A Search for Common Ground: Conversations About the Toughest Questions in K-12 Education

by Frederick M. Hess, Pedro A. Noguera

Overview

Recipient of the 2022 Prose Award in​ ​Education Practice and Theory

At a time of bitter national polarization, there is a critical need for leaders who can help us better communicate with one another. In A Search for Common Ground, Rick Hess and Pedro Noguera, who have often fallen on opposing sides of the ideological aisle over the past couple of decades, candidly talk through their differences on some of the toughest issues in K–12 education today—from school choice to testing to diversity to privatization. They offer a sharp, honest debate that digs deep into their disagreements, enabling them to find a surprising amount of common ground along the way. Written as a series of back-and-forth exchanges, this engaging book illustrates a model of responsible, civil debate between those with substantial, principled differences. It is also a powerful meditation on where 21st-century school improvement can and should go next.

Book Features:

• Modeling dialogue: Rick and Pedro provide a model for how to sort through complicated issues and find common ground in today’s atmosphere of distrust.
• Deliberate, sustained exchange: Rick and Pedro demonstrate how deliberate, sustained reflection allows them to respectfully flesh out differences and sharpen their own thoughts.
• Left and Right Politics: Rick (generally Right) and Pedro (generally Left) offer a window into where they do and don’t agree on education and point the way to principled cooperation.
• Readable and conversational: Rather than pushing a partisan agenda, Rick and Pedro have crafted a stimulating read for education newcomers and experts alike.
• Unique approach: While other books about the different sides of the education debates simply present paired essays, Rick and Pedro actually engage with each other to strive for a deeper understanding of their differences.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807765173
Publisher:	Teachers College Press
Publication date:	03/05/2021
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.38(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Frederick M. Hess is director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute and author of the popular Education Week blog, “Rick Hess Straight Up.” Pedro A. Noguera is the Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of the USC Rossier School of Education.

Table of Contents

Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Preface xi

1. Introduction 1

2. The Purpose of Schooling 8

3. School Choice 20

4. The Achievement Gap 35

5. Testing and Accountability 49

6. Social and Emotional Learning 61

7. Civics Education 72

8. For-Profits and Privatization 83

9. Philanthropy 96

10. Diversity and Equity 108

11. Teacher Pay 123

12. COVID-19 135

13. Closing Thoughts 149

Notes 160

Index 173

About the Authors 179

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This book is a master class in breaking through the silos that polarize education reform and breaking down why they exist in the first place. It should be required reading for any education leader, graduate student, or parent who seeks to understand the complexity of school improvement. It weaves political philosophy, politics, and the perils of implementation together in an infinitely readable volume.”
—Celine Coggins, executive director, Grantmakers for Education

“It’s nice to read an exchange between two leading scholars on the issues education leaders must contend with. Thoughtful and engaging, readers will find this book useful for understanding the complex challenges facing schools today.”
—Austin Beutner, superintendent, Los Angeles Unified School District

“This is a book for our times: a back-and-forth between two leading thinkers on important, complicated education policy issues. Its real value, beyond its content, is the way Rick and Pedro engage to learn. By sharing experiences and data, delving deeply to understand each other’s motivations, and seeking areas of agreement without papering over disagreements, they model the policy conversations we need today.”
—Rajiv Vinnakota, president, Institute for Citizens and Scholars

“Charter advocates are destroying public schools! Teacher unions keep kids mired in mediocrity! Welcome to our ugly ‘debate’ about American education, which too often devolves into the same name-calling and demagoguery that has infected the rest of our body politic. But it doesn’t have to be that way. When it comes to education, Americans agree much more than our polarized political rhetoric would suggest—and where they disagree, they can still find civil ways to speak across their differences. That’s precisely what Rick Hess and Pedro Noguera demonstrate in this sharp and perceptive book. Let’s hope the rest of us can follow their example.”
—Jonathan Zimmerman, professor of history of education, University of Pennsylvania

“One of the great challenges in education improvement today is how often our political fights and ideological polarization get in the way of doing what’s best for kids. Rick and Pedro perform a civil service wading into our toughest educational disputes and show that respectful engagement can surface principled common ground.”
—Governor Jeb Bush, founder and chair, ExcelinEd

“If you despair that our public schools are beyond repair, read this book. If you despair that people of widely divergent views can no longer debate them without rancor, read this book. (If neither of these thoughts are bothering you, do a little homework and then read it!)”
—Governor Mitch Daniels, president, Purdue University

“We are stronger, and smarter, when we work together. We reach better results when we listen to one another. This courageous conversation about how we leverage and work through our differences of opinion to produce meaningful improvements for students, families, and educators is a template for our nation and for school communities all across the United States. If we commit to the work of respecting one another enough to listen and learn, as Dr. Noguera and Dr. Hess have done here, we can indeed break through the polarization that too often hampers our progress and create a better system for learning in our country.”
—Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham

“We don’t agree on everything—and that is the point of this book. We can have vigorous debates, see each other’s perspectives, learn from the conversation, and, where possible, find common ground to advance excellence and equity for kids.”
—Elisa Villanueva Beard, CEO, Teach for America

Editorial Reviews

Offers multiple perspectives on our most pressing educational issues and provides an example of thoughtful discourse on contentious issues.”

—NASSP Principal Leadership

“A thoughtful read for all education leaders who strive to personally stretch themselves and better understand the diversity of perspectives within their communities. Most importantly, A Search for Common Ground challenges us to consider what we can do to facilitate honest, respectful and often uncomfortable discourse within our own communities, so that we may work together to address our increasingly complex educational challenges.”

—AASA School Administrator

From the Publisher