> Carrol Cox writes:
>
> >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 is SO right. What's more, if we oppose all "reform" we paint ourselves into the corner of being defenders of the status quo! Good lord, what rot! Schools are only modestly different than the were in the 1960s when they were major targets of leftist criticism and activism.
When folks are angry, our job ought to be to enlighten them as to what they really OUGHT to be angry about. Usually, a tremendous amount of effort is required just to rouse folks from apathy and get them to the point of being angry. Here we have people already angry. It's an OPPORTUNITY, folks.
I'm not going to kid myself and say that it will be easy, or that conditions favor us, but most certainly IS an opportunity. What's more, there's just oodles of research we can draw on, as opposed to 99.44% pure hysteria on the other side. The more that's understood about how and why children actually learn, the more more ludicrous the conservative/libertarian "reforms" appear.
-- Paul Rosenberg Reason and Democracy rad at gte.net
"Let's put the information BACK into the information age!"