The Gates Team Wants To Swing For The Education Fences. Maybe There’s A Better Way For Them To Play.
It says something about Bill Gates that after using the expression “swing for the fences” in the title of his foundation’s annual letter, he also feels the need to explain it:
That’s a phrase many Americans will recognize from baseball. When you swing for the fences, you’re putting every ounce of strength into hitting the ball as far as possible. You know that your bat might miss the ball entirely—but that if you succeed in making contact, the rewards can be huge.
It also explains why, after twenty years, Bill and Melinda Gates have yet to get near the fences on education.
The Gates legacy in education includes several expensive whiffs. There was the small schools initiative, on which he spent $2 billion, and then there was the initiative for improving teachers, which was less expensive, but no more successful. And then there’s the Common Core standards, behind which Gates threw an immeasurable amount of money and influence. All created far more disruption and expense than anything resembling success.
All of these were, in fact, swing for the fences initiatives—attempts to hit a home run that ultimately stirred the air over home plate.
Educators have watched the Gates’ take multiple times at bat and wondered if they have learned CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: The Gates Team Wants To Swing For The Education Fences. Maybe There’s A Better Way For Them To Play.