One Student's Opinion
586007
This book was an interesting case study review of financial forces that are shaping our universities.  While reading I found myself contemplating questions such as "Can schools preserve their heritage of `the disciplines of the mind' while adapting to the competitive pressures of the new millennium?"  Kirp has thoroughly investigated the problems and opportunities facing the funding and the recruiting practices of universities today.  It was fascinating to learn how courageous and creative leaders were able to turn their institutions around.  I would recommend this book to individuals who make decisions regarding the funding and on-going solvency of institutions of higher learning.
2878274
I was reading this book and was carrying it around while I was substitute teaching in a high school class today.  Several of the girls saw the book and recognized it and told me that they thought it was a great book. I agree.
At the beginning of the book, Clay, a high school student receives a package in the mail.  It contains audio tapes.  He finds a tape recorder and begins to listen.  The tapes are of a classmate who recently committed suicide.  She says that if he is listening to the tape, then he is one of the reasons why she is dead.  He spends the night following her map through the town listening to her tapes that explain why she committed suicide.  Through her eyes we see how each little incident added up to big problems in her mind.  It is intended to make people think about how they treat one another, which is something that high school students need to think about.
I like the dual narration style of the book and found it to be very suspenseful.  As I read it, I felt like I was Clay, looking around to see if other people realized what I was reading.  I had to stop reading and take breaks from the book a few times because it is just so sad.
I am glad that some of the high school girls told me how much they enjoyed the book.  I think that it is something they can relate to.  I hope it makes high school students think.
2445020
I personally didn't buy the book for me but a student of mine who enjoyed receiving it as a gift.
2777968
After reading "One-Party Classroom," I came away with mixed feelings. First, I agree very much with the book's objective and message: too often, universities and professors are failing to do the job of teaching students how to think and to think, and instead are teaching them what to think. Whether from a leftward or rightward angle - they would bother me the same - college professors are supposed to be professionals who educate rather than indoctrinate.

But does "One-Party Classroom" demonstrate that this is a widespread phenomenon? Not really. Each chapter profiles one of twelve selected universities and points out (via a list) several of its more leftward courses - those which prseent its subject strictly from a left-wing vantage point (complete with one-sided reading lists).

The problem, though, with picking 12 universities' classes to analyize and scrutinize is that the "sample size" is too small to prove a trend. It is as faulty as the medical study arguing that since 12 people experienced pain relief by hoemopathy, that must mean that homeopathy will work for everyone. Horowitz and Laksin's methods simply leave too much room for cherry picking (how many universities did they NOT profile? Why? How many courses did they NOT scrutinize? Why?)

I am certainly not suggesting either that the trend of leftward "bully pulpit" teaching does not happen. Several books have been written detailing the phenomenon quite well. And Horowitz and Laksin do a good job showing how absolutely irresponsible the courses they profile are (especially the ones pretending to be introductory survey couress that end up having non-representative reading lists and ideological agendas). If college professors are to be placed in positions of responsibility in order that they can teach young people how to think, then the professors profiled in this book should be put on notice that they are not living up to this ideal.

So, while I like the points that this book raises and think that the authors addres real concerns, I think that their "laundry list" style makes their case very weak and open to accusations of cherry picking data. (It also gets repititious as many of these universities' courses are very similar, so reading each course profile becomes redundant.)

I would suggest that the interested reader first read Stanley Fish's "Save the World on Your Own Time." Fish's book is a very non-ideological evaluation of the dangers in bringing political stances into the classroom. Fish describes what the liberal arts university course should look like, where professors use balanced reading lists and expose students to ideas (rather than endorse any). Fish first; then Horowitz.
4917205
I enjoyed his experience. I wish I took this advice in high school. My family is no help. But I feel I have gained a new family. I have entered and dropped out of college several times but I learned more of college rather than in.
906832
I enjoyed this book, but my students were ambivalent.  I wanted to make it mandatory reading, but decided against it.
696013
I like the idea of a book with two perspectives.  I find the other side of the story a little eye rolling and incredible but it is a good teaching opportunity to illustrate that not everyone sees things the way you might.
2260606
I have to read this book for college. it is a little above me in read. some things in the book i do not agree with. as i become a incluse teacher i can learn more about my cereer and the children i work with. if you went to learn more incluse perschool or about nomal and disabile child read this book.
524533
With regards to my student, somewhat disappointing.  Look it over before buying to make sure it applies to you. Try the library.
2907064
We studied this in my tenth grade English class this year.  Before reading it, several other teachers questioned whether it had enough literary merit  to warrant a unit on it.

