David Labaree

Professor, Stanford University

David F Labaree is Lee L Jacks professor (emeritus) at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education. He is the former president of the History of Education Society and former vice president of the American Educational Research Association. His most recent book is A Perfect Mess: The Unlikely Ascendancy of American Higher Education (2017).

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Written by David Labaree

Vintage-looking photo of a large red brick building with a tall clock tower, surrounded by trees and a lawn.

essayEducation

Pluck versus luck

Meritocracy emphasises the power of the individual to overcome obstacles, but the real story is quite a different one

David Labaree

An open book with its pages fanned out; blurred shelves filled with books are in the background.

essayEducation

Gold among the dross

Academic research in the US is unplanned, exploitative and driven by a lust for glory. The result is the envy of the world

David Labaree

A young woman holding a pencil, concentrating on a test paper in a classroom, with hands at her temples.

essayEducation

The five-paragraph fetish

Writing essays by a formula was meant to be a step on the way. Now it’s the stifling goal for student and scholar alike

David Labaree

A sepia-toned photo of ten men in 19th-century attire, six standing and four seated in front, all colourised pink ribbons.

essayEducation

An unlikely triumph

In its first century the American higher-education system was a messy, disorganised joke. How did it rise to world dominance?

David Labaree