Overview

Radical activists do not see the American middle school as an organization to impart academic knowledge, but as an instrument through which they can force social change. Yecke, an experienced teacher and administrator, shows how these activists have implemented their plans and endangered the education of all middle school children—especially those who are gifted. In 1983 A Nation at Risk declared, If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war. How did American educators respond? In their quest to establish a more egalitarian society, middle school activists and social reformers made it clear that the middle school was not just a new educational organization, but a means promoting social egalitarianism by coercing gifted students to be like everyone else. This was nothing less than a declaration of war against gifted children. Yecke shows that the inadequacies of our systems of research and education pose a greater threat to U.S. national security over the next quarter century than any potential conventional war that we might imagine. The achievement of students in other nations now regularly surpasses that of American students, and it will be impossible to reverse this trend within the confines of the contemporary middle school concept. Yecke asserts that it is time for the American public to reject the radical middle school movement before too much damage is done.

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This lucid and passionate book does two great services for today's education policy debates. It shows--and explains--the extent to which American education has shamelessly turned 'giftedness' from a blessing and asset into an embarrassing mark of 'elitism.' And it begins the overdue task of unmasking the 'middle school' for what it has all too often become: not an educational institution where children learn important skills and knowledge but a social engineering vehicle that attends endlessly to dogma and dreamy notions while teaching very little. -Chester E. Finn Jr. President, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation

[A]rgues that U.S. middle-schoolers and the nation itself have been shortchanged by forced egalitarianism that improperly lumps children of all abilities in classroom where dumbed-down curriculum is taught. -Star Tribune [P]rovide extensive citations that might be useful to scholars of the contemporary middle school movement....some interesting implications for middle schools in the 21st century. -Choice Her many Virginia fans will love this book. Many education insiders will hate it. But it's hard to see how they can quibble with the depth of her research, even if they object to her conclusions. -Richmond Times-Dispatch P rovide extensive citations that might be useful to scholars of the contemporary middle school movement....some interesting implications for middle schools in the 21st century. -Choice A rgues that U.S. middle-schoolers and the nation itself have been shortchanged by forced egalitarianism that improperly lumps children of all abilities in classroom where dumbed-down curriculum is taught. -Star Tribune ?[P]rovide extensive citations that might be useful to scholars of the contemporary middle school movement....some interesting implications for middle schools in the 21st century.?-Choice ?Her many Virginia fans will love this book. Many education insiders will hate it. But it's hard to see how they can quibble with the depth of her research, even if they object to her conclusions.?-Richmond Times-Dispatch ?[A]rgues that U.S. middle-schoolers and the nation itself have been shortchanged by forced egalitarianism that improperly lumps children of all abilities in classroom where dumbed-down curriculum is taught.?-Star Tribune ?[W]ell-researched and documented. The author makes the case for gifted education with insight, data, and logic, and asks the reader to consider each premise and to draw a conclusion about the current middle school curriculum. The book stimulates the reader to ponder situations, to reflect upon the data offered, and to read interesting anecdotal quotes from parents and students. This information raises important questions about how to design middle school instruction to benefit all students, but in particular, the gifted student.?-Catholic Education [W]ell-researched and documented. The author makes the case for gifted education with insight, data, and logic, and asks the reader to consider each premise and to draw a conclusion about the current middle school curriculum. The book stimulates the reader to ponder situations, to reflect upon the data offered, and to read interesting anecdotal quotes from parents and students. This information raises important questions about how to design middle school instruction to benefit all students, but in particular, the gifted student. -Catholic Education Cheri Yecke is one of the nation's most principled and effective education advocates. Her observations clearly explain and rightfully condemn the minimal expectation philosophy which has robbed so many children--regardless of their gifts--of their potential. -Lisa Graham Keegan CEO, Education Leaders Council Cheri Yecke offers a chilling yet accurate account of how an army of elite educators can successfully manufacture an adolescent crisis that resulted in the flawed middle school concept. That concept, by every measure, has failed our students and shortchanged their abilities. -Jeanne Allen President, Center for Education Reform Cheri Yecke's War Against Gifted Children illustrates a vital but poorly understood aspect of education policy making: educational improvement campaigns are often infused with social engineering motives. Dr. Yecke does an extraordinary job of documenting how the American Middle School Movement has become just such a campaign. -Dr. John E. Stone President, Education Consumers ClearingHouse & Consultants Network Cheri Yecke has made a profoundly important contribution to education policy research. Her meticulously documented study exposes the ongoing threat to the academic achievement of middle school students. She chronicles the destructive agenda of social hygienists and educational theorists to put a glass ceiling on student achievement in the name of an equity of mediocrity. And it shows what parents and policymakers can do to protect the integrity of this nation's public education. -Michael Poliakoff President, National Council on Teacher Quality This lucid and passionate book does two great services for today's education policy debates. It shows--and explains--the extent to which American education has shamelessly turned 'giftedness' from a blessing and asset into an embarrassing mark of 'elitism.' And it begins the overdue task of unmasking the 'middle school' for what it has all too often become: not an educational institution where children learn important skills and knowledge but a social engineering vehicle that attends endlessly to dogma and dreamy notions while teaching very little. -Chester E. Finn Jr. President, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation

Author Information

CHERI PIERSON YECKE is currently the Commissioner of Education for the State of Minnesota. Dr. Yecke was an award-winning public middle school and high school teacher before becoming a member of the Virginia State Board of Education, Deputy Secretary of Education, and Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth. She also served as the Director of Teacher Quality and Public School Choice at the U.S. Department of Education.

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