Published: June 1, 1990

The Not-So-Good Old Days

In Charles Dickens's novel Hard Times, manufacturer Thomas Gradgrind warns young Cissy Jupe, "You must discard the word Fancy all together....In this life, we want nothing but Facts.'' Like modern-day Gradgrinds, many critics of education are pushing a back-to-basics approach to school reform that emphasizes drumming in "facts, facts, facts'' and inculcating traditional values. They are nostalgic for the way subjects were taught during the "good old days'' in the idealized school that Beaver Cleaver attended. They claim that these traditional methods will better prepare our students for the "real world.'' Not only is this claim false, but it also could set back some of the genuine progress that has been made in American education. It is time for educators to challenge such critics and let them know what teaching in the...