Washington
Secretary of Education William J. Bennett last week responded to critics of the Reagan Administration’s new research synthesis, “What Works,” asserting that such “snipers” are out of touch with “your average Joe.”
But he apparently failed to convince some among a group of urban educators that “What Works"—which contains 41 commonly accepted and simply worded conclusions from education research—can substitute for federal education spending and research on subjects of concern to policymakers.
Mr. Bennett spoke at the annual conference of the Council of Great City Schools, a coalition of 35 of the nation’s biggest school districts.
He offered not only a defense of the booklet that was released at a March 4 White House ceremony but also a vigorous reaffirmation of “middle-class values—hard work, high standards, self-discipline, high expectations, [and] strength of character.”
But Forrest Rieke, a school-board member from Portland, Ore., and a member of the council’s board of directors, called Mr. Bennett’s speech “very shallow.”
“It’s nonsense to suggest that the country’s complexities have disappeared with the publication of this document,” he said. “It’s impossible to believe that ‘middle-class values’ will solve education’s problems.”
Despite the criticism, said Mr. Bennett, “What Works” is generating a massive response.
The Consumer Information Center in Pueblo, Colo.—where free copies are available—"tells us it’s the greatest response to a government publication they’ve seen since The Car Book,” a publication on auto safety, he said. “Given America’s love affair with the automobile, we’re really pleased.”
A spokesman for the consumer-information office said the Secretary’s claim was “probably true.” The center has received orders for 100,000 copies and anticipates at least 150,000 more, the spokesman said.
