 81). Wirth contends that the reliance ofthe educational system on standardized test measurement and rote learninghas already hampered the future growth of the U.S. 126-127). Unlesssignificant steps are taken, however, students in inner city neighborhoodswill be poorly equipped to face the challenges of the future and willremain hopelessly stuck at the bottom of the economic rung. Because of the sophistication of computer-dominated tasks, a shortage of workers with a high degree of technicalskills exists: "increased international competition, changes in bothindustrial structure and consumer demand, and the capacity of technology tohelp meet these challenges act as forces to push skill levels upward"(Wirth, 1992, p. Wirth contends that one of the greatest handicaps to democraticlearning in the United States is the existence of a dualized systemrepresented by an ever-widening gap between the haves and have nots. 3). Thesurvival of America's democratic society is at stake, and this book ishelpful as a foundation for discussion about the steps that need to betaken. An example isApple, Inc.'s Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT) program. 63). economy and will createirreparable damage if left unchecked. Those who strongly agree with Wirth's assessment realize thateducational reform is long overdue and must take place on a widespreadscale. Until motivated to change by Japanese competition, most manufacturingcorporations in the United States were operated by the Taylor model ofscientific management. The reliance on standardized testing as an accountability measure forschools is fraught with problems, as Wirth demonstrates repeatedly.Student test performance varies based on numerous factors: "The simpleidea that current standardized tests yield objective scientific facts aboutlearning differences . SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass.----------------------- 8 getting students to work in groups instead of ascompetitors, and getting students to use technology--from hammers and sawsto computers" (pp. Anincome gap exists between the average worker and company executives thatfilters down into the educational system: "By 2 2 , the top fifth ofAmerican earners will earn more than 6 percent of American income, withthe bottom fifth dropping to 2 percent" (Wirth, 1992, p. Wirth's book has considerable relevance for the debate abouteducational reform in the United States. is a myth" (Wirth, 1992, p. Theauthor uses numerous examples to point out the effects of Taylorism in theUnited States, one of the prime examples being the auto industry: "{It}had always been the epitome of Taylorized production with workers viewed asextensions of machinery--treated as nonpersons by a top-down managementstyle" (Wirth, 1992, pp. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.