Dear Jonathan Alter (Again)
Dear Jonathan Alter,
I wrote you last November with concerns I had about a piece you wrote for Newsweek: "A Case of Senioritis." You responded and, to be fair, seemed initially open to having a real dialogue. You did not, however, engage with me beyond that initial email. I can understand that. I'm sure you're busy. But after reading your piece, "Don't Believe Critics, Education Reform Works," I find myself again compelled to raise some very serious concerns.
While the majority of your column was written in response to Diane Ravitch's work, my purpose in writing to you is not to defend her. Dr Ravtich is quite capable of doing so on her own. Instead, I'd like to respond to your ideas and rhetorical techniques. It is my hope that we might find a more constructive way to present our perspectives on education reform.
First and foremost, please, for the love of God, stop referring to people who disagree with corporate reform as "the forces of the status quo." Any time someone uses that phrase, I am immediately disinclined to give them any more of my time. It is both obnoxious and beyond exhausted. More importantly, there are many legitimate concerns with the corporate reform model. To suggest that anyone who resists it is against education reform (as
I wrote you last November with concerns I had about a piece you wrote for Newsweek: "A Case of Senioritis." You responded and, to be fair, seemed initially open to having a real dialogue. You did not, however, engage with me beyond that initial email. I can understand that. I'm sure you're busy. But after reading your piece, "Don't Believe Critics, Education Reform Works," I find myself again compelled to raise some very serious concerns.
While the majority of your column was written in response to Diane Ravitch's work, my purpose in writing to you is not to defend her. Dr Ravtich is quite capable of doing so on her own. Instead, I'd like to respond to your ideas and rhetorical techniques. It is my hope that we might find a more constructive way to present our perspectives on education reform.
First and foremost, please, for the love of God, stop referring to people who disagree with corporate reform as "the forces of the status quo." Any time someone uses that phrase, I am immediately disinclined to give them any more of my time. It is both obnoxious and beyond exhausted. More importantly, there are many legitimate concerns with the corporate reform model. To suggest that anyone who resists it is against education reform (as
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