552 NATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW [November ~~

Boob in Review . . Jewel Bellush, Editor

Education THE GREAT SCHOOL WARS: N e w York

city, 1805-1973. By Diane Ravitch. Basic Books, 10 Fast 53rd Street, New York 10017, 1974. xviii, 449 pp. $12.95.

This is a brilliant case study placed in its historical setting with insight, sensi- tivity and good writing. If ever we Americans find ourselves confronting major problems, a sense of history can be critically informative and psychologi- cally therapeutic. Diane Ravitch tells us, with a consistently fine writing and re- search style, that educational reform has been cyclical, that in a sense we have been there before.

Admittedly, the participants, the pres- sures, the problems and some of the politics have not all been exactly the same but generally the issues, policies and purposes have been faced before. Thus, our current experiences with decentral- izing education to community boards is really not new. At the turn of the century and even at mid-point in the nineteenth century school decentralization was tried. But then there came reform and we went for centralization. Without sarcasm, per- haps that is what we really mean by innovation-moving systems from decen- tralization to centralization and back again. It does tend to shake up people, institutions and programs.

The author has focused on the history of New York City’s public schools, re- lating it to the city’s political and social history.

Each major controversy was resolved politically, but resolution has not been solution. Every important issue remains and recurs:

-The question of separation of church and state continues to be a lively and unsettled dispute. . . .

-Neither centralization nor local con- trol has solved the problems of the school system. . . .

-The education of lower-class children has been from 1805 until the present the most vexing dilemma of the New York public schools. . . .

I t is comforting to read this excellent piece of historical analysis-it deserves the highest award.

Many readers will probably turn to the latter half of the book in order to review the recent history of the New York City decentralization controversy, There they will find a very careful analysis of the conflicting forces, with Mrs. Ravitch try- ing hard and quite successfully to give the many sides of this difficult turmoil a fair hearing. Admittedly, the adherents of school decentralization did not win as much local power as they had hoped-for they did not equal the access or resources for wooing the state legislature of Albert Shanker and the United Federation of Teachers. It seems rather sad that this very strong union (and its power grows daily as more teachers accept unioniza- tion) has not had a leadership to help it work a t healing the wounds influenced by the school controversy. Simmering below the surface is a continued uneasiness among teachers, students, parents and administrators.

It may be fun for the reader, before starting the book, to play a new game called, “I Am a Radical” (or if you prefer, “I Am a Reactionary”):

Yes No I believe in the neighborhood

I believe in busing I believe in centralized

decision making I believe in integration I believe in separatism I believe in bilingual

school

education

Alas, you will never be sure on which side your answers left you.