CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION + ICYMI: Here's September Edition (9/1)

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Here's September Edition (9/1)

ICYMI: Here's September Edition (9/1)

Here we go-- it's an actual new month after August (which always seems about 5 days long). Here are some things to read from this week. Share!

A College Reading List for the Post-Truth Era   

From Forbes, an interesting batch of books for our times.

The Struggle To Keep Teachers In Rural Schools   

Bonus points for USA Today for avoiding the framing of this as a shortage.

"It's Totally Worthless!" Why Everybody Hates Indiana's ILEARN.

The Indy Star takes a look at the giant money-wasting boondoggle that is the new Big Standardized Test.

How Much of Your Education Still Lives In You 

I want to be Nancy Flanagan when I grow up. A really thoughtful about the long-term tracks of an education.

Is Reading First Making a Comeback 

I so admire Nancy Bailey for getting her feet in the turbulent waters of the reading wars (I set my metaphor mixer to "stun"). If some of what's been circulating lately feels kind of familiar, here's some explanation.

Pennsylvania's Cyber Charters Stink Expensively, And Yet They Persist  

Okay, I condense the title a little, but Paul Muschick's piece in the Morning Call makes the point clearly.

California Top Secret Charter Documents

A jaw-dropping reveal of what California charters really have planned.

Public Rec Center Given To Private School

From Deadspin-- privatization with a sports twist. Make sure you read the writer's full disclosure at the end. Sad and hilarious.

The Obliteration of Local Control  

Accountabaloney looks at the Florida district that converted to 100% charter. It's not pretty (but it is lucrative).

What Kind of A-hole Ransoms School Data

A few years ago I reported on the business of hacking and ransoming school data. As Steven Singer reports, that trend has only accelerated, with tough consequences for districts around the country.

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Here's September Edition (9/1)

CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION

AND DON'T FORGET PETER GREENE ON FORBES CLICK HERE 

Jay Greene: The Failed Premise of Reform

24by Peter Greene / 23h

You may not read a lot of what is written by folks on the reformster side of modern corporate reform these days, but you probably should. First, it's important to understand what they're thinking these days. Second, there's a heck of a lot of nuance out there, because what we think of as reformsterism is actually several different groups working for several different motivations. Third, there is s

AUG 30

Burn And Churn McModel Is Failing

78by Peter Greene / 1d

To launch the fast food industry, owners and operators refined and adapted an industrial model, with every kitchen an assembly and every employee an easily-replaced meat widget, performing unskilled labor on a job that was employee proof. In the last couple of decades, some education reformsters have tried to adapt that McModel to education, creating teacher-proof content delivery systems that wou

AUG 29

Is It Really That Simple?

41by Peter Greene / 2d

Some days I look at the landscape of educational issues, and I think that all our educational problems boil down to one, simple, two-part problem. 1) We don't spend enough money on education because 2) We don't want to. We could erase the pockets of educational underserving, by spending the money necessary to fix the buildings, provide the resources, support the students, create a safe and effecti

AUG 28

PA: Poorer Districts Worst Hit By Cyber Schools

by Peter Greene / 4d

A study released in February shows that poorer school districts are bearing the brunt of funding Pennsylvania's cyber schools. The study was published in the American Journal of Education, and you can tell it's serious because its title is painfully dull: Cyber Charter Schools and Growing Resource Inequality among Public Districts: Geospatial Patterns and Consequences of a Statewide Choice Policy

AUG 27

"Tired Of Being Treated Like Dirt" Teacher Morale In The 2019 PDK Poll

2Kby Peter Greene / 4d

The title of the 2019 Phi Delta Kappa Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools of " Frustration in the Schools, " and the focus in much of the coverage has been on the results about teacher morale. 75% of teachers say schools in their community are underfunded. 50% of teachers have considered leaving the profession. 48% of teachers feel less valued by the community. (10% say they

AUG 26

CA: The Homeschool Charter Business Behind The Latest Scandal

77by Peter Greene / 5d

If you aren't in California, you may have missed this special little variation on the charter school business model-- homeschooling charters. It's a curious note in the recent big money charter scam in California , which we'll get back to in a moment. This is what you get if vouchers and charters had a baby and it was raised by homeschooling wolves. Homeschoolers "enroll" their students in a "scho

