Development
Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century, by Howard Gardner (Basic Books, 10 E. 53rd St., New York, NY 10022; 292 pp., $27.50 hardcover). A report on how the theory of multiple intelligences—first introduced in the author’s 1983 book Frames of Mind—has radically changed the understanding of education and human development. Mr. Gardner examines the impact of the theory, offers practical guidance on its educational uses, and responds to the critiques leveled against his conception of intelligence. The book introduces the possibility of three new intelligences and argues that, ultimately, possessing a basic set of seven or eight intelligences may in fact be a working definition of the human species.
The Feel-Good Curriculum: The Dumbing Down of America’s Kids in the Name of Self-Esteem, by Maureen Stout (Perseus Books, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142; 313 pp., $26 hardcover). This critique of the “self-esteem movement” argues that students need to feel good about themselves for a reason—namely, because they’ve worked hard and achieved. The book analyzes the consequences of such practices as “dumbing-down curricula, grade inflation, and social promotion” and teaching models the author considers self-esteem- based, including whole language. As an alternative, the book suggests ways to “promote empathy, a sense of connectedness, rationality, morality, and hope.”
Tomorrow’s Children: A Blueprint for Partnership Education in the 21st Century, by Riane Eisler (Westview Press, 5500 Central Ave., Boulder, CO 80301-2877; 362 pp., $25 hardcover). Applies the partnership model—which the author formulated in her 1987 book The Chalice and the Blade— to education from kindergarten to 12th grade and beyond, providing practical guidance for educators, parents, and students.
School Choice
Choosing Equality: School Choice, the Constitution, and Civil Society, by Joseph P. Viteritti (Brookings Institution Press, 1775 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20036-2188; 284 pp., $29.95 hardcover). Contends that the present realities of American education have redefined the meaning of school choice and changed the essence of the debate. The free-market model, the author argues, has been replaced by an “opportunity model” designed to benefit disadvantaged populations that are not well served by the public schools in their communities. The book assesses various kinds of school choice programs; outlines the role that private and religious schools can play in advancing equal educational opportunity; and includes a set of 10 policy proposals designed to address the educational needs of underserved communities.
Higher Education
The Price of Admission: Rethinking How Americans Pay for College, by Thomas J. Kane (Brookings Institution Press and the Russell Sage Foundation, 1775 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20036-2188; 130 pp., $36.95 hardcover, $15.95 paperback). Examines the strengths and weaknesses of the American system for financing higher education and promotes a package of reforms intended to “squeeze more social bang from the many public bucks” devoted to higher education. The author begins with an overview of the ways in which Americans pay for college—as taxpayers, students, and parents—and evaluates various explanations for rising costs at public and private colleges.