It does.

I think it is comparable to Night, but it is about more recent events, which engages today's students.
1215591
One of the essays struck home: the student as consumer. It's not only students, it's all of us; me first of all.
1158267
One can hear Dr. Conway's voice while reading his moving observations of his life as a person and teacher, the human beings he engages inside the classroom and out and a look into their spirits as well as his own as he interacts.  He is not afraid to feel his positive and negative feelings for the persons he teaches but is judicious in expressing his feelings so that the student will have a chance to  become more conscious of him/herself. I have recommended this book to colleagues, patients(I am a psychotherapist) and complete strangers.  Dr. Conway has developed a sensitivity to the human psyche and expresses that in ways that engage the reader to demand more of him/herself in experiencing the everyday of life.  This is not a how to book or good rules for good teaching, but following along with him and his students one can become more conscious in living one's life and how we interact with others past and present.
4182229
Full quote from PW, not just the partial quote on Amazon:  "Coates and Morrison's style is accessible, and they make important points about the shifting job market and the devaluing of university diplomas, but dividing students into the "curious" and the "swarm" overlooks different learning styles. It may be beyond this book's scope, but it's worth asking if some students struggle due to outdated university curriculums that are in need of change. After all, when people say "university isn't for everyone," they often mean everyone but themselves."
2666322
I am not aware that any one single thing is well taught to the undergraduates of Harvard College  A Massachusetts senator from 1839

Criticizing American higher education is as old as American higher education. Harvard University, Americas first and most prestigious university, is not immune to such criticism.

The Innovative University is a different critique on higher education. Most critics of higher education focus their condemnation on administrative bloating, faculty tenure, grade inflation, alcohol, etc., however the authors here focus on the systems ability to adapt to rapid changes in technology.

As the internet becomes more available to the masses, how do universities properly implement the technology? Are traditional college campuses following in the footsteps of newspapers and the postal service?

The authors tell the tale of two schools: Harvard and BYU-Idaho. Harvard is considered the standard in higher education that all schools strive for, however it has definitely struggled throughout the years finding its core educational values. BYU-Idaho is a new and innovate university. A few years ago it was just a small two-year junior college, but through a combination of focused growth and intensive use of technology, the authors see BYU-Idaho as the future standard of higher education.

The book provides a very interesting view on the future of higher education. Going through the history of Harvard was a little boring to read; it seems like it is impossible to talk about the future of higher education without discussing Harvard. I liked their presentation of BYU-Idaho, but I don't think it is a model of the future. The integration of traditional classes with technology is nothing novel at this time. There didn't seem to be much emphasis on the value of education, instead I felt like they were looking in a way to boost profits so they can lower tuition  which isn't a bad idea.

I think this is a good book and a great addition to the conversation of higher education opportunities.
2301535
I used to teach at a university. Many of my students were the first in their family to go to "school." Some of them were single parents who had to bring their kids to class when the baby sitter didn't show. Others were SOTAs--Students Over Traditional Age--who were juggling families, jobs, aging parents, and dead-end jobs.

What Can(t) Wait is a book those students would have appreciated. They would have loved Marisa. They would have understood the love she lavishes on her little niece, even though childcare eats the time she should spend studying. Those students were always struggling with the everyday math of not enough money and not enough time. They would have understood the hard choices Marisa faces--choices that pit the present against the future.

I'm not a book reviewer, but I felt compelled to share this with you: What Can(t) Wait rings true. It doesn't soften the sharp edges of economic reality, it brings them into focus through the lens of Marisa's life.
2297046
quote from The Students are Watching: "School exists to change young people. The young people should be different--better--for their experience there. They should know some important things, they should know how to learn additional important things, and they should be in the habit of  wanting to learn such important things. They should have a reasoned, but  individual point of view. They should be judicious, aware of the complexity  of the world. They should be thoughtful, respectful of thought and of ideas  which are the furniture of thought."  The Students are Watching is  about teaching morals through example and treating students with respect  while delivering education in an ethical manner.  I don't really view this  as a "how to teach morals" book, but as a guide to running an  ethical school.
4491675
Getting students to complete their assignments and on time is a daily problem. This is a reminder to students what is expected of them in the real world.