AUG 25

FL: Courts Thwart Charter Theft

45by Peter Greene / 6d

Last fall, the Palm Beach County schools taxpayers voted to increase their taxes so that they could bring their public schools up to speed, specifically in terms of building security and teacher pay. And they specifically earmarked the money from this four-year tax for public schools. Some charter schools in Palm Beach County were upset, believing that the law entitles them to a cut of any tax dol

ICYMI: SAHD Back To Work Edition (8/25)

28by Peter Greene / 7d

Here we go. Time for me to watch my household partner get back to her gig. But while I'm adjusting to a new routine, there's still reading to do. Remember-- sharing makes the word go round. Why Teachers Are Walking Out I'm not so sure about some of the gender discussion in this post on the Known cast, but the basic idea is on point and the discussion is interesting. Vandalism at Ed Department If y

AUG 23

Artificial Intelligence and Magical Thinking (HAL Knows How You Feel)

21by Peter Greene / 8d

From the moment you read the title, you know this article from Inside Higher Ed by Ray Schroeder is going to be a corker-- Affective Artificial Intelligence: Better Understanding and Responding to Students . Schroeder opens with "As a longtime professor of communication, I am fascinated with the cognitive characteristics of artificial intelligence as they relate to human communication," and that's

AUG 22

EnrichED, the National Charter Substitute (Sort Of) Service

100+by Peter Greene / 10d

You've had to miss a day of school, so you cross your fingers and put in for a sub. You prepare a whole lesson, run off materials, tag everything, put them in neat piles and arrange them on your desk. The day after your absence, you walk through your door and get a sinking feeling--the stacks of planned materials have been pushed to one side on your desk, but are otherwise untouched. "Oh, yeah," s

CURMUDGUCATION - http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/

JUSTICE FOR HILDA NOW! #BringBackHilda: Video Available Of August 29, 2019 Accelerated Schools Board Meeting Michael Kohlhaas Dot Org

Video Available Of August 29, 2019 Accelerated Schools Board Meeting — 

JUSTICE FOR HILDA NOW! #BringBackHilda
 Video Available Of August 29, 2019 Accelerated Schools Board Meeting 

Sign the Petition to Reinstate Hilda at TAS

Only July 11, 2019, Hilda Rodriguez-Guzman, a SEIU Local 99 Member and dedicated education worker, was unjustly let go right before the new school year from her job at The Accelerated Schools (TAS).

Hilda was among the first group of parents to enroll their child in TAS when the school first opened its doors. Her oldest daughter, Kristina, started there in kindergarten and her other two children followed suit when they came of age. When Kristina reached the 8th grade, Hilda and a group of parents successfully petitioned the TAS Board of Directors to expand their program to what is now the Wallis Annenberg High School. Her daughter and her peers were the first graduating class.

She believed so much in the ideals of TAS that when the opportunity arose, she went to work there as a Student Health Services Coordinator. She was a key resource for students on campus, treating minor school-related injuries, reaching out to and coordinating with parents if their child was feeling ill or suffered a serious injury, and supporting the general well-being of all TAS students. Until she was let go, it was a job she dedicated 10 years to with pride, care and love for the young learners she served.

For her, being the school’s go-to person for student health has been more than just a job. As a life-long resident of South Los Angeles, she wanted to serve her community and improve the health disparities and education of students. And as a parent of former TAS students, Hilda has built strong bonds with students and parents. Although a new RN can do the job, her deep ties in the community are needed more than ever.

We believe Hilda was terminated by TAS management in retaliation for her advocacy work on behalf of  employees and students. We condemn retaliation against any employee for protected union activities. Parents, community, students, and staff are demanding TAS reinstate Hilda’s job. Join the call!

