Meier on 'Waiting for Superman' movie...

[YvonneCa]

...here:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/deborah-meier/meier-white-knights-and-false.html

Excerpt:

We need schools in which adults are treated like adults by those "above" them in the hierarchy—which has hardly ever been the condition of public schools, especially those serving poor communities.

We need adults who demand ever more democracy in their schools, where adults join together to present their approach to being well-educated by modeling it in the presence of children.

The school is where we can teach both children and adults the habits of mind on which democracy thrives. We need interesting and powerful adults who can help raise another generation—of interesting and powerful adults.

We need adults who are treated with the kind of respect that suggests to the young that it's good to grow up and join adulthood. We need schools that treat the adults at home likewise—families that need to raise their children's aspirations even as their own have been crushed.

How those of us who have spent our lives fighting for such reforms have been cast as the "status quo" is remarkable. Those who preceded me and no longer are alive—the Lillian Webers and Ted Sizers—would be startled by the labels the new "reformers" have given them. I believe people can call themselves what they like. But I wish I had enough money and power to prevent them from successfully re-labeling others as lazy, self-interested, money-grubbing purveyors of low expectations.


So do I.

[slackmaster]

1. Auto-Unrec for non-communicative Subject line

:nuke:

[YvonneCa]

2. Sorry. Got distracted...

...by children. :7

[joeybee12]

3. I'm sensing (maybe just hoping) there's soon going to be a tremendous backlash

against the scam artists known as Rhee, Duncan, Gates, et al.

[Ramulux]

4. I really hope so

but it seems like there is just too much money involved and its too complex an issue, for the average person watching Oprah and seeing all this propaganda to understand.

[blondeatlast]

5. Indeed, but as some wise DUer put it a few days agao; they've schemed this like the HMOs did.

A little benevolence here, a little benevolence with conditions there. and pretty soon we're all left wondering how it all happened?