Our interview with @ctulocal1 president Karen Lewis did a few things for me
Here’s the interview on Blog Talk Radio. What’s remarkable is that she spent so much time with us considering how busy things are going to be.
In any event, I had a few persistent thoughts after the interview.
One, the formula for underutilization in Chicago is partly based on square footage. That was a really interesting tidbit. So, is this kid per square foot? If the ratio is low enough, the school gets closed? Well, given that, what’s the ratio in an abandoned building?
Two, the broader connections that Ms. Lewis underscored. This is about more than just schools and education. It’s about poverty, wealth and income inequality, social class, and race. It is undeniable at this point that current reform initiatives are anything but paternalistic, liberal do-gooder racism run amok. If our only problem was dealing with the neoliberals and free market ideology, that would be a war on one visible front. But with liberal do-
In any event, I had a few persistent thoughts after the interview.
One, the formula for underutilization in Chicago is partly based on square footage. That was a really interesting tidbit. So, is this kid per square foot? If the ratio is low enough, the school gets closed? Well, given that, what’s the ratio in an abandoned building?
Two, the broader connections that Ms. Lewis underscored. This is about more than just schools and education. It’s about poverty, wealth and income inequality, social class, and race. It is undeniable at this point that current reform initiatives are anything but paternalistic, liberal do-gooder racism run amok. If our only problem was dealing with the neoliberals and free market ideology, that would be a war on one visible front. But with liberal do-
Education Policy Flap Canvey Island, Essex (UK)
“A school’s decision to ban triangular flapjacks after a pupil was hurt has been labelled ‘half-baked’ by critics,”reports News UK BBC.*
This flap over food puts into perspective U.S. education reform debates about VAM, KIPP, and CCSS, but the UK controversy has prompted some debate as well: “It’s very silly. You’d have thought teachers would have more pressing concerns on their minds than the shape of snacks and puddings,” explains one source.
The incident is covered further at News Essex BBC (with video including advert you cannot skip) and The
This flap over food puts into perspective U.S. education reform debates about VAM, KIPP, and CCSS, but the UK controversy has prompted some debate as well: “It’s very silly. You’d have thought teachers would have more pressing concerns on their minds than the shape of snacks and puddings,” explains one source.
The incident is covered further at News Essex BBC (with video including advert you cannot skip) and The
The Gap No One Wants to Talk About
The achievement gap is misleading because it keeps the focus on all the wrong things. That gap is simply a metric for a root cause gap—the inequity gap.
But even more troubling is that addressing the achievement gap or simply allowing the term itself to be a default fact is ultimately a tremendous distraction that serves the privileged.
The gap no one wants to talk about is the ever-widening wealth gap in the U.S.
Consider a typical (and, again, distracting) claim: But the top 20% income earners pay 64% of taxes!
Ever wonder why? Because, in 2009, the top 20% made 59% of the income:
But even more troubling is that addressing the achievement gap or simply allowing the term itself to be a default fact is ultimately a tremendous distraction that serves the privileged.
The gap no one wants to talk about is the ever-widening wealth gap in the U.S.
Consider a typical (and, again, distracting) claim: But the top 20% income earners pay 64% of taxes!
Ever wonder why? Because, in 2009, the top 20% made 59% of the income:
| Table 7: Distribution of income in the United States, 1982-2009 |
Income
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| Top 1 percent | Next 19 percent | Bottom 80 percent | |
| 1982 | 12.8% | 39.1% | 48.1% |
| 1988 | 16.6% | 38.9% | 44.5% |
| 1991 | 15.7% | 40.7% | 43.7% |
| 1994 | 14.4% | 40.8%
By all means, give @educationweek your suggestions about #commoncore
Please, dear reader, head on over and tell them what you think.
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