The piece is mainly about the textbook's author, Zig Engelmann, and the instructional methodology it was created for: Direct Instruction. Direct Instruction, according to the New Yorker article and DI's website, places the "willingness to follow certain carefully prescribed instructional practices" above the creativity and knowledge of individual teachers. Or, according to Engelmann himself, "We don't give a damn what the teacher thinks, what the teacher feels."
Though Engelmann might not like the comparison (the article describes him as "hard left" politically), it seems to me that this is a perfect metaphor for the Bush Administration. Republican party trappings notwithstanding, this president seems to have no interest whatsoever in letting the people who actually know what they're doing do it without interference. Doctors may not tell patients about abortion options. Scientists must modify their reports to match political expectations. Long-time Iraq analysts are ignored in the build-up to war. States may not decide issues of marriage law on their own. Homeland Security gets all the money it wants, but local police and fireman must make do.
Despite political differences, Bush should go ahead and make Engelmann a speech-writer. Then his campaign motto could be, "We don't give a damn what you think, what you feel."
* The first Amazon review for this book is classic:
"After reading the enclosed story "The Pet Goat," I was stunned by its lyrical beauty and easy cadence. The tempo, the choice of words, and the layout on each page captured my imagination so much that it took me about seven minutes to recover my bearings."[cross-posted at DugBlog]