VIDEO AVAILABLE OF AUGUST 29, 2019 ACCELERATED SCHOOLS BOARD MEETING — PROTESTORS SPEAK POWERFULLY IN SUPPORT OF HILDA RODRIGUEZ-GUZMAN — FIRED BY THE BOARD FOR INSUBORDINATION — WHICH EQUALS SAYING SOMETHING TRUE ON THE RADIO — ALL WHITE BOARD CREDIBLY ACCUSED BY ACTIVIST BEVERLY ROBERTS OF LACKING DIVERSITY — DEMONIC WHITE SUPREMACIST NIGHTMARE MARIONETTE AND BOARD PRESIDENT JULI QUINN NOT ONLY WON’T EXPLAIN SHE SAYS SHE DOESN’T HAVE TO EXPLAIN — LATER SHE MENTIONS BOARD MEMBER BINTI YOST — WHO HAS DARKISH SKIN AND THEREFORE EVIDENTLY IN THE MIND OF JULI QUINN COUNTS AS “DIVERSITY” — AND SAYS “WE DO HAVE SOME DIVERSITY ON THE BOARD, UNFORTUNATELY THEY’RE JUST NOT HERE” — AND THEN EXPLAINS HOW THEY WANT TO HAVE PARENT REPS ON THE BOARD — BUT THEY WILL HAVE TO BE TRAINED ALL SUMMER TO BE “MORE VERBAL AND ABLE TO ASSIST US ON THE BOARD” — BECAUSE JULI QUINN IS A WHITE SUPREMACIST — AND THIS IS LESS THAN TEN MINUTES OUT OF THREE FREAKING HOURS OF VIDEO

I went to my first board meeting of The Accelerated Charter Schools last Thursday, and what a freaking horror show it turned out to be. Here’s the video, almost three damn hours of it, on YouTube and also on Archive.org for ease of downloading.1 The meeting started out with a series of moving public comments in support of Hilda Rodriguez-Guzman, unceremoniously and unjustly fired by TAS last month in retaliation for her activism. Here’s my Twitter thread on that with links to some comments, and it is well worth watching the whole thing, which starts here.

In particular, though, see this comment by community activist Beverly Roberts, who wants to know why the board members present are all white when they’re running a school in South Los Angeles. She waits for an answer until the point where Juli P. Quinn, president of the board, who has a guilty conscience and a bad case of demonic possession, just seething with anger, with privilege, with rage at Roberts’s insubordinance, tells her out freaking loud that “this is public comment, we don’t need to respond.” The protest essentially lasted for the first half hour of this interminable meeting, ending with this exceedingly dramatic exit.

But the meeting went on for more than two hours after that. And as tedious as it was it was nevertheless filled with revelations.2 And there are far, far too many for one post, as usual, so I’m going to have to lay it on you in increments. Today’s episode has to do with surprisingly life-like horrible white supremacist nightmare CONTINUE READING: Video Available Of August 29, 2019 Accelerated Schools Board Meeting — 

Inside Bill Gates’ Hubris: Propaganda to Make America Neoliberal Again | gadflyonthewallblog

Inside Bill Gates’ Hubris: Propaganda to Make America Neoliberal Again | gadflyonthewallblog

Inside Bill Gates’ Hubris: Propaganda to Make America Neoliberal Again

Once upon a time, the world was run by rich men.

And all was good.

But then the world was conquered by other rich men.

And that is something the first group of rich men could not allow.

That is the reason behind Netflix’s new film “Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates.”

The three-part documentary goes live on Sept. 20. But the film’s aims are clear from the trailer.

It’s a vanity project about Bill Gates, the second richest man in the world.

By examining his mind and motivations, director and executive producer Davis Guggenheim will show us how Gates deserves his billionaire status and that we CONTINUE READING: Inside Bill Gates’ Hubris: Propaganda to Make America Neoliberal Again | gadflyonthewallblog

Digital curriculum, an answer to equity? An Open Letter to Dr. Ibram X. Kendi – Wrench in the Gears

Digital curriculum, an answer to equity? An Open Letter to Dr. Ibram X. Kendi – Wrench in the Gears

Digital curriculum, an answer to equity? An Open Letter to Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

I was prompted to write this after watching the closing keynote address Dr. Ibram X. Kendi gave at UnboundEd’s July 2019 Standards Institute conference. A video of his lecture, “An Argument Between Racist and Anti-Racist Ideas, can be viewed here. Dr. Kendi is a professor of history and international relations at American University. He received the National Book Award for Stamped From the Beginning and considerable acclaim for his new book, How To Be An Anti-Racist.

Take a moment to set the foundation for teaching & learning this year by listening to @DrIbram 's Keynote Speech from the 2019 @unboundedu Summer Standards Inst. It will frame/reframe why we we must confront racist policies & be antiracist educators✊🏾https://t.co/CwB65r6Nin

— Elicia Bennett (@eliciat_b) August 12, 2019

UnboundEd is a Brooklyn-based non-profit founded in 2016 that promotes standards-aligned (Common Core) educational content based on EngageNY curriculum modules. The organization hosts two conferences annually, Standards Institutes, that attract over 1,000 educators.

