Essay questions for education ‘reformers’
paid associate member
Robert Shepherd says:
As a member of the Billionaire Boys’ Club, or as one of the paid associates of the BBC, you . . .1. believe that extraordinarily complex skills like reading and writing ability can be validly and reliably measured by simple, objective
tests.Explain how that could possibly be so. Please draw upon your extensive knowledge of the relevant scientific literature.2. believe that innovation comes about when free persons conceive of varied goods and services that compete with one another in a free market in which users choose the goods and services that they wish to purchase and use.Explain how this belief can be reconciled with a) a single set of mandatory national standards for all students, b) a single set of mandatory high-stakes national tests, c) a single national database of all student test scores and responses, and d) scripted literacy lessons that all teachers must follow to the letter.3. believe that all students should follow the same standards and take the same
