The Sizer side thinks that the problem of the schools is that Hirsch’s vision is already well ensconced in the education establishment; Hirsch thinks the exact same thing about Sizer. Both arguments make a certain sense, and one is reminded of the old Jewish joke of the two men who come to a rabbi with a dispute. The first explains the problem, and the rabbi says, “You’re right!” The second gives his side, and the rabbi says, “You’re right!” The first protests, “Rabbi, we can’t both be right,” and the rabbi responds, perplexed, “You’re right, too.”In fact, the new research suggests that the rabbi was right–in that Sizer’s approach is right for some students and Hirsch’s is right for others.
(Nathan Glazer)
