In Defense of a Liberal Education

Zakaria, Fareed. In Defense of a Liberal Education. 2015. 204p. ISBN 978-0-393-24768-8. Available at 370.11 ZAK on the library shelves.

In this book, Zakaria argues that over the last decade, public education has been negatively transformed following the implementation of No Child Left Behind and Common Core, with their emphasis on testing and on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) at the expense of liberal arts such as English and history. As a result, the ability to write clearly and express a concise and convincing argument has diminished. These abilities, he argues, are timeless and will continue to have value and currency even as the STEM subjects themselves become supplanted by more advanced vocational knowledge and are replaced by completely different skills. For example, the current focus on coding in schools arises because of the high demand for computer coders in Silicon Valley and elsewhere in the economy, but the computing language and methods being taught are already becoming obsolete. Schools are thus preparing students for jobs that most likely will not exist in ten to twenty years.

Thus, Zakaria argues, it is time to return to what a liberal education stood for, including the ability to think for oneself and synthesize information and knowledge, to continuously learn, and to master the export and applicability of skills to multiple tasks. Moreover, liberal education excels at fostering creativity, something that is often absent in STEM curriculum, and with the rise of online platforms the ability to pursue a liberal education is poised to become ubiquitous and prevalent throughout the world.