tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9025948832913694345.post5984617953741662184..comments2024-03-22T02:15:56.280-07:00Comments on Jersey Jazzman: A Reformy ConfessionDukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16535645107179796099noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9025948832913694345.post-22493252475541584372011-05-22T10:28:58.246-07:002011-05-22T10:28:58.246-07:00They won't stop and listen because they're...They won't stop and listen because they're not trying to reform anything; they're putting their agenda into action. It has nothing to do with education, it's purely political, a two-flanked attack. 1. They want to corporatize education to gain control over public $ and divert it to their cronies and causes for profit and power. 2. Concurrently, they want to disempower and break up the labor unions, starting with the teacher unions under the canard of "Reform", because the unions are the only institutions that raise $ and are organized to get out the Democratic vote in a big way, and the only means the Dems now have to compete with the unlimited corporate $ going to elect Republicans in the wake of the awful Citizens United ruling.<br /><br />It has nothing to do with education or reform. Education is only a political tool to advance their national agenda on a state-by-state basis to disempower the strongest Democratic political institutions and divert $ to their political supporters who in turn can now give unlimited $ to get Republicans elected.<br /><br />So, they won't listen, and making educationally sound arguments won't matter. It's all political, and that's the front on which we need to fight them.Lisanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9025948832913694345.post-82274616797756474382011-05-21T15:17:43.982-07:002011-05-21T15:17:43.982-07:00That SES is socioeconomic status--I think it's...That SES is socioeconomic status--I think it's important to write out the words, perhaps using all caps!<br /><br />Plenty of folks are looking to defund (destroy) public eduction, and these evaluation systems, along with new efforts to "raise the bar" while cutting funds and staff will make it all look like a "reform effort." <br /><br /><br />My classes will have 40 kids in them next Sept. Yeah, I know, if our teachers had accepted a pay freeze, the number would be 37. <br /><br />Of course, many folks remember when teachers could handle 40 kids--the good old days of bathing once a week, polio, and . . . racism--you won't hear the elderly relatives of my students going on about how wonderful things were.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com