>I didn't read it very closely -- but various efforts to "reform" the schools
>are afoot in the world, and they are perhaps even more vicious than
>efforts to "reform" welfare, social security, etc. etc. And such efforts
>will take myriad different concrete forms, such as this petition, and
>will often mix minimally sensible or even attractive things with the
>viciousness, as I believe this petition does. So it's probably not quite
>a joke, and leftists do need to give thought to how to resist school
>reform.
>
>And I do mean, resist, period. Attempts to channel it in progressives
>directions will be as futile as Chris Burford's babble of reforming
>international finance. No matter how bad schools are now from a
>progressive viewpoint, any changes at present will be for the worse.
I'm not going to disagree with this because it's pessimistic, but because it can't possibly be right. Absolutely no change could possibly improve the school system??
It's not a matter of whether you or someone else can think of an improvement that would work -- improvement can't be impossible except in the abstract case of a perfect situation. I would think least of all from 'a progressive viewpoint'. Oppose specific 'reforms' or a particular program of 'reforms' by all means, but from my mostly external position the US school systems could certainly do with being changed. As could ours.
However, P42699 is definitely not the way.
Catherine