Reflections on Perelman's School's Out

Perleman (1993) claimed that the present US educational system is a threat to our economy. He argured that the function of schools and the purpose of degrees do not support preparing people to work with hyperlearning tools in a knowledge-based economy that will require "mindcraft" instead of handicraft. Perleman's article and book School's Out: A Radical New Formula for the Revitalization of America's Educational System(1992) asked some important questions that could guide real education reform. For example, his comments on the accessiblity of technology by the "have and the have nots," revising the nature of vouchers, the potential of anytime, anywhere access to information, and the reasons for past government reform failures are important factors in real school reform. However, his fantasies about how and why hyperlearning(HL) will make teachers, schools, and credentials obsolete were tenuous, at best.

For instance, his argument about the role of the Microsoft Access "Wizards" and "Cue Cards" did not reflect the nature of teaching and learning. He claimed that the HL would make schools obsolete because an Access's wizard could replace a professional programmer by asking questions that only required a click as the wizard performed the work. He said that Cue Cards provide a coaching function and would situate learning within the data the person is working through. These "expert" systems he stated would make the teacher obsolete by providing just-in time training and information. However, his example says nothing about the true nature of learning and teaching. It is not apparent by asking a wizard that students have moved through any of Bloom's (1971) domains of learning. It is also not an assurance that any of these HL technologies are designed well to support learning and thinking in ways that the Bishop framework (2000) suggested. The example of using an expert system was a poor example of teaching. The manner in which it conveyed the know-how was no different from direct instruction by a teacher. The only new information he introduced was situating learning and immediate feedback and access to information. A teacher with students in a constructivist one-to-one learning environment can accomplish this and more.

Finally, Perleman's fantasies about attaining and showing competency without credentials was also weak. It would be highly inefficient not to have some type of certification to assess the baseline information workers and students need to operate in certain environments. Did he really think that someone who believes he can be a heart surgeon can perform a successful operation by using hyperlearning tutorials? How many tutorials does one need to go through and for how long before he or she is deemed competent? Does he think that assessment and competency don't play a role in the conferring of a degree or certificate? His argument would be stronger and more credible if he suggested we reform aspects of or degrees and not eliminate them.

References:
Bishop, M. J. (2000). The systematic use of sound in multimedia instruction to enhance learning. (Doctoral dissertation, Lehigh University, 2000). Dissertation Abstracts International, 61(07), 2669.

Bloom, B. (1971). Mastery learning. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.

Perleman, L.J. (1992). School's out: A radical new formula for the revitalization of Amercia's educational system. New York: Avon Books.

Perelman, L. (1993). School’s out: The hyperlearning revolution will replace public education. Wired Magazine, 1(1), March/April. Retrieved April 16, 2006, from http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.01/hyperlearning.html.