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gobluego-blog · 12 years

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Book Notes (in progress)

The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education, by Diane Ravitch.

Chapter 1, What I Learned About School Reform

Diane opens the chapter with a theme of intellectual change. She had once "been hopeful, even enthusiastic, about the potential benefits of testing, accountability, choice, and markets," but was becoming "increasingly skeptical" about the reforms she once supported so enthusiastically.

She asks and then answers her own question:

Q: Why did she doubt ideas she once advocated?

A: (short answer) Her views changed as she "saw how these ideas were working out in reality."

A quote follows, in the context of someone chastising John Maynard Keynes for changing his stance on a particular economic policy:

When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?

-John Maynard Keynes

Diane punctuates the theme by writing, "It is doubt that shows we are still thinking, still willing to reexamine hardened beliefs when confronted with new facts and new evidence."

She then takes some time to recount where she had started and then traveled in terms of her ideas on education policy. She recognized two constant themes over her four decades of writing:

"Skepticism about pedagogical fads, enthusiasms, and movements."

"Deep belief in the value of a rich, coherent school curriculum, especially in history and literature, both of which are so frequently ignored, trivialized, or politicized."

She follows this theme identification with a rebuke of trendy fads, recounting that complaints about fads and reforms in education are nothing new, quoting from times as far back as 1907. Diane emphasized her first constant theme by stating her work reflects the idea that persistent infatuation with fads "distracts us from the steadiness of purpose needed to improve our schools."

The next major block in this chapter covers previous published pieces.

"Programs, Placebos, Panaceas," Urban Review, 1968. A review of short-term compensatory education programs concluding that "only sustained quality education makes a difference."

"Foundations: Playing God in the Ghetto," Urban Review(?), 1969. Discusses the Ford Foundation's role in the "protracted controversy over decentralization and community control" in NYC public schools.

The Great School Wars: New York City, 1805-1973. Obviously, a book of education history in NYC, but previously mentioned as stemming from an in-depth examination of centralization vs. decentralization. During the 19th century, NYC schools had been decentralized, but reformers of the 1890s wanted a more educated, professional administration to cure the ails of low-performing schools run by incompetent and corrupt school boards. Centralizers were mostly social elites, decentralizers were mostly involved parents and activists.

The Revisionists Revised: A Critique of the Radical Attack on the Schools. Defense of the underlying reasons we have public schooling, rejecting notions of social control in favor of the optimism of social mobility, noting however that "opportunity leaves much to the individuals; it is not a guarantee of certain success."

The Troubled Crusade: American Education, 1945-1980. Analysis of "many fascinating controversies associated with McCarthyism, progressive education, the civil rights movement, bilingual education, the women's movement, and other social and political upheavals," sparking an interest in "issues related to the quality of the curriculum."

What Do Our 17-Year-Olds Know? A lamentation of the presumable poor national performance on the first federal test of history and literature. Although not stated explicitly, perhaps this piece contributed indirectly to her next story involving drafting a new history curriculum for California. Her framework was adopted in 1987, and "remains in place to this day with only minor revisions to update it," while many other subject curricula have been replaced.

A key note is that at this point in her life, Ms. Ravitch "had not... given much thought to issues of choice, markets, or accountability."

In 1991, she received a call from Lamar Alexander, the recently appointed education secretary for President George Bush. That call invited her to become assistant secretary for the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. She agreed and spent the next 18 months in public service.

Her role tackled issues regarding curriculum and standards, despite the federal government being prohibited from imposing upon the states. Her agency achieved influence through the use of discretionary funds assigned to those participating in the voluntary development of standards. Under Ravitch, these standards focused on "history, arts, geography, civics, science, economics, foreign language, and English."

#deathlife #education #mpp #notes #ravitch #xl

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gobluego-blog · 12 years

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"reform"

As someone who's interested in K-12 education, I frequently see the word "reform." Progressive individuals and organizations often use the word as part of their brand or pitch.

I'm John Smith, and I believe in education reform.

Education reform is one of the most pressing issues in America.

At the top of the education reform agenda is improving teacher development.

But is this a great word to use?

Although the usage of the word is often forward-looking, positive, and well-intentioned, here is Merriam-Webster's definition of reform (noun):

amendment of what is defective, vicious, corrupt, or depraved

a removal or correction of an abuse, a wrong, or errors

If I should be so lucky as to spend the rest of my career in education, I hope that at the end, someone will not come along and quote my work as defective, vicious, corrupt, depraved, abuse, wrong, or in error.

At the core of this thinking, the word reform rejects the established work gone beforehand. And this is where I reject the word.

Too many teachers, administrators, policymakers, and other stakeholders have devoted themselves to public education. I reject the notion that they have operated under anything less than the best practices of their time with the best intentions possible.

Instead of using the word reform, I adopt the term "improving education" as a better substitute. We can always improve without putting the past in a negative light. Let's respect those who have come before us, honoring their work, and improving upon their work without suggesting it was anything less than their best effort, and a good one at that in the context of their day.

#education

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