Waiting for…a Champion of Progressive Education
Alexander Russo at This Week in Education has an outstanding post today about watching out for the “anti-reform wrecking ball.” I think the TFA/Michelle Rhee/KIPP/etc reformers can get incredibly frustrated when their opponents consistently tear down new ideas and models in education without proposing solutions of their own or pointing to models that they think are working. And I absolutely agree with Russo that “it’s time for a more positive, hopeful narrative, with a new set of examples and heroes illustrating an alternative path to success.” But here’s one problem I see: the anti-reform wrecking ball may have already done too much damage. That is, opponents of reform have spent so much time using the wrecking ball that they’ve actually torn down their own progressive models of education.
Here’s an example. There’s a school in Harlem that many might describe as a “community school.” It’s small, with a joyfu