''Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing America's Schools Back to Reality'' is a 2008 book by

Charles Murray Charles Murray may refer to: Politicians *Charles Murray, 1st Earl of Dunmore (1661–1710), British peer *Charles Murray (author and diplomat) (1806–1895), British author and diplomat *Charles Murray, 7th Earl of Dunmore (1841–1907), Scotti ...

. He wrote the book to challenge the "Educational romanticism

hich Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...

asks too much from students at the bottom of the intellectual pile, asks the wrong things from those in the middle, and asks too little from those at the top." Murray claims that there are "four simple truths" about education: # "Ability varies." # "Half of the children are below average." # "Too many people are going to college." # "America's future depends on how we educate the academically gifted." Critic Michael J. Feuer, writing in ''

Issues in Science and Technology ''Issues in Science and Technology'' is a policy journal published by the United States National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Arizona State University. ''Issues'' is a forum for discussion of public policy related to scienc ...

'', in addition to Murray's "four simple truths", sees "an equally simplistic proposal:...

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

privatization will fix the schools." When ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' interviewer

Deborah Solomon Deborah Solomon (born August 9, 1957) is an American art critic, journalist and biographer. She sometimes writes for the New York Times, where she was previously a columnist. Her weekly column, "Questions For" ran in ''The New York Times Magazin ...

said, "I believe that given the opportunity, most people could do most anything," Murray responded, "You're out of touch with reality in that regard." ''Times'' critic

Charles McGrath David Charles McGrath (10 November 1872 – 31 July 1934) was an Australian politician. Originally a member of the Australian Labor Party, he joined Joseph Lyons in the 1931 Labor split that led to the formation of the United Australia Party. ...

defends the current educational system: President of

St. John's College, Annapolis St. John's College is a private liberal arts college with dual campuses in Annapolis, Maryland, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. St. John's is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the United States as the successor institution of Kin ...

, Christopher B. Nelson, in what he called his "version of educational romanticism," agreed with some of Murray's premises but challenged his conclusions:

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External links

* * {{cite web, author=Ken Seifert , url=http://www.andovertownsman.com/education/x108201446/Seifert-column-Not-everyone-needs-a-college-degree , title=Seifert column: Not everyone needs a college degree » Education » Andover Townsman, Andover, MA , publisher=Andovertownsman.com , date= , accessdate=2011-05-29 2008 non-fiction books Books by Charles Murray Books about education Race and education in the United States Race and intelligence controversy

See also

References

External links