The ‘No Excuses’ Approach
by Marc Severson on Jul. 21, 2011, under UncategorizedI read with interest the article by my collegue, Loretta Hunnicutt 1).
While I laud Ms Hunnicutt’s ‘no excuses’ approach to the issue of whether the effect of HB2281 is a fable or fairy tale I have to disagree with the assessment that “experienced teachers in well-funded classrooms” are the equalizer in education. I do not want anyone to think I denigrate the importance of experienced teachers and adequate funding for classrooms would be heavenly while well-funded classrooms are simply a dream or perhaps a distant memory.
My argument is with the term ‘equalizer’. I have seen experienced teachers, and many and many a year ago in a kingdom in the desert, I taught in a well-funded district. Yet there were still those students who faltered, fell behind, could not keep up. In fact there were many of them. Beyond the factors mentioned by Ms. Hunnicutt there are significant pressures
