Tone, pt. 1: Does Tone Matter in the Education Reform Debate?
[NOTE: The topic of the appropriate tone for making and debating points in education reform will not die; thus, I am reposting two pieces on tone, both originally posted at Daily Kos in 2012. Let me be clear that it is absolutely true that tone matters, but I also have learned that the charge of inappropriate tone tends to come from those in power to put the powerless in their "place" and from those who have no substantive point to make. In the end, I call for addressing the credibility and validity of the claims being made first and then, if relevant, we can discuss tone.]
While shoddy arguments remain the target of freshman composition professors in colleges and universities across the U.S., ad hominem attacks, cherry-picking data, straw man arguments, either/or claims, and sweeping generalizations have become the norm in the education reform debate maintaining momentum in both the mainstream and new media.
For example, Ken Libby prompted a Twitter debate concerning the tone of arguments coming from educators, scholars, and researchers, suggesting that the tone of their arguments were keeping them from being heard.
At the Shanker Blog, Matthew Di Carlo has also confronted this trend, calling
Radical Scholarship 9-14-13
Radical Scholarship: Whatever Happened to Scientifically Based Research in Education Policy? | AlternetWhatever Happened to Scientifically Based Research in Education Policy? | Alternet1 by P. L. Thomas / 2h YESTERDAYREVIEW: Flight Behavior, Barbara Kingsolver | the becoming radicalREVIEW: Flight Behavior, Barbara Kingsolver | the becoming radical1 by P. L. Thomas / 22h SEP 12Schools Matter @ the
