tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post9119935380897640502..comments2024-02-20T03:57:11.723-05:00Comments on Teaching Underground: True Reform Cuts Too DeepSteven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-39076558066079963362011-01-12T14:40:03.331-05:002011-01-12T14:40:03.331-05:00Rhee's words to Oprah... "Our country'...Rhee's words to Oprah... "Our country's education system is broken right now," Michelle says. "It is failing our children. The children who are in school right now are going to be the first generation of Americans who are less well educated than their parents were. We're falling further and further behind our global competitors. "<br /><br />Sadly I missed that episode of Oprah...Rhee could not be more correct, but this is not the whole picture as you describe in your post. We live in a great nation, one that offers opportunity to all. We should appreciate all the good America represents but know we can in fact do better! There is of course the other not so pleasant side of American history. One that must be confronted and understood and when necessary corrected. We can improve much for the future with education. Some reform is always needed but complete reform in an effort to remedy all our flaws might just be a huge misstep. Only time will tell...<br /><br />Consider public perception of schools. Indeed the many troubled urban schools are failing and too many within other schools throughout the country are not being properly served. I am no data expert but I suspect this is not that new of an issue. So when Rhee claims we are failing the message is something new...not exactly accurate. What is new is that these issues have become a major focus as they should. In the process many of these reformed schools are now the sole model for all other changes. So we all agree we need to change some things, the question is to what degree we change. What happens to students being served fairly well? What happens to what schools are doing well? To paraphrase... schools are an easy scapegoat for all the failures of our society(family, poverty, race, business interests, economic issues).<br /><br />Schools are an easy punching bag and while they generally withstand the abuse over the latest blows from reformers and those driving agendas may indeed be too much for the strongest school to withstand. They are different somehow. They imply that nothing we have is working and that simply is not the case. Many others buy into this rhetoric and jump on the radical reform bandwagon. <br /><br />That's what is starting to scare me. Unless steps are taken to build schools up instead of tearing them down, the damage might be irreversible. Then they really will be broken and we(more importantly the students) will be no better off. Maybe just maybe Rhee realized this and got out before she herself was held accountable.Rich Lindsayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07558608666418883974noreply@blogger.com