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Monday, March 4, 2013

Schools Matter: Why Can't Corporate "Reformers" Get Their Spin Straight?

Schools Matter: Why Can't Corporate "Reformers" Get Their Spin Straight?:


Why Can't Corporate "Reformers" Get Their Spin Straight?

My first question was why Rick Hess took a sabbatical from his blog, Rick Hess Straight Up, and turned it over to someone who would promote the opposite of the “Billionaires Boys Club’s” vision of “reform.” Guest blogger Becca Bracy Knight wrote that system leaders should take a “team of rivals” approach.  They should start with a listening tour and solicit ideas from the entire community.  Knight promoted a decentralized approach where administrators support teachers, as opposed to dictating to them.  She explained the great successes that were achieved in Washoe County, Nevada; Fulton County, Georgia; Aurora County, Colorado; and the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Schools in North Carolina.

But, I must have misread the part about the last district.  Was there another Peter Gorman, other than the one who was driven out of that district after creating new tests to drive his unpopular merit pay experiment, and who then went to work for Rupurt Murdoch?

My confusion grew after seeing that Ms. Knight is the Executive Director of the Broad Center for the Management of School Systems.  Surely an organization that employed someone with her beliefs could not