Questioning Education Reformers' Motives: The Big Taboo
When Lyndsey Layton interviewed Bill Gates a few months ago, she violated one of the major taboos of the education reform discourse. She suggested that he needed to respond to concerns being raised about his personal financial motives in supporting the Common Core.
Here is her question, as transcribed by Mercedes Schneider (minute 14:30 in the video above):
Here is her question, as transcribed by Mercedes Schneider (minute 14:30 in the video above):
Layton: There are some people who, when they hear the speech that you just gave where you were talking about standardization and common standards will help drive innovation and help us have this, the online revolution in a way that, that this part of the economy has really been untouched; that it's important that if we have common standards, then we can really open up the online, the benefits of the online revolution in education. There are people who hear that and think, 'That's what he's doing. He really wants this because he wants to encourage the technology industry because he's the cofounder of Microsoft. It's, it's, he's being driven by business interests here.' What, how would you respond to that?Gates' response is interesting. At first he pretends to not even understand what Layton could possibly be suggesting:
Gates: Uh, I think, you're, you're sticking to the political side of this thing. Uhh...
Layton: I'm from the Washington Post. We're in Washington.
Gates: Do you think that passes, do you think that passes muster?
Layton: I, I don't know. I am not, I, this is the first time we've met...
Gates: Okay, so give me the, give me the logic here.
Layton: The logic is...
Gates: What is it that you're saying? It's all a lot of self-interest? It's...
Layton: That, no, that that's, that that's one of the driving forces behind your embrace of the Common Core.
Gates: Meaning what?
Layton: Meaning Microsoft and Pearson just signed a deal to, to put the Common Core curriculum on
Questioning Education Reformers' Motives: The Big Taboo - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: