This is a really strange article from Big Think (a great site, which I suggest you check regularly!). The text of this short article seems to be a sort of coded phrasing for those with political leaning in support of the teachers unions in New York to consider the bigger picture…sigh. You would think (OK this may be REALLY begging a question here…) many people would even handedly evaluate the pluses and minuses involved in any political debate…and more importantly, realize that without this personal effort they might have little of value to bring to the debate (even as a partisan).
The fact is that there are some big players in the education debacle in this country (and many others…). On one hand, any real substantive changes to the education system we have (potentially) puts literally millions of teachers on thinner ice than they would like (how would you?). Of course, there are some bigger issues involved here, such as providing an education for the next generation.
This a trope which has been used as a battering ram by any number of sides in the ongoing contract debates between the teachers unions and various school districts and state agencies…
Here is where this Big Think article comes into view…is it possible that this idea (i.e. the reason for education is students, not teachers) has been misused so much over the years that all interested parties have long since been desensitized…
I think current events would bear out this little thesis…
School Politics: Who Speaks for the Children?
http://bigthink.com/ideas/39064
Chris Cerf, Acting Commissioner of New Jersey schools, argues that "the voice of the people" isn’t always the loud voice of dissent. We, the media, tend to focus on controversy, and community leaders often arise and prosper by fanning its flames.
"There are tens of thousands of children on waiting lists in Harlem and the rest of New York City to get into a charter school," says Cerf, "Yet the newspaper will report that there are deep objections within the community to bringing in charter schools . . . because people like to cover conflict."
This Works Both Ways; Of Course . . . While he has divested himself of his stocks and professional responsibilities in these companies, Cerf has strong past ties to big educational business. He is the former CEO of Sangari Global Education and the former President and COO of Edison Schools, a private manager of public education. Companies like these will certainly profit under New Jersey’s school reforms, as they have done in New York. Critics argue that many proponents of data-driven school reform and an expanded private sector role in public education have similar ties and loyalties, and that these may influence their policy decisions.
What’s the Significance?
Successes in New York City and Cerf himself make a compelling case for the effectiveness of data-driven reform. And Cerf’s efforts to incentivize successful teaching, in spite of strong union resistance, appear to reflect a sincere commitment to improving education for the sake of all students.
We owe it to ourselves not to allow the complexity of an issue or the polarizing forces of media to shuffle us into default, unquestioning loyalties to political parties, community identities, or professional associations. As citizens in a representative democracy, it is our right and obligation to identify the problems that matter to us, and scrutinize equally the motives and methods of all those who propose to solve them.In the case of education, the only question is – and always must be – what skills young people will need in the future to lead happy and successful lives, and how best we can ensure that they acquire them.
