Lisa Simpson and why reform isn't really reform
My guest is Kevin G. Welner, professor of education policy and program evaluation in the School of Education at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and director of the National Education Policy Center. He can be reached at welner@colorado.edu. By Kevin G. Welner In an old episode of The Simpsons, Lisa mounts a campaign against a Barbie-like doll called “Malibu Stacy” that spouts sexist phrases such as, “Let's wear makeup so the boys will like us,” and “Math is hard.” Lisa appears to win over the other girls at the store with her solid arguments against the sexist doll, but then “new” Malibu Stacy dolls are brought out and the girls crowd around in excitement. The only thing new, however, is a new hat. Same doll – new hat. I’m reminded of that when I hear all the talk these days about school “reformers.” Their reforms seem oddly familiar. They