The Game of School

Educational Leadership

. . . this critique of public high schools will likely raise the hackles of most educators . . . To his credit, Tripp does not merely decry current efforts in schooling, but presents ideas for change. Believing that education must involve students and teach them to reason, he envisions a high school based on a `Grow/Learn System' [that would] change scheduling practices, adult roles, evaluation designs and out-of-class activities--all aimed at increasing student self-direction.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In this self-published critique of public high schools, the voice of a 30-year teaching veteran has a particular credibility. The deficiency of America's schools has been written about by theorists and education specialists; Tripp's analysis is as a daily classroom practitioner. He describes his involvement in successful programs, which instead of infantilizing and patronizing students encouraged them to function as independent people responsible for their own progress. We hear from the students as they weigh the influence of nontraditional learning on their lives. Tripp, a realist and a radical who would abolish grades, makes the very basic point that education must involve students; it should give them the tools--and inclination--to use reason, not just rote memory. The author offers an eleven-point ``temporary fix'' for the problems of public high schools as they are presently configured, but the heart of his prescription is ``The Grow/Learn System'' aimed at a rethinking of how we see the role of student, teacher and education. Tripp's impassioned and authoritative voice deserves to be heard. (Sept.)

Library Journal

This book is an analysis of public high schools based on Tripp's 30-year odyssey as a teacher. Most educators and parents agree that the present school system needs constructive change. But to what extent and in which direction should education reform be applied? The author argues that schools should actively engage students in the process of their own learning. He provides many suggestions for infusing learning with critical thinking, citing perceptions and opinions gleaned from his survey of former students. These observations add a measure of reality to his proposal to improve today's public high schools through short- and long-term changes. The enthusiasm of his analysis makes this valuable and enjoyable reading. Recommended for collections serving educators, school administrators, and concerned parents.-- Samuel T. Huang, Northern Illinois Univ. Libs., DeKalb History