Straitjacket

How Overregulation Stifles Creativity and Innovation in Education

By: George A. Goens, Philip Streifer

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eText | 3 October 2013 | Edition Number 1

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Public schools have been placed in a straitjacket over the past 30 years through overregulation as a result of the growing power of the federal government over public education, expanding court decisions, state government legislation, school board policies and procedures, and the media's influence on public opinion.

The straitjacket of centralized control and coercive approaches to the problems that public education is facing is not the solution, but actually is part of the problem. And where achievement is lower than desired this book brings attention to the root cause – lack of student preparation so that more resources can be put into catching these kids up, rather than into more tests, more curriculum development, and more administrative staff needed to comply with all of this complexity and growing regulations.

We must break out of our straitjacket and give schools more flexibility in finding creative and innovative ways to address the needs of students, changing times, and professional expectations—not shackle them through regulatory mandates, closed thinking, and defective accountability processes.

Industry Reviews

How do we create schools that are hotbeds of creativity and innovation? George Goens and Phil Streifer have gone far beyond the surface rhetoric of school reform and have shown what truly motivates students and staff to think and learn and create. Let’s heed their call that our current educational trajectory is off course and squandering our potential. This is a critically important work for anyone passionate about the future of public education and our nation.