Josh's Third Anotated Bibliography Entry

Hacsi, Timothy. Children as Pawns: The Politics of Educational Reform. Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard University Press. 2002. Print.

Timothy Hacsi Strikes an interesting conversation in his book. He talks a lot about the policies and procedures that have been implemented over the years by our government. He states in the very beginning of his book; “Any intelligent discussion of 'improving' education leads to questions about what it is that we want public schooling to achieve? Do we want to provide real opportunity for all children? Do we want to give whatever help is needed for children who start school behind or struggle in school to 'catch up”, or do we want to provide superb education for the children who seem to seem most ready to move forward quickly? Do we want to train children to be good citizens, or to have a certain moral view of the world (1)?” You can almost hear his yearning for readers to understand his perspective on Head Start. Hacsi goes on to talk about the different scenarios that may arise in the education of children. He talks about schools that are bilingual and how such a school is affected. He agrees that there should be diversity in the schools. This has been a great teaching tool for many children to learn about different cultures and make friends. Hacsi then talks about the class size and how it affects children's cognitive abilities. He refers to these schools as the “Tower of Babel.” He basically means that some children might speak Spanish and others English and so on, but they all are in the same place to learn. I think the issue that Timothy Hacsi talks about the most is the notion of Social Promotion. A good chunk of the book deals a lot with this concept that some children may be advancing before they understand the material merely to keep them with others their age. He gives a quote by the Sacramento Bee (A Newspaper) that states, “Social Promotion make a mockery of the diploma, erodes public confidence in the schools, and creates huge challenges for teachers who inherit children who aren't ready for grade-level work (144).” I have found that throughout this book, every chapter starts and is filed with quotes from famous authors and newspapers that speak about this subject. Some of his sources I have quoted as well. I feel that Hacsi speaks very plainly to his readers that Head Start is an excellent program. He has even brought new concepts into my mind that I haven't though of before. I had researched about the end results from Head Start, but never gave a thought about those who advance on to elementary school, but haven't gained the appropriate knowledge.