About book Real Education: Four Simple Truths For Bringing America's Schools Back To Reality (2008)
I agreed with Murray's overall assessment with the failure of modern education (the goal of college and an office job for all, the lack of liberal arts education at all levels, the current requirements for the job world), but I do have two major complaints regarding this treatise:1. His argument that all professionals should have a working knowledge of rudimentary statistics is crucial. However, in the early sections of the book he misuses statistics. He implicitly assumes a normal curve, but never explicitly states this. I suppose the reader ought to take for granted that Murray assumes a normal curve distribution of intelligence based on his earlier book entitled The Bell Curve. He does make the complaint that journalists and other professionals misuse statistics because they don't understand it. Without assuming the normal curve, he cannot state that 50% of people are below average. This confuses median and mean--a cardinal sin of journalists everywhere.2. In the final pages of his book, Murray recommends school choice as the policy remedy for education. While personally I do agree with this statement, I do not feel these essays support this conclusion. In fact, I'm not sure the book supports any conclusion in its current publication. It merely outlines some major problems that are completely overlooked in today's criticism of education. You can't teach dumb kids to be average.You can't teach average kids to be smart.Attempting to send EVERYONE to college is a disservice to all as not everyone is intelligent enough to benefit from a legitimate college curriculum.The bright should be sent to college. The average should learn a trade. The book fails to address what can and should be done with the woefully inadequate.
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Everbody doesn't need to go to college, especially so-called liberal arts colleges.
—yhan
The author cares about his topic and has sound recommendations.
—Shantanu
