Settler Colonialism, Bruce Catton, and Home Libraries: The Best Articles of the Week
To help you decide what to read this weekend, here are the best articles I read in the last week:
6. The author of On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice discusses a term that has become a fad among academics.
5. A profile of Civil War historian Bruce Catton.
4. A defense of the much-maligned Electoral College.
3. A high school English teacher reflects on the problem of grade inflation.
He observes: “Grades have only gone up since 2016, most notably since the pandemic, most prominently in higher-income school districts. Were this a true reflection of student achievement, it would be reason to celebrate, but the metrics have it differently. From 1998 to 2016, average high school G.P.A.s rose from 3.27 to 3.38, but average SAT scores fell from 1026 to 1002. ACT scores among the class of 2023 were the worst in over three decades.”
2. An author chronicles his experience of finishing the work of writing a book.
And now, the best article of the week: why you should have a massive home library.