The Paideia Proposal - Chapters 1 & 2

Throughout the first two chapters of The Paideia Proposal, Dr. Adler expresses the concerns that he feels are vital to the national educational systems of the United States of America. He begins his book by giving examples of people who are in charge of educating these students, such as: "the parents, teachers, school boards, college educators..."  (Adler, 1982)(p.xi). 
Then, Dr. Adler discusses the "meat / heart" of the matter that he is concerned about. This "central" idea is a reform that he feels needs to be implemented in order to improve the opportunities of the youth of today's world. Dr. Adler goes on to make a very critical and correct point that, in my opinion, many people, to this day, still do not understand. This point is the fact that this reform must be achieved at the "community level, without resorting to a monolithic national educational system. It must be, in Lincoln's words, of the people, by the people, and for the people" (Adler, 1982)(p.xii).

Dr. Adler continues his writing by quoting John Dewey, with what he said in the early 20th century, concerning that all children, "... not only be given the same quantity of public education - the same number of years in school - but also making sure ... the same quality of education" (Adler, 1982)(p.4). This is something that several schools have failed to do, when creating their educational standards. More concerned about the "numbers of how many start & how many finish" the school systems have forgotten the main reason that they are there, to educate. In other words, or as Adler stated, the "quality" of education is being looked over.

Another problem that our early school systems have came up against is the difficulty of teaching children with learning disabilities, children speaking foreign languages, or children from "different backgrounds," as it is sometimes stated. Dr. Adler makes an excellent statement in chapter one of The Paideia Proposal, when he writes, "There are no unteachable children. There are only schools and teachers and parents who fail to teach them"  (Adler, 1982)(p.8). Plain, simple, and to the point. This is the bottom line and the truth, there are no excuses.

 A final point that Dr. Adler posits in chapter 2, concerns a very important question. This question is, "How does basic schooling prepare people for the continuation of learning in the rest of their adulthood?" The reason, as Dr. Adler explains, is that, "Education is a lifelong process of which schooling is only a small but necessary part" (Adler, 1982)(p.10). The skills and processes that they learn in school are going to be carried with the youth into the world, when they become young adults. However, if these skills are not learned, or taught, correctly whenever they are in the early stages of education, then the entire "process of schooling" has failed its main function.