Kristof Shills, Loveless Scrutinizes
by Frederick M. Hess • Feb 21, 2012 at 9:17 am
Cross-posted from Education Week
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ShareLast week offered a classic illustration of edu-hype, courtesy of the New York Times. Fortunately, it also featured a trifecta of that much rarer edu-commodity--tough-minded, skeptical scrutiny--courtesy of the Brookings Institution's Tom Loveless (a man who may be allergic to edu-faddism).
Let's start with the NYT's latest contribution to the edufad spin machine. In 700 overwrought words, credulous columnist Nicholas Kristof penned a tardy Valentine's Day card to Randi Weingarten. Kristof apparently paid a visit to New Haven, got spun by the local p.r. machine, and wound up wowed by the sweet talk and the sterling sentiments of the mayor. He declared the results "jaw-dropping" and deemed New Haven "ground zero for school reform in America." What results? In one of the funnier sentences I've read of late, he explained, "It'll take years to verify that students themselves are benefiting, but it's striking that teachers and administrators alike seem happy with the new system." Ah, now that's shoe-leather reporting.
Kristof's use of "ground zero" may be off-putting, but the sentiment is swell. If only I had as much faith in his finely honed perception as he does. After all, his enthusiasm has been voiced countless times about countless districts in recent decades. The lack of irony is sweet, though it suggests that Kristof may be unaware that so
