Johnson, LouAnne. (2004). The Queen of Education: Rules for Making Schools Work. Hoboken, New Jersey. Jossey-Bass
Pp. ix +198
$24.95 ISBN: 0-7879-7470-6
Reviewed by Alan Haskvitz
National Teachers Hall of Fame
October 21, 2004
Read author Johnson's
rebuttal to this review.
LouAnne Johnson has written a book with a different slant on how to improve education. She wants to be anointed as the queen of education so she can bring into force edicts based on her experience as a teacher, some research she has done, and from talking with educators. Unfortunately, there is really nothing new here. The edicts are simple to list, but lack any depth of research to support them or practical advice to show how these could be put into practice. For example, her first edict is that classrooms not have more than 20 students; she writes, “We have spoken. Stop whining about the expenses.“ To justify the increased costs, she asks the reader to compare the expenses of reduced class size with those of retaining juveniles in detention centers and prisons. In other words, as throughout this book, it is up to the reader to find the data. The queen is just in charge of preparing edicts, of which most lack any research as to their merit, for example, having elected officials teach in the classroom. I believe we all remember what happened when a certain vice president gave a spelling lesson to a class; imagine two weeks of that type of instruction. Would the students suffer? Has this been shown to be effective in getting anyone to change his or her opinion of public school teachers? Queen Johnson is apparently content to let others do the research.
The organization of the book could be seen as stream of consciousness. It goes from questioning student detention, to letters from students and parents, to insights about Ritalin, Scotopic sensitivity, to the problem with obesity, and “My School Dream.” I have mixed up the order of those topics. Try and see if you can find a logical order. If you do so, you are likely to experience the same frustration I felt when trying to make connections among the monarch’s thoughts.
There is nothing seriously wrong with Johnson’s work. It is easy to read, doesn’t bother you with a bibliography, index, or glossary, and has an admittedly small selection of Internet resources that might have some value to those unfamiliar with using a search engine. She clearly presents her concerns and challenges someone else to carry them out. It is good to be the Queen.
Those who like a light read and enjoy the wonderfully pro-teacher atmosphere that pervades these pages would most enjoy this book. At the university level, a professor might use it to find research assignments for the future educators to work on and even bring nutrition into the mix. There are interesting and practical thoughts, such as moving parent meetings out of the school and into the community, but these nuggets need to be panned out slowly.
The back cover blurb page states that The Queen of Education offers down-to-earth advice about fixing schools from someone who’s wrestled with tough kids and even tougher adults. I never did find the earth part, but there was a lot of blue sky here.
About the Reviewer
Alan Haskvitz
National Teachers Hall of Fame
http://www.reacheverychild.com
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