Reform in Education and Workplace

According to Wirth, the recent transformation of the American workplace has been so radical that the correct term to describe the change is revolution. In chapter three, Wirth analyzes the employment demands of the electronic/computer revolution. More than half of the labor force is currently employed in information-related fields; the service sector has experienced explosive growth. Because of the sophistication of computer-dominated tasks, a shortage of workers with a high degree of technical skills exists: "increased international competition, changes in both industrial structure and consumer demand, and the capacity of technology to help meet these challenges act as forces to push skill levels upward" (Wirth, 1992, p. 33).

Until motivated to change by Japanese competition, most manufacturing corporations in the United States were operated by the Taylor model of

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er, and both teachers and students are evaluated in ways that emphasize only quantifiable results" (Wirth, 1992, p. 11). Judging teachers by the quantitative measures which their students produce fosters competitiveness among the teaching staff and discourages risk-taking. Progressive schools are experimenting with innovative ways to evaluate student learning, such as portfolios of student work on individual projects, and oral and written examinations. Wirth's assessment of the dubious benefits of standardized testing makes sense. One thing that the author failed to mention in his critique is how standardized testing has created a thriving cottage industry. Companies like Princeton Review and Kaplan hold intensive courses in testing strategy for those privileged enough to afford them. In some wealthier communities, parents begin sending their seventh and eighth grade students to these test factories to prepare for their college entrance exams. After several years' instruction, these students will likely score higher on their exams than those who have not benefitted from such a head start. Therefore, students who score higher on standardized tests may not be smarter, just better prepared. Critics of American schools ofte
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Approximate Word count = 1625
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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