Its primary funders are the Gates Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Carnegie Corporation, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The latter has been a primary force advancing Open Educational Resources (OER, mostly digital) and has used its considerable philanthropic CONTINUE READING: Digital curriculum, an answer to equity? An Open Letter to Dr. Ibram X. Kendi – Wrench in the Gears

Ed Johnson For Atlanta School Board, Part 2 | Diane Ravitch's blog

Ed Johnson For Atlanta School Board, Part 2 | Diane Ravitch's blog

Ed Johnson For Atlanta School Board, Part 2

Part 1: Ed Johnson for School Board in Atlanta on September 17! | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-naG via @dianeravitch

Ed Johnson responds to the Atlanta Association of Educators and explains why he is running for the school board.

I am posting two of his responses because I don’t think you will find any school board candidate in the nation who has responded as thoughtfully as Ed Johnson.

Ed Johnson
Candidate, Atlanta Board of Education District 2

1. What is your concern and goals for the students of District 2?

In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote:

“Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. … We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”

Because I am practiced in and hold great respect for the profound, seemingly uncommon wisdom the word “interrelatedness” implies and carries, my concern and CONTINUE READING: Ed Johnson For Atlanta School Board, Part 2 | Diane Ravitch's blog

Singing the Internationale on Labor Day. – Fred Klonsky

Singing the Internationale on Labor Day. – Fred Klonsky

SINGING THE INTERNATIONALE ON LABOR DAY.

After Eddie (Sadlowski) Fest and Labor Day Parade in Sue Sadlowski Garza’s Tenth Ward, we stopped for lunch at a neighborhood spot on the north side.

I still had the the button on my shirt that I had bought from Rathke.

Rathke is an old teacher union staffer I’ve known for years.

A good guy for sure.

Rathke was marching next to the Mother Jones float and asked if I wanted to buy a button for a buck?

I picked the one that said, “You ain’t got a thing if you ain’t got a union.”

It was perfect for a Labor Day Parade in the Tenth Ward.

It looked perfect on my bright red shirt that Candy gave me.

Later at lunch the server commented on my Mother Jones button.

“I really like that button,” he said. CONTINUE READING: Singing the Internationale on Labor Day. – Fred Klonsky

VIDEO: Sacramento city students are finally back in school. Here's what parents need to know for the new year | abc10.com

Sacramento city students are finally back in

school. Here's what parents need to know for the new year | abc10.com

Sacramento city students are finally back in school. Here's what parents need to know for the new year
Outside of the district’s budgetary issues, officials are also debating whether to start the school year sooner than its current late-August start.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Weeks after other districts in the area started school, students in the Sacramento City Unified School District are finally jumping into the new school year — one that will be closely watched as the district works to avoid a state takeover.

The district's budget is $547.5 million for the coming year, but the main focus is the budget forecast for two years from now. District spokesman Alex Barrios said SCUSD ended the previous school year with a $26 million deficit, that’s the amount it needs to cut over the next couple of years to avoid a state takeover.

Barrios said that officials are hopeful the negotiations with labor partners will continue and prosper in the next couple of months, which would free up resources to have a balanced budget for the next few years.

One of the major concerns from parents is the risk of student programs getting cut, but the district bought itself enough time with previous budgets that there’s no threat, Barrios said.

RELATED:

• Sacramento schools vote to reduce resource officers, hire director of school safety
• More than half of Sacramento city students qualify for free lunch. This summer program provides it to them year round
• Sacramento City Unified to answer questions about district budget in upcoming workshops

“The question really is two years from now what will the resource situation look like, but we really don’t want it to get to the point where we are having to cut programs from students,” he said.

The district still has health benefits and labor issues as well, which Barrios says officials hope to resolve this school year. The district says it will look into finding ways to cut costs and overspending. Anyone who is interested in staying updated with the negotiations, can do so online.

“We really want to give everyone all the resources to stay informed and we really don’t want our staff members to pay attention to these issues and focus on our students instead,” Barrios said.

Outside of the district’s budgetary issues, officials are also debating whether to start the school year sooner than its late-August start. The district proposed that the next school year to begin two weeks earlier, around the same time as other districts, Barrios told ABC10.

