What Real Education Reform Looks Like

[xchrom]

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/what_real_education... /

As 2011 draws to a close, we can confidently declare that one of the biggest debates over education is—mercifully—resolved. We may not have addressed all of the huge challenges facing our schools, but we finally have empirical data ruling out apocryphal theories and exposing the fundamental problems.

We’ve learned, for instance, that our entire education system is not “in crisis,” as so many executives in the for-profit education industry insist when pushing to privatize public schools. On the contrary, results from Program for International Student Assessment exams show that American students in low-poverty schools are among the highest-achieving students in the world.

We’ve also learned that no matter how much self-styled education “reformers” claim otherwise, the always-demonized teachers’ unions are not holding our education system back. As The New York Times recently noted: “If unions are the primary cause of bad schools, why isn’t labor’s pernicious effect” felt in the very unionized schools that so consistently graduate top students?

Now, at year-end, we’ve learned from two studies just how powerful economics are in education outcomes—and how disadvantaged kids are being unduly punished by government policy.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Diane Ravitch says schools have been "in crisis" for as long as she can remember

Every generation has a reason to claim schools are in crisis, from Sputnick to Obama's presidency.

It's an old and tired claim. And utterly false.

[xchrom]

2. +1

[Starry Messenger]

3. +1

[Odin2005]

5. The "crisis" was made up by RWers originally to destroy California's educational system

Back in the 60s California's public school system was considered the best in the country. Then came a book called "Children at Risk" that castigated those public schools as an example of how public schools were "failing" our kids and needed fixing.

Essentially, the PTB are taking advantage of our Western cultural tendency towards perfectionism. We Westerners have a problem accepting "good enough", to us something is either perfect or it is a failure. One can see this in the language we use in our sports, games, and contests; you are considered a "loser" no matter if you are in last place or 2nd place. The "Education Reformers" want you to believe that anything short of perfection is failure. This attitude is infecting kids, too. I've heard a story about a young man who tried to kill himself because he didn't get straight A's.

We need to regain a sense of perspective and relearn the wisdom of "good enough".

[GeorgeGist]

4. Low-poverty schools ...

are the exception to the rule.

[LWolf]

6. Thank you. nt