Here is my response to the piece I read. It would normally be longer, but 200 words is their limit. Probably a good thing-I use too many words.
"School Reform Can't Wait" (Dec.26, Times Union)
did not address the true problems with education reform, and in fact was an
example of the problem. Centering the debate around the cost of education, and continually
placing faith in test numbers and those outside of the classroom in the
diagnosing and treating of symptoms is the least likely way to arrive at a
cure. In fact-there has been no rational debate on what is important to the public in the directing and managing
of public schools to begin with. Do we continue to ignore that the U.S. has the
second highest level of child poverty in the 34 economically advanced nations?
Do we continue to avoid mentioning that when controlling for poverty our scores
are among the best? Instead of either, let's just talk priorities: do we
continue to allow private interests at the very economic top put our public
schools to work for them and frame the issue in the press and media?
"College and career" ready should give pause. College debt and growing
corporate wealth with shrinking job return is the reality. More recent calls to
"compete" with India and China should sound alarms. Are those our new
"standards"?
It's almost all editorial boards. Times, Post, Newsday and DN as well. I think that's how you get a gig as an editor for the rich people or corporate conglomerates that own these outlets - you shill for education reform. Often times the editorials in these papers directly contradict the news sections of the same papers. Certainly was true of the Bloomberg Years in NYC. Papers would report test scores down in the news section while the editorial writers still hailed Bloomberg test scores going up on the editorial pages.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, and this is only a milder example. The NY Post just had one that more or less advocates for pedal-to-the-medal advancement of more difficult tests (our students deserve it, our schools need it...etc). Absolute avoidance of real issues. But I expect it from the Post. Where is the REAL media?
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