CONTINUE READING: Sacramento city students are finally back in school. Here's what parents need to know for the new year | abc10.com

Big Education Ape: BACK TO SCHOOL: A parent’s guide to K-12 school success - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2019/08/back-to-school-parents-guide-to-k-12.html

Big Education Ape: State Labor Board Finds Sac City School District Violated Law in Failing to Follow Health Plan Agreement - Sacramento City Teachers Association - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2019/08/state-labor-board-finds-sac-city-school.html

Big Education Ape: Choosing Democracy: SCTA Calls For Censure of Superintendent and School Board President - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2019/08/choosing-democracy-scta-calls-for.html

Big Education Ape: Growing Scandal at Sacramento School District: Additional Email Reveals More Deception - Sacramento City Teachers Association - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2019/07/growing-scandal-at-sacramento-school.html

Is Deploying School Resource Officers ‘Over-Policing’ Urban Schools?

Is Deploying School Resource Officers ‘Over-Policing’ Urban Schools?

Is Deploying School Resource Officers ‘Over-Policing’ Urban Schools?
SROs are often mentioned when the discussion revolves around active shooters on campus, but that discussion should be about more than just shooters and should include the entire community, some experts say.

The school shootings from the last few years have prompted action by school districts to do something that might curb or mitigate a potential mass shooting, and one of the “tools in the toolbox,” is school resource officers (SROs).

Many districts have responded by partnering with local law enforcement and use retired or designated law enforcement personnel to patrol campuses as SROs. They try to earn the trust of students and can offer a place where students can discuss anonymously situations that could lead to violence.

The hope is that trust and the ability of the SROs to gather data could head off a potential disaster.

But not everyone believes there should be police in schools. The Sacramento City Unified School District in California recently approved a new schools safety plan that removes five of the eight officers who patrol city campuses. “One of the challenges is that urban areas where there are predominantly black and Latino students, we are overly policed, which creates a pipeline to prison,” Carl Pinkston of the Black Parallel School Board told a local television station.

Former middle school teacher and current associate professor at Howard University Kenneth Anderson conducted a study in North Carolina between 2013 and 2017. It looked at elementary and middle school students and the presence of SROs corresponding to 16 crime-related offenses, and concluded there was no improvement with SRO presence. The study was publicized by the Brookings Institution.

Also, in North Carolina, a group called the Education Justice Alliance has CONTINUE READING: Is Deploying School Resource Officers ‘Over-Policing’ Urban Schools?

CA Charter School Assn. Wants All Schools to Become Charters or “Charter-Like.” No Thanks. | deutsch29

CA Charter School Assn. Wants All Schools to Become Charters or “Charter-Like.” No Thanks. | deutsch29

CA Charter School Assn. Wants All Schools to Become Charters or “Charter-Like.” No Thanks.

n June 2019, Califonia blogger Michael Kohnhaas has received a massive number of internal documents from Green Dot Charter Schools, including those connected to the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA).

One such document posted by Kohlhaas, an information packet for an October 2018 CCSA executive summit, offers stunning insight into the mindset of CCSA leadership, including the belief that proponents of traditional public education could actually be persuaded to somehow join the likes of CCSA (and, more broadly, the charter school “movement”) in its intention to reshape tradtional public education in a “charter-like” image that suits CCSA.

*If only we communicate that there is room in our vision for traditional public ed to remake themselves according to our specifications, those who are against charter schools will join our ranks.*

I find the idea profoundly arrogant and ignorant on its face.

But do read it for yourself, as directly quoted from the CCSA executive summit info packet under the heading, “vision,” with a slice of subsequent section on “mission” to bring this nonsense home:

VISION

Current CCSA Vision: Increasing student learning by growing the number of families choosing high quality charter schools so that no child is denied the right to a great public education.

Proposed new CCSA Vision: Providing absolutely every young person a CONTINUE READING: CA Charter School Assn. Wants All Schools to Become Charters or “Charter-Like.” No Thanks. | deutsch29

Mike Klonsky's Blog: Good riddance to the Charter School Commission

Mike Klonsky's Blog: Good riddance to the Charter School Commission

Good riddance to the Charter School Commission

Congratulations to all of us who worked so hard to finally get rid of the Illinois State Charter School Commission. We count our victories one by one.

