The Narcissism of School ‘Reform’
The Narcissism of School ‘Reform’
by John Thompson
This week, two icons of the contemporary school “reform” — the Gates Foundation and Michelle Rhee — illustrated the movement’s essence. And it wasn’t pretty. They exemplify the late Christopher Lasch’s concept of the “culture of narcissism.”
Lasch was at its best when describing cultural losses due to deindustrialization. The year his masterpiece was published, 1979, was the time when manufacturing jobs peaked. Since then, 40 percent of those jobs have disappeared. Industrial employment had provided purposeful activity and a sense of dignity. The end of the old model of work damaged the family and it explains the biggest reasons why it is so difficult to improve low-income schools.
In post-industrial America, work became more of “an exercise in presentation,” and the workplace became “more
by John Thompson
This week, two icons of the contemporary school “reform” — the Gates Foundation and Michelle Rhee — illustrated the movement’s essence. And it wasn’t pretty. They exemplify the late Christopher Lasch’s concept of the “culture of narcissism.”
Lasch was at its best when describing cultural losses due to deindustrialization. The year his masterpiece was published, 1979, was the time when manufacturing jobs peaked. Since then, 40 percent of those jobs have disappeared. Industrial employment had provided purposeful activity and a sense of dignity. The end of the old model of work damaged the family and it explains the biggest reasons why it is so difficult to improve low-income schools.In post-industrial America, work became more of “an exercise in presentation,” and the workplace became “more
