What the New York Times Left Out
Posted: 09/12/2013 11:04 am
Yesterday, the New York Times published an article about my forthcoming book that turned out to be a profile of me. The reporter, Motoko Rich, did a good job of describing me, my dog Mitzi, and the basic facts of my unusual philosophical and political journey over the past few decades.
The headline was wrong, however, and I know that reporters don't write headlines. Whoever wrote it is out of touch. The headline said: "Loud Voice Fighting Tide of New Trend in Education." I would have preferred an adjective other than "loud," like "strong" or "persistent." My megaphone is actually rather small, consisting of nothing more than my pen (actually, my computer). I don't know how "loud" my computer is. I also found objectionable the suggestion that I was fighting a "new trend." In fact, I am fighting the status quo. When a policy is shared by the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Congress, most governors and state legislatures, ALEC, Jeb Bush, the U.S. Chamber of