"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Russo Off by 4 Months (UPDATED)

If Alexander Russo had penned this near April 1, instead of January 1, and ended with "April Fools!" I would have enjoyed the irony, but instead, Russo appears serious with "Media: Reform Opponents Are Winning Online (For Now)."

The list of problems with this post are extensive, but a few major points include: (1) The educators and scholars Russo identifies as "Goliaths" are not against reform, but against corporate reform that perpetuates the status quo, (2) The status quo is not being propped up by the educators and scholars Russo identifies, but by the so-called Davids (Gates, Duncan, Rhee), (3) The Davids have billions of dollars, political clout, and popular assumptions on their side (odd dynamics to be an underdog), and (4) Russo ironically reflects what is seriously wrong with the media: They don't get it.

Instead of weighing in further, let me share the excellent responses among the ignored Goliaths identified by Russo:

Are Critics of Corporate Education "Reform" Winning the Online Debate?, Anthony Cody

Lopsided Debate Over Education Reform Reveals a Broken System, Anthony Cody

Reform vs. Anti-Reform: Quoth the Raven, Nancy Flanagan

Did you know I'm a Goliath?, Kenneth Bernstein

A biblical school reform metaphor, Mike Klonsky

* As a footnote, notice that the Goliaths tend to be people with DECADES of teaching experience, while the Davids have little and more often than not no experience as educators.

No comments:

Post a Comment