Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic – and What We Can Do About It is a thoughtful critique of an American upper middle class problem. We think that we live in a meritocracy, we hope that we know the rules, and we have faith that ticking the right boxes for our children will lead…
Author: David Potash
Authenticity in Education: Modeling Good Men
Widely considered one of the best preparatory private schools in the United States, Deerfield Academy is located in a scenic small town in central Massachusetts. Slated tuition and fees are nearly $75,000 a year for boarding students. The school’s endowment, almost $1 billion, helps students with financial aid. Admissions is difficult and exclusive. Many think…
Education Scholar on Higher Education
David Labaree is an emeritus professor of education at Stanford University. A prolific and influential scholar with a host of honors and accolades befitting a lengthy and influential career, Labaree remains active – with or without any teaching responsibilities. He has begun writing for the popular press (think The Atlantic) and recently made a collection…
Class For Whom?
Several years ago Stephanie Land published a fascinating memoir of her work as a house cleaner, struggling to be a college student, mother and writer. Maid was very well-received for good reason: it tells a compelling story of a smart woman struggling with poverty. Land writes well and her observations, coming from a place that…
Law Professor On SCOTUS/In SCOTUS
Amy Coney Barrett is an associate justice of the US Supreme Court. She joined in 2020, taking the seat formerly held by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Barrett recently wrote Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and Constitution. The book’s stated goal is to answer questions about the court and its role. But for a…
Reasons Why
A little time off at the end of the year, some moments for looking back and forward, and all manner of thoughts will creep into my head. Inquisitive tendrils poke up and about, searching for sunlight and sustenance. They can be helpful, facilitating movement and growth. They can also corrode, pulling down structures. One of…
Public Libraries: Overdue For A Close Look
Several years ago I worked with a librarian at our college, crafting a strategic plan for the library, when he said something that made me sit up and take notice. “Everyone says nice things about a library, but no one will tell you anything real.” I pressed him, curious about his frustration. Libraries are hard…