ABSTRACT
Th ere is much wrong with American education. I knew this from my own schooling even before I decided to become a classroom teacher, but that experience intensifi ed my belief that we need to rethink our schools. And before switching careers in my late 40s by getting a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), I had already begun to participate in discussions about education in online listservs and bulletin boards. Once in the classroom, I began studies toward a doctorate in educational policy because I wanted to have the “union card” to get my voice heard on policy matters. At about the same time, I’d gotten to know Jay Mathews, the Washington Post’s writer on education, and at his behest wrote several pieces that appeared in papers in the D.C. metro area. When Jay suggested that I turn some of my research into a piece for his paper, I said that I was thinking of submitting it as a journal article.
