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Freedom Book of the Month
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Free-Market.Net's F r e e d o m B o o k o f t h e M o n t h
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Edited by Sunni Maravillosa. To join or leave this and other
lists, click to: http://www.free-market.net/features/lists/
* May, 2003: "The Worm in the Apple," by Peter Brimelow
* New and notable
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Freedom Book of the Month for May, 2003:
"The Worm in the Apple: How the Teacher Unions are Destroying
American Education"
by Peter Brimelow
Harper Collins 2003, hardcover, 336 pp.
ISBN: 0-06-009661-6
Something certainly is rotten in American public education --
actually, lots of things contribute to the sorry state of education
-- and Peter Brimelow shines a light where it's much needed, on the
role of teachers unions. One might think that teachers, and by
extension their union, would be highly invested in creating and
maintaining work environments that enable them to perform well.
Brimelow shows, in state after state as well as at the national
level, that the reality is that unions are wealthy, powerful
fiefdoms. They are bent on maintaining the status quo and the
illusion of being "for the children" that they have carefully
nurtured for their rank and file membership (not to mention the
general public).
"The Worm in the Apple" offers a revealing look at the workings of
the teachers unions, and how they got the remarkable power they
wield. Brimelow does so with style, bringing a dry wit to the
subject that enlivens his discourse. Approaching education issues
from the perspective of an economist, Brimelow avoids becoming
mired in minutiae of policy debates and instead focuses on a
straightforward input-output analysis. With this ever in mind, it's
clear that the teachers unions demand higher and higher input, while
failing to produce an acceptable output.
Brimelow's philosophical approach is similarly straightforward and
refreshing. In his view, the fundamental problem with the education
system is its socialist basis, and only genuine reform -- free market
capitalism in education -- will bring about meaningful improvements.
This could involve vouchers (Brimelow points out the GI Bill was an
adult-targeted education voucher program), charter schools, or any of
a number of other ideas: Brimelow rightly declares that the form(s)
doesn't matter as much as the substance.
Not content to deftly wield union execs' words against them, Brimelow
offers twenty-four ideas on reforming teacher unions and education
in general, organized along two themes: "disinfecting the apple"
(getting rid of socialism in education); and "extracting the worm"
(removing the teacher unions' legal privileges). Along with the usual
suggestions, Brimelow makes the excellent point that the current
education system does not fit all students' needs, and that reform
-- he specifically mentions GED reform -- must address a wider
spectrum of education.
"The Worm in the Apple" is a refreshing, hard-hitting examination of
a longstanding problem in American education. If Brimelow's facts
don't upset teachers and their union leaders, his occasionally over-
the-top style will. Given the trends in education today, they ignore
his message at their peril. Those who want to bring about free-market
reforms in education will find this book an invaluable aid, for its
insights, ideas, and helpful ancillary material in the two
appendices.
Order "The Worm in the Apple" from Amazon.com:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/686515164.html, $17.47
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New and notable
o "Property Rights: A Practical Guide to Freedom and Prosperity," by
Terry L Anderson and Laura E Huggins
A short, easy to read volume making the case for strong property
rights in a free society. An excellent outreach book on this
important topic.
Order "Property Rights" from Amazon.com:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/694605927.html, $10.50
o "Be Creative! The Spooner Papers," by Tom Spooner
Tom Spooner collects and expands upon his practical advice
articles. A great how-to book for anarchocapitalists and others
disillusioned with the state.
Order "Be Creative!" from Doing Freedom!:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/698976361.html, $10.50
o "School Choices: True and False," by John Merrifield
Well-written monograph highlighting the failure of reform to
change educational system structure, and the failure of school
choice advocates to focus on real choice measures.
Order "School Choices" from Amazon.com:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/720098309.html, $11.17
Keep doing freedom,
Sunni Maravillosa
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