The “Naïve Expert” Problem in Market Paradigm and Education Reform
In a letter written to Charles Thompson in 1787, Thomas Jefferson stated: "The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees, in every object, only the traits which favor that theory." The dangers inherent in the ideologue may have been central to Jefferson's faith in democracy wedded to his personal and political commitment to the necessity for universal public education.
Without a well-informed citizenry, what chance did democracy have to seek the ideals standing before humans—ideals such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?
Rarely do those of us fortunate to be living in that democracy—that possibility—have the discussion about the inherent tension between whose voice matters (every adult holding the equal power of one-person-one-vote) and the disproportionate weight of expertise.
Nested in the education reform debate, particularly within the voice of free market advocates, lies the
Without a well-informed citizenry, what chance did democracy have to seek the ideals standing before humans—ideals such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?
Rarely do those of us fortunate to be living in that democracy—that possibility—have the discussion about the inherent tension between whose voice matters (every adult holding the equal power of one-person-one-vote) and the disproportionate weight of expertise.
Nested in the education reform debate, particularly within the voice of free market advocates, lies the