Critical Analysis Of A New Course By Christopher Lasch

Higher education is important to most people, but there are times where it does not take priority. One major issue talked about by Magdalena Kay in “A New Course” is that teachers are teaching to the state test, and not to teach students knowledge. There are two perspectives in this article: one is from Magdalena Kay, an associate professor of English at the University of Victoria, and the other is Christopher Lasch. Christopher Lasch is a historian and a social critic, who does not have an inside sight into the educational system. Lasch is only able to express the perspective of an outsider, unlike Kay who has an insight because she is in the educational system. One key perspective that this article is missing, that would add a lot to the

Higher education is available for most, but many questions are raised by todays woels to whether students are receiving a higher education, and if test scores are becoming more important.

From her position as a college professor in the higher education industry, Kay states that lots of students are going to college to get quality education, and are there to learn certain skills for the job they are interested in, and are studying for (39). On the contrary, Lasch believes “that the desire for more relevant courses often down comes down to a desire for ‘intellectual understanding’ courses, so that relevance functions as a smokescreen concealing the reluctance to work hard” (38). One might wonder who is right in this situation; is Lash telling how it is or is Kay? Brooke Berger in “Don’t Teach to The Test” takes the

Per Kay, Lasch does not have a conclusion to this question. On the other hand, Kay does not believe “this is the sort of issue that lends itself to grand conclusions that make us feel good. Rather it demands a reevaluation of our educational visions followed by the implementation of very specific strategies” (43). This quote is very important to consider not just because of the words, but for the fact that it is stating that right now there does not seem to be a final answer or conclusion on this problem. Yes, this might be one of the biggest challenges that today’s society faces, but as Kay states: “if we have the courage to take on this challenge, then why should we teach students to avoid challenges, difficulties, and occasional failures?” (43). Berger gives some insight on what she thinks is the best way to invest in education. She states that she would reduce and adjust how often the standardize tests are and that parents are the ones that need to get involved in their kids’ lives for their children to succeed. Through this information not only students will see the damage that teaching to the test has done, but also the damage to society. The society needs to understand the importance of challenging a student in their education and not letting a student’s simply go through the phase of higher