In an opinion piece in the New York Sun this week, Diane Ravitch charges that people too frequently blame teachers but neglect to consider the role of popular culture and a lack of student drive as culprits in American students’ failure to compete globally. “It’s time to stop beating up on teachers and ask why so many of our children arrive in school with poor attitudes toward learning,” she writes. “If the students aren’t willing to work hard, if they aren’t hungry to succeed, then even the best teachers in the world—laden with merit pay, bonuses, and other perks—are not going to make them learn.”
The slacker attitude has been much on Ravitch’s mind of late. She has written about in her Education Week blog, Bridging Differences, and on The Huffington Post. What’s your feeling about student attitudes? Do American students have a hunger for learning?