Education

Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "The Book Wars" by James Atlas. It's the latest book in the growing debate over whether or not students should be required to read a set curriculum of "great books." Maureen says the more interesting thing about the book is that it's filled with ads for Federal Express.

Edward Fiske, the education correspondent for the New York Times. Fiske's new book is called "Smart Schools, Smart Kids: Why Do Some Schools Work?" In it, Fiske looks at the decline of the American school system, and he examines some of the grass-roots programs that are reversing that trend. (It's published by Simon and Schuster). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

J. P. Bianchi is a Social Studies supervisor for Community School District 8 in the Bronx. He stopped teaching in 1986, and is now responsible for the shape of the Social Studies curriculum for the entire district. A recent New York Board of Regents report examined the state of Social Studies, and Bianchi comments.

We discuss free speech on college campuses with ACLU counsel Ed Chen, Nat Hentoff, University of Wisconsin legal counsel Pat Hodulik, and Brown University President Vartan Gregorian.

Diane Ravitch has written many books about American education, and she teaches history at Columbia University. Her new book, "The American Reader," is an anthology of classic speeches, poems, and songs that she feels should be taught in the schools. Ravitich believes American history should be inclusive the many cultures in the Unite States, but opposes ethno-centric curricula.

Novelist and former academic David Lodge's writing is steeped in the language of literary criticism. Many of his books are set in a university -- including his newest, Nice Work, about a businessman who fall in love with a professor.

John Leonard reviews Geoffrey Wolff's new, semi-autobiographical novel, about a young man's education in Princeton and subsequent life as a privileged adult.

Film critic Stephen Schiff has no taste for the high school movies that proliferated in the 1980s. But he likes films that celebrate youthful energy and rebellion against authority, like Pump Up the Volume. The movie, about a teenage radio DJ, features an excellent performance by star Christian Slater.

In anticipation of the new season, networks have been trying to one-up with each other with pilots of new shows. TV critic David Bianculli says NBC's Parenthood is the best of the bunch, while Hull High can't compete.

Teacher Jessica Siegel and reporter Samuel Freedman. Freedman wrote an account of a year in Siegel's classroom.

Filmmaker Michael Roemer. In 1969, Roemer wrote, directed, and co-produced (with Robert Young) a movie called "The Plot Against Harry," about a small-time New York gangster trying to go straight. Now, 20 years later, the film is finally being released, and to huge critical acclaim. Roemer and Young also worked together on a number of documentaries and "Nothing But A Man," a 1964 film about blacks in the South. Since the 60s, Roemer has taught at Yale University and worked on several projects for public television.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan shares her thoughts on David Lodge's "Souls and Bodies."

Commentator Maureen Corrigan recently attended the annual conference of the Modern Language Association in Washington D.C. She reports on what the academics are discussing and it's relevance to the rest of us.

Maureen Corrigan reviews "Among Schoolchildren," Tracy Kidder's year-long look at an inner city elementary school. Kidder's previous books include "House," and "The Soul of a New Machine," about the creation of the personal computer.

Robert Kaplow and The Punsters return to Fresh Air with advice on how to get through the new school year. The Punsters are Kaplow, Tim Korzun, Carmen Presti, Michael Townsend, Marc Lanzoff, Ken Cohen, and Lou Ippolitio. (Produced by Tim Korzun)

Conway grew up in Australia and was home-schooled until college. Her new memoir, The Road from Coorain, looks at how her academic pursuits eventually led her to become Smith College's first woman president.

Film critic Stephen Schiff says the new, boarding-school themed movie never really allows star Robin Williams to cut loose; the younger actors, while good, exist in a kind of bland never-land. It's a departure from the normal Hollywood summer fare, but audiences will be turned off by the film's self-righteous piety.

Part 2 of the Fresh Air interview. Crowe talks about how, at 22, he posed as a high school student to research his movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. He says youth culture had already changed drastically in the four years since he had graduated, especially with rise of Reagan youth.

26-year-old Daniel Waters wrote the new black comedy Heathers, about high school cliques and teenage suicide. He joins Fresh Air to discuss the thinking behind his macabre satire.

Film critic Stephen Schiff hoped that the age of the teen comedy was over -- but he was impressed by Heathers, which captures the emotional intensity of high school life.