On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 11:57 AM, Alan Rudy <alan.rudy at gmail.com> wrote:
> There are days, like today, when I am immeasurably glad that I am on this
> list.
> Thanks all,
> Alan
>
>
>
> On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 12:39 PM, Max Sawicky <sawicky at verizon.net> wrote:
>
> > There's a nice piece in this immortal tome by Rima Shore on how the
> > education accountability movement (sic) came out of the defense
> > industry in the 70s:
> >
> > http://www.epi.org/publications/entry/books_riskybizintro/
> >
> > Metrics of performance ("output") are intrinsic to privatization,
> > since the case for an education market rests in part on the ability to
> > measure output and pay for it, bit by bit. The logic of performance
> > measurement obviates the need for close public regulation, where
> > "close" entails actual public production -- hiring teachers and
> > running schools in this case. (Also discussed in the book by yrs
> > truly) If you can measure you can contract out and economize on
> > administrative costs. In principle it's logical, IF you can measure.
> >
> > An alternative in the same vein, not pursued for reasons obvious to
> > this list, would be teachers running schools and compensated by
> > authorities, like labor-managed firms. Absent firm workers control,
> > the pretense of measurement opens the door to profit-based incentive
> > systems: private management.
> >
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 11:45 AM, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>
> wrote:
> > >
> > > On Apr 14, 2010, at 11:36 AM, Miles Jackson wrote:
> > >
> > >> I'm not getting this argument. How is the assessment of student
> > learning
> > >> related in any way to the privatization of education? Assessment
> > doesn't
> > >> require us to bust unions; in fact, if it is driven by unionized
> > teachers,
> > >> then it gives teachers more authority and oversight of the curriculum.
> > >> There must be some implicit links here that I'm not following.
> > >
> > > Have you followed this NCLB and Race to the Top stuff? The whole point
> of
> > > that sort of testing is to fire teachers, bust unions, and close and/or
> > > privatize public schools. Did you notice that our president has joined
> in
> > > the war on teachers' unions?
> > >
> > > Doug
> > > ___________________________________
> > > http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
> > >
> >
> > ___________________________________
> > http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
> >
>
>
>
> --
> *********************************************************
> Alan P. Rudy
> Dept. Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work
> Central Michigan University
> 124 Anspach Hall
> Mt Pleasant, MI 48858
> 517-881-6319
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