In a long essay in the Summer 2002 issue of Daedalus, Diane Ravitch ponders whether the current round of standards-based reform can solve the endemic education problems that undermine effective teaching of history and literature. She describes the spread of the belief that our schools need not teach a common set of facts about history or a common set of literary texts, and she highlights the role that self-censorship by textbook publishers and testing companies have played in purging the curriculum of content. (Think of this essay as a preview of her forthcoming book on that topic.) She shows how bias and sensitivity guidelines developed by these publishers and testing firms have led to the exclusion from textbooks and tests of classic literature on grounds that it reinforces stereotypes; doesn't portray people who are sufficiently diverse; and may contain material that is controversial or could upset students. As a result, Ravitch writes, only the blandest, least controversial, and ultimately least interesting passages are deemed acceptable for tests and textbooks. State academic standards are similarly written to avoid giving offense to anyone; as a result, they eschew content and focus on skills. The resulting content-thin curriculum will make education not a great leveler, but a great divider, Ravitch writes, as only students at some elite private and public schools will be exposed to the great works of literature and the historical events that shaped our world. As our common culture becomes constricted, Ravitch warns, so does the possibility for informed citizens to debate the shape of their shared future. "Education after the culture wars," by Diane Ravitch, Daedalus, Summer 2002. Devoted to education, this issue includes responses to Ravitch's article by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Ted Sizer, and others, which can be found at http://daedalus.amacad.org/issues/summer2002/Su2002coverweb.pdf.
