Title Page & Abstract
An Interview with Dr. Paul Baker
Part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
Education is Key-1985 Educational Reform Act Oral History project
Interview # E85-A-L-2014-036
Paul Baker, Illinois State University professor emeritus, involved with evaluation and implementation of the Educational Reform Act 1985, was interviewed on the date listed below as part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library’s Education is Key – Educational Reform Act of 1985 Oral History project.
Interview dates & location:
Date: October 7, 2014 Location: Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois
Interview Format: Digital audio
Interviewer: Philip Pogue, ALPL Volunteer
Transcription by: Audio Transcription Center
Edited by: Leslie Struble and Janice Culp, ALPL volunteers
Total Pages: 31 pgs Total Time: 1:53 / 1.88 hrs.
Accessioned into the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Archives on December 10, 2014.
The interview is archived at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois.
© 2014 Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
Abstract
Paul Baker, 1985 Educational Reform Act, E85-A-L-2014-036
Biographical Information Overview of Interview: Paul Baker was born in Marion County, Ohio in February 1938. He graduated from Van Buren High School in Ohio in 1956. He earned a BA from Baldwin-Wallace College, an MA from Kent State University, and a PhD from Duke University in 1967. He majored in sociology. Dr. Baker worked at Illinois State University in the newly formed Sociology-Anthropology Department from 1965 to 1985. From 1985 to 2001 he moved to a new job, teaching in the Educational Administration and Foundation at Illinois State. Since 2001, Paul has served as an adjunct professor and has the recognition as being professor emeritus. He applied his skills as a sociologist to examine many educational topics, as part of his work in the Educational Administration. Dr. Baker has published many journal articles and books during his distinguished career.
This interview covers the research done by Dr. Paul Baker on the reforms that were implemented as a result of the 1985 Educational Reform Act. Being a participant in the research done prior to 1985 in such areas as school effectiveness, essential schools, critical thinking, learning communities, and active learners, Dr. Baker monitored and researched some of the act’s many reforms. He also served as a coach and researcher to help schools carry out specific reforms. As part of his practice as a researcher, Dr. Baker visited and observed school operations and classroom instruction. He highlights the complex nature of staff development and training, school effectiveness, and ways to build better schools. Dr. Baker gives a thorough overview of the history of Illinois’s reforms and the adjustments that have taken place over a forty-year period. He also discusses the research involving quality assurance and school improvement, assessment literacy, state mandated reforms, and other topics.
Key Topics: Educational Reform Act of 1985; effective and essential school movement; staff development; educational service centers; challenges of building better schools; quality review in evaluating schools; No Child Left Behind legislation; Common Core; student learning and measuring outcomes
Note to the Reader: Readers of the oral history memoir should bear in mind that this is a transcript of the spoken word and that the interviewer, interviewee, and editor sought to preserve the informal, conversational style that is inherent in such historical sources. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library is not responsible for the factual accuracy of the memoir, nor for the views expressed therein. We leave these for the reader to judge.
COPYRIGHT
The following material can be used for educational and other non-commercial purposes without the written permission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. “Fair use” criteria of Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 must be followed. These materials are not to be deposited in other repositories, nor used for resale or commercial purposes without the authorization from the Audio-Visual Curator at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, 112 N. 6th Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701. Telephone (217) 785-7955