tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458172893016186479.post5820558828706944201..comments2024-03-09T03:28:44.216-05:00Comments on Thoughts on Education Policy: Sunday Commentary: Are "Reformers" Really Offering Reform?Corey Bunje Bowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764159604965707919noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458172893016186479.post-35455435017984389112009-10-19T18:21:21.549-04:002009-10-19T18:21:21.549-04:00Corey, you are, of course, right and this is hardl...Corey, you are, of course, right and this is hardly limited to schools. In medicine, "reform" means increased federal regulation of insurance and increased federal control of medical decisions. Thus, when the head of Whole Foods proposed something different, he immediately got attacked as an enemy of reform.<br /><br />I seem to remember that a number of years back, the Wall Street Journal decided to stop using the word "reform" in its news stories, on the ground that the word implied the "reform" would make things better--while that was more likely than not an open question.Roger Sweenyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12734128265493099062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458172893016186479.post-980712435755005312009-10-18T23:28:14.745-04:002009-10-18T23:28:14.745-04:00I wasn't advocating for any of the reforms tha...I wasn't advocating for any of the reforms that I listed, I was simply pointing out that there are a myriad of reforms that might work at least as well as charter schools and merit pay -- including many that would be even more radical.<br /><br />TFT: While the problems that manifest themselves in schools usually start in society, there are clearly some very bad schools out there where people are failing to do what they should. I think it's fair that society has more to do with low test scores or whatever than do schools, but we should be careful no to absolve all schools of all responsibility.Corey Bunje Bowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09764159604965707919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458172893016186479.post-75709130089523956632009-10-18T22:32:43.855-04:002009-10-18T22:32:43.855-04:00Amen to your post, Corey. I've been venting si...Amen to your post, Corey. I've been venting similar frustrations for a long time now. For so many people--and so many pundits--the reforms have by now become their own rewards. Evidence be damned.<br /><br />Not sure I love every one of the alternative reforms you suggest, but it has become tiresome to hear these narrow, reductive definitions of reform--even if those reforms may have promise down the road.<br /><br />Many of the reformers--and the reforms they espouse--would benefit from humility.Claus von Zastrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14404419671419647588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458172893016186479.post-78383399067322585682009-10-18T21:27:04.402-04:002009-10-18T21:27:04.402-04:00A couple of thoughts....for the most part, I am in...A couple of thoughts....for the most part, I am indifferent or completely agree with what you suggested as far as 'reforms.' <br /><br />Despite the fact that I NEED THE MENTAL BREAK from school for 2.5 months as a teacher, it is detrimental to the kids. You're right. <br /><br />I like your suggestion of 'let the kids learn what they want' ala Reggio Emilia, but wonder how effective that would be for disinterested HS kids. For pre-school, great. K-6 even, great. 7-12? No idea. It'd be a fun experiment and one I'd like to try after I finish my doctorate and start my own non-standards based school.<br /><br />What I really have a problem with though is this one: "End teacher grading of students. Instead, create classrooms that work more like sports teams: teachers and kids have the same goal and they all fail or succeed together base on an external event (or impartial evaluator)" <br /><br />As a teacher, I take great pains to grade fairly and to make sure that my kids know exactly what I'm looking for. What I'm looking for is based on what universities are looking for in, say for example, a formal lab report. When my kids fail, it is despite a ton of initiative taken by me to avoid it. <br /><br />But what teachers HATE is when people want to bring in evaluators. It is difficult to judge a classroom by its cover w/o being a part of the development of the environment. How the heck would they know ANYTHING about the classroom?<br /><br />Also, as a student, I HATE the idea of perhaps being held back due to an idiot jerking around in my class. It's not my job to motivate my classmates, only myself. We should not expect our kids to teach for us, though we teachers all know that teaching is the BEST way to learn. This sort of thing would completely mitigate the needs of the gifted, as well as alienate them. <br /><br />It seems though this situation could be feasible if you tracked the heck out of the kids, which I'm not convinced is the best way to do things either. <br /><br />Thoughts?CherBearBluehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08584546102286933528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458172893016186479.post-64206373243140084972009-10-18T21:24:46.142-04:002009-10-18T21:24:46.142-04:00Maybe the whole idea of reform is dubious?
Consid...Maybe the whole idea of reform is dubious?<br /><br />Considering the paucity of research on any of the reforms, the entire notion seems forced; it's a reaction to symptom, and not a solution to a problem.<br /><br />Maybe we should call it an ill defined problem, this "schools are failing, what do we do?" nonsense.<br /><br />Society is failing, not schools.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04089587797789660734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458172893016186479.post-91411248282013682042009-10-18T14:41:23.657-04:002009-10-18T14:41:23.657-04:00Vouchers are one of the easiest reforms to analyze...Vouchers are one of the easiest reforms to analyze in an experimental context. There's only one large-scale experiment of class size. Overall, research on both is mixed.Corey Bunje Bowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09764159604965707919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458172893016186479.post-60714784833371846982009-10-18T14:11:40.252-04:002009-10-18T14:11:40.252-04:00Compared to vouchers, there are not tons of reform...Compared to vouchers, there are not tons of reforms with a similar amount of random experimental evidence. There are hardly any reforms at all with the evidentiary track record of vouchers, and certainly not class size (which had a dismal record in California). Just so you know.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com