Schoolhouse Rock: Great blog on public education reform debates from Slate. I've most appreciated what Paul Tough has to say in his newest post, called "The Divide":
"To those in the Broader [,Bolder Approach to Education] camp: Let's admit that our public schools could be serving poor kids much, much better than they are today, and that in order to do that, they need a radical overhaul right away."
"To those in the Education Equality camp: Let's admit that alone, even the best charter schools can't fix the crisis in the nation's worst urban neighborhoods."
I always love when someone sees through the crap and characterizations and demonization of two opposing idealogies and proposes a compromise that just might work.
I also love what Michelle Rhee, the DC Superintendant of Schools is proposing. Its a split contract, one that gives teachers the option of compensation and tenure the way they've had it for a while OR one that limits tenure and enacts performance based standards but with much higher potential for raises and bonuses. (Kind of like the rest of the world functions...)
The reaction from older generation teaching union leaders is illustrative of the problem. We can debate the kind of change needed, but entrenched refusal to change is looking worse and worse on them...
I'm curious what readers who have taught or are teaching in public/private/charter schools think...
