Doing School
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How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed-Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students
Denise Clark Pope
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Cited as a notable book in education by the American School Board Journal, Doing School offers a revealing—and troubling—view of today’s high school students and the ways they pursue high grades and success
"A scholarly study presented with great clarity and enlivened by vignettes of student life, this work provides a fresh perspective on the state of American education, and yet another reason to press for systematic reform."—Publishers Weekly
Following five highly regarded high school students through a school year, veteran teacher Denise Pope discovers that these young people believe getting ahead requires manipulating the system, scheming, lying, and cheating. On the one hand, they work hard in school, participate in extracurricular activities, serve their communities, earn awards and honors, and appear to uphold school values. But on the other hand, they feel that in order to get ahead they must compromise their values and manipulate the system by scheming, lying, and cheating. In short, they “do school”—that is, they are not really engaged with learning nor can they commit to such values as integrity and community.
The words and actions of these five students—two boys and three girls from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds—underscore the frustrations of being caught in a “grade trap” that pins future success to high grades and test scores. Their stories raise critical questions that are too important for parents, educators, and community leaders to ignore. Are schools cultivating an environment that promotes intellectual curiosity, cooperation, and integrity? Or are they fostering anxiety, deception, and hostility? Do today’s schools inadvertently impede the very values they claim to embrace? Is the “success” that current assessment practices measure the kind of success we want for our children?
"A scholarly study presented with great clarity and enlivened by vignettes of student life, this work provides a fresh perspective on the state of American education, and yet another reason to press for systematic reform."—Publishers Weekly
Following five highly regarded high school students through a school year, veteran teacher Denise Pope discovers that these young people believe getting ahead requires manipulating the system, scheming, lying, and cheating. On the one hand, they work hard in school, participate in extracurricular activities, serve their communities, earn awards and honors, and appear to uphold school values. But on the other hand, they feel that in order to get ahead they must compromise their values and manipulate the system by scheming, lying, and cheating. In short, they “do school”—that is, they are not really engaged with learning nor can they commit to such values as integrity and community.
The words and actions of these five students—two boys and three girls from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds—underscore the frustrations of being caught in a “grade trap” that pins future success to high grades and test scores. Their stories raise critical questions that are too important for parents, educators, and community leaders to ignore. Are schools cultivating an environment that promotes intellectual curiosity, cooperation, and integrity? Or are they fostering anxiety, deception, and hostility? Do today’s schools inadvertently impede the very values they claim to embrace? Is the “success” that current assessment practices measure the kind of success we want for our children?
Denise Pope is a lecturer at the Stanford University School of Education.
ISBN: 9780300090130
Publication Date: August 11, 2001
Publication Date: August 11, 2001
240 pages, 5 1/2 x 8 1/4
