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A Review of "The Question of the Student in Education Reform."
Originally
published in
Meaningful Student Involvement Research Review by Adam Fletcher.
By recognizing that students are “casually central” to
education reform, Ericson and Ellett provide vital rationale for
student inclusion in school success. This paper thoroughly explores
the role of the student in schools currently, exposing how students
may actually undercut the intent of education reform, and further, how
current reform efforts might actually be promoting mediocrity rather
than excellence in schools. The authors then identify a variety of
pathways for student inclusive school reform, challenging the
conceptual framework of the current educational reform movement.
“In pursuing the goals of
educational reform over the past several decades, educational policy
makers have focused on teachers, administrators, and school structures
as keys to higher educational achievement. Yet… students are as
causally central as educators in bringing about higher educational
achievement” (p1).
“It is the students –
their goals, motivations, and conceptions of the good life – that may
well prove to be the undoing of the educational reform movement”
(p2). Ericson and Ellett pull no punches in this comprehensive
exploration of the role of students in schools today. By providing a
thorough examination of current reform efforts and intentions, the
authors place the necessity of student inclusive school change in the
center of any movement for education excellence. After questioning
the reasons that students can interact with adults in schools, the
authors provide a seemingly radical formula for educational reform:
abandon all attempts at rewarding students (grades, degrees, diplomas,
etc.)(p21).
The authors offer a detailed philosophical analysis of
current students roles that pivotally recognizes their central role in
school change. As Rubin (2003) noted, “Ericson and Ellett aptly
describe the need to bridge the effort of reformers with the
experiences of students." This is particularly important to meaningful
student involvement in school change.
Retrieved 12/1/03 from
http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v10n31/
This review is copyright 2005 SoundOut. Permission is hereby granted
to reproduce this work for educational and not-for-profit use only. No
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