Schooling For Holistic Equity

There is no question that the American education system is in crisis. There is a significant risk that the mainstream school system will cheat children out of some - if not all - of the education they deserve because a pervasive, hidden curriculum utterly fails to support the well-being of students and educators. Students are expected to act like data-processing machines, but real human beings do not act like machines. In his groundbreaking book "Schooling for Holistic Equity," Don Berg explores the reasons for current high levels of student and teacher disengagement, the disconnect between educational goals and results, and the "fauxachievement" and shallow learning that prove woefully inadequate in preparing students for higher education or the workforce.

A psychologist with more than twenty years of experience in education, Berg lays out the foundation for a scientific understanding of deeper learning grounded in Self-Determination Theory and the primary human needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. He shows how the central problem in our schools has less to do with academic instruction and more to do with the psychology of learning. His model for educational design, called Catalytic Pedagogy, is a comprehensive plan to bring about large-scale, systems-level change.

Psychological research shows us how to engage and motivate people, and recognizing human needs provides us with the exact guidance necessary to proceed as effective learners and teachers. Schools should be - and can be - joyful places where passionate teachers teach enthusiastic students. It's time for a transformation in education, and Berg's trailblazing model shows us the way.