Even worse, in some cases, superior academic performance sometimes provides high-performing students with a sense of entitlement that outweighs what might be considered very basic concerns. Just as professional athletes often violate social and legal rules, superior students may lag behind in their moral reasoning skills because the positive feedback associated with their academic achievements excuses transgressions that poor students could not expect to get away with as easily. At the other end of the spectrum are students who pursue academic success precisely because they wish to overcompensate for other (i.e. non-academic) deficiencies.
However, Kohn might have phrased some of her criticisms in terms that are too absolute rather than in a flexible manner that recognizes her criticisms without overgeneralization. For one example, it may be true that contemporary education emphasizes career development too much while giving too little attention to equally important aspects of personal development in non-academic areas that are undoubtedly beneficial to society. On the other hand, it may be an exaggeration to conclude that contemporary American education is little more than an employee development system for the benefit of corporate for-profit entities.
One of Kohen's most astute observations is the excessive reliance on passive learning because the consensus among modern educators supports the use of active learning instead (Taylor, Smiley, & Richards, 2009). Another...
Specifically, there is obviously a profound preoccupation among American college applicants with the reputation and name recognition or status associated with various institutions. While certain institutions do provide more challenging academic environments than others, in most cases, there is much less actual difference in the academic programs (especially between first and second-tier institutions) than the difference that undoubtedly exists with respect to their reputations.
Ultimately, Kohen's article does encapsulate some of the most important shortcomings of contemporary American educational culture, aside from a few apparent overgeneralizations or the use of absolute rather than relative terms to bring attention to valid criticisms. Modern education programs should provide a much broader range of opportunity to develop abilities, skills, and a social or moral perspective that would benefit society more than such a narrow focus on academics alone.
References
Kohn a. "What Does it Mean to Be Well-Educated?" Journal of Principal Leadership
(March 2003). Accessed May 18, 2010 from:
