“The Shame of American Education” Redux

Skinner’s classic article is reinterpreted in light of contemporary events. Skinner principally blamed cognitive psychology and colleges of education for the shameful state of American education. This paper asserts it is the philosophy of progressive education and its dominant influence over how teachers are trained that are largely the causes of American educational ineffectiveness. The authors analyze progressive education and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) using organizational, metacontingency, and macrocontingency analysis. The authors support NCLB’s and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act’s (IDEA) emphasis on science-based pedagogy as a step in the right direction.