A new law that goes into effect next year, will abolish the Commission and hopefully limit the wild expansion of privately-operated charter schools. That's the result of Senate Bill 1226, which Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law Aug. 23, over the objections of INCS and charter school lobbyists.  Gov. Rauner vetoed a similar bill last year.

The measure was sponsored by state Sen. Linda Holmes, an Aurora Democrat. Holmes made the case that decisions about charter schools, "belong in the community, not at the state level."

I agree. But even with the new law, we're not quite there yet.

Since 2011, when the Commision was established and signed into law by former Gov. Pat Quinn (yes a Democrat), I've worked with several struggling school districts around the state when they've  had to go before the Commission to plead their case. Together we built a research base which was used to debunk the false claims of the charter operators in an effort to stop CONTINUE READING: Mike Klonsky's Blog: Good riddance to the Charter School Commission

Answering Jeanne Allen’s Question About Whether “the Union” Paid for My Home | Diane Ravitch's blog

Answering Jeanne Allen’s Question About Whether “the Union” Paid for My Home | Diane Ravitch's blog

Answering Jeanne Allen’s Question About Whether “the Union” Paid for My Home

Last May 10, Jeanne Allen of the Center for Education Reform sent a tweet my way. Allen is a big advocate for every kind of school choice, except for public schools. Before she started her current gig, she worked for the far-right Heritage Foundation. For years, her organization has been a big cheerleader for charters and has opposed any effort by states to regulate them or hold them accountable.

This was the tweet.

In case you are not on Twitter, she wrote:

And she never mentions the millions in her bank account that pay for her Brooklyn brownstone. Didn’t come from writing books or academia. Perhaps the union?

I responded that I paid for my home myself.

But there is more to the story. I bought the Brooklyn brownstone in 1988, at a time when I was allied with conservative groups. In other words, I was on Jeanne Allen’s side. Checker Finn and I had formed the Educational Excellence Network, to advocate for standards, testing, accountability, and a liberal arts-focused curriculum. Charters did not exist. In 1991, I went CONTINUE READING: Answering Jeanne Allen’s Question About Whether “the Union” Paid for My Home | Diane Ravitch's blog

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Singin' in the Acid Rain

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Singin' in the Acid Rain

Singin' in the Acid Rain

To start off the new school year, a very funny article that sends up both our planet's pending environmental problems with overly involved parents.  From the New Yorker, Singin' in the Acid Rain.

As we prepare for our end-of-term barbecue, a few of you have asked whether the event will be cancelled because Thursday’s forecast calls for increased yuckiness. No way! Didn’t we learn in October that when life gives you wildfires, make s’mores?

Hey, I hope everyone is psyched for our year-end field trip to the Newest Jersey Hot Springs, which used to be the Delaware Cold Springs, which used to be the Amazon.com Rain Forest and, before that, the island formerly known as Prince Edward. We still have not heard from many of you about whether you’d like to CONTINUE READING: Seattle Schools Community Forum: Singin' in the Acid Rain

CURMUDGUCATION: Jay Greene: The Failed Premise of Reform

CURMUDGUCATION: Jay Greene: The Failed Premise of Reform

Jay Greene: The Failed Premise of Reform

You may not read a lot of what is written by folks on the reformster side of modern corporate reform these days, but you probably should. First, it's important to understand what they're thinking these days. Second, there's a heck of a lot of nuance out there, because what we think of as reformsterism is actually several different groups working for several different motivations. Third, there is some pretty pointed criticism of reformsterism that comes from inside their own tent.

One such voice is Jay Greene (not related to me, as far as I know). Greene is a professor of 21st Century Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, and he supports a lot of things that I think are bunk and aims for a lot of goals that I think should not be achieved. But over the years he has often been wiling to say "That's not going to work" and then transition straight into "That did not work."

He just posted a brief column that is a kind of inventorial "I told you so" for reform, muses about what all the various failed reforms have in common, and finds not that he's so much smarter than other folks, but that they are operating from a flawed premise, mainly "that there are policy interventions that could improve outcomes for large numbers of students if only we could discover them and get policymakers and practitioners to adopt them at scale." And then he writes this paragraph:

I begin with a different theory. I suspect that there are relatively few educational practices that would produce uniformly positive results. Instead, I’m inclined to think of education as similar to parenting, in which the correct approaches are highly  CONTINUE READING:    CURMUDGUCATION: Jay Greene: The Failed Premise of Reform