How So-Called “Education Reformers” Have Learned the Art of War
By David Greene
David Greene is a former 38-year Social Studies teacher and coach. He is also a program consultant for WISE Services, an organization that helps high schools create and run experiential learning programs for seniors. In addition, the author of “Doing the Right Thing: A Teacher Speaks,” is Treasurer of Save Our Schools, and an active blogger and speaker. His blogs have appeared in Diane Ravitch’s website, Education Weekly, US News and World Report, and the Washington Post. You can visit David Greene’s blog at http://dcgmentor.wordpress.com and follow him on Twitter@dcgmentor
I have been in education since 1970. I have observed a great many reforms, changes in curricula, and reversals in methodologies. I have watched an attack on public education since“A Nation At Risk” was published in 1983 grow in leaps and bounds. That attack started small, almost inconspicuously. Now it has burgeoned with ferocity few saw coming and fewer know how to combat.
One of the major problems in the fight to save public education has to do with understanding strategies. For example, the Washington Post’s Valerie Strauss recently posted an article about a fabulous teacher who won a contest to appear on “Live With Kelly and Michael” who had to quit because she could no longer “drill and kill” to prepare for PARCC exams. The issue stressed by Strauss was PARCC.
Here is the really sad thing: By forcing her and thousands out of teaching, the reformers win. Why? Because they get to replace great teachers with drones who know no better.
I have been active on Facebook groups against Common Core, against standardized tests, for teachers, for parents, or against charter schools. Each site has its own myopic view of the issue. I have witnessed fights, harassment, and division between parents and teachers on many of these subjects. Few have a long view. Few see besides their own particular “hurtful” issue.
On the other hand, the “Education Deformers” do a great job at long-term planning. While we squabble among each other about which thrust they use against public education, they know they are on their way to their end game: destroying public education. So while they divide parents and teachers or elementary school people with secondary by having us branch off vs. Charter Schools, CCSS or PARCC, or OPTING OUT…. they march forward forcing good teachers and administrators out, increasing charter schools, so that even when we win our battles vs. these, they will have won the war, unless we see it and resolve not to let them do that to us.
They know and understand this idea from Sun Tzu’s Art of War. “All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what How So-Called "Education Reformers" Have Learned the Art of War | EdCircuit:
