Sunday, November 29, 2009

Blather, Rinse, Repeat at The Core Knowledge Blog


Blather, Rinse, Repeat at The Core Knowledge Blog

In a debate on the Education Next website, Joe Williams of Democrats for Education Reform and Pedro Noguera of New York University wrestle with the question, “Should school reformers pay more attention to the non-academic needs of poor children?” The more pertinent question might be which of the two groups Williams and Noguera speak for–the Education Equality Project (Williams) and the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education (Noguera)–is paying attention to the academic needs of poor children. Based on the evidence, it’s hard to say.

The tale of the tape:

Word count in the “debate”: 4,188
Number of times the word “accountable” or “accountability” is used: 8
“Tests” or “testing”: 12
“Reform”: 23
“Teacher” or “educator”: 34
“Performance” and/or “pay”: 12
“Choice” and/or “charter”: 23
“Money” and/or “funds”: 14
“Unions,” “NEA,” or “AFT”: 9
“Parents”: 6

Curriculum: 1


I guess they both agree on one thing: What kids actually learn in school apparently doesn’t matter a bit.