Oakwood School




	A letter from Jim Astman Not much more than a century ago, a debate raged in academic circles about techniques for measuring intelligence. A highly respected scientist named Samuel Morton had developed a widely accepted method of determining cranial capacity. He filled the cranial cavity of a skull with white mustard seed and, by pouring the seed into a graduated cylinder, determined cranial volume. The greater the volume, the greater the intelligence. The procedure was problematic for at least two reasons: first, the person had to be dead; and second, the mustard seed generated inaccurate measurements because its consistency changed when the humidity was high. Morton was thought to have made a great advance when he replaced the mustard seed with eighth-inch buckshot, since the buck-shot was not affected by dampness. Now, it was believed, intelligence could finally be measured accurately! (It was H.L. Mencken who said that "for every complex problem there is a solution that is precise, simple, clear, and wrong.") We can snicker at this crude practice, and at the set of assumptions that gave rise to it, but the truth is that much of modern education remains mired in the notion that intelligence is a fixed and easily measurable quality... Link to entire text.



	James Astman has been Headmaster of Oakwood School in North Hollywood, California, for the past 27 years, where he teaches courses in psychological theory and Biblical thought.. He has also served as Adjunct Professor of Education at Claremont Graduate School and as Visiting Scholar at Stanford University. Currently, he teaches child development and family systems to third year residents in the UC Psychiatric Training Program at the Sepulveda VA. Jim has chaired numerous accreditation committees for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and served on the Boards of the National Association of Independent Schools, the California Association of Independent Schools (for which he headed the statewide Committee on Standardized Testing), and the Council for Religion in Independent Schools. The author of numerous articles on reading and curriculum, professional growth and development, and learning differences, Dr. Astman is completing a book (A Dangerous Guide to the Forest) exploring the moral and spiritual dimensions of education.

Oakwood Secondary School
11600 Magnolia Boulevard, North Hollywood, California 91601-3015
Phone 818-752-4400 · Fax 818-766-1285
Oakwood Elementary School
11230 Moorpark Street, North Hollywood, California 91602-2602
Phone 818-752-4444 · Fax 818-752-4466
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	Diversity Day 2008 Jim's opening remarks, ""What makes this work so hard—and so important". Letters to Oakwood At the beginning of every school year, Jim Astman welcomes us back with a letter that introduces new faculty and provides the Oakwood community with a jump start to the new school year. 2007-08 Archived Letters: 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 Sherman Oaks Sun Jim Astman headlined the Sherman Oaks Sun in an article written by Parent Organization Historian, Noe Gold. Read the article.