Sleeping With the Enemy
Like most political-junkie Americans, I sometimes wonder how James Carville and Mary Matalin stay marriedand--presumably--live together harmoniously. Carville says the secret is surrender, capitulation and retreat. His wife replies that this is a typical liberal response--she credits "faith, family and good wine" for their happily functional home.
This actually might be the bifurcated model of school reform today: The reformy crowd has faith that their policies will eventually transform education (even though evidence isn't actually bearing this out at the moment); in the meantime they huddle with their reform family and congratulate themselves by living well, starting charters and writing grants for their non-profits. Many garden-variety public school teachers and school leaders, on the other hand, have espoused surrender, capitulation and retreat.
Some educators have moved to full-blown collaboration and fraternization with the reformy army: Young teachers