"...But no one other than teachers seems to know or care."

[Smarmie Doofus]

Diane Ravitch - Education Week

Yeah... it sure does seem that way.

What do DUers think about this debate?

DO we think about it? Do we / did we *use* public schools? Do our kids? WILL they? How about the GRAND-kids?

What accounts for ( what APPEARS to be) the generalized lack of interest in something one would think that EVERYONE would be all over?

Significance and interest seem oddly disconnected. I don't quite get it.




>>>But no one other than teachers seems to know or care. My view: indiscriminate, mass layoffs—with no individual evaluations—demoralize everyone and sunder the bonds of trust that are so necessary for school improvement.

I worry about the one-sided treatment of education issues, not only in Rhode Island, but in the national media. The corporate reformers seem shocked when anyone questions their narrative. They see no downside to their dogmatic belief in closing schools and firing principals and teachers, nor to their dogmatic faith that higher test scores are the goal of education. They accuse critics of "defending the status quo," even though it is they who are the status quo, the champions of get-tough accountability. They don't understand that they might be wrong, that their critics deserve a hearing, and that disagreement is healthy. >>>>

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/Bridging-Differences/2011/05/why_wont_reformers_listen.html#comments

[notesdev]

1. The bottom line with our schools

Anyone who wants their kid to come out as a literate, functional adult has two choices:

1) Live in the right ZIP code
2) Go private

[Hannah Bell]

2. i.e. have money. whoop, stop the presses.

[Smarmie Doofus]

4. So are we all "leafy greeners" here? And....

...doesn't the school "reform" debate have any ramifications for suburbanites?


Or is all the fuss limited to low-income, esp. urban districts?

[Pholus]

5. No, three.

3) Get. Involved.

Corporate education isn't the answer to this.

[roguevalley]

8. or beat Obama's ass. he's no better on this issue than the pigs.

[sense]

10. No, four.

Homeschool. I hate that name. We refer to ourselves as facilitators and our children as free to learn. Take them out of confinement and facilitate a better education. Not inconceivable and being done every day. Millions of resources out there, mostly free and easy to access. Home schooling as a means to expose them to more of the world, not less. No bibles involved, except as literature, which disqualifies most of it.....

[Maat]

12. +1 (n/t)

[Angry Dragon]

3. The reformers see money

It takes a great deal of money to educate the youth of this country and it is just another money grab.
Follow the money

[Smarmie Doofus]

7. Quite so. There is that. But where IS everyone?

Why aren't people *involved* in this issue.

Why are they not even *curious*.

Their lack of curiosity is itself a curiosity.

[Scottybeamer70]

6. The big corporations

seemed determined to destroy public education in this country......and probably other countries too.
What on earth would Bill & Melinda Gates know about teaching? Not a damn thing. They just want to
line their pockets with more money..........it's all about the money..........and I don't know what
we have to do to stop it. It does seem that not too many are concerned about the situation though.
Maybe it's because so many are just busy trying to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.
Schools have an effect on just about everyone in every community, but there doesn't seem to be much
interest as the system is slowly demolished. Sad situation for this country.

[Smarmie Doofus]

9. Kick. Not breaking much new ground here.But a reaffirmation of the problem.

Why aren't people more interested?

[defendandprotect]

11. -- and aren't majority of teachers also still female -- ?