October 1, 2010

Take a Little Ownership Will Ya

Jonah Goldberg asks a good question my well-meaning slightly-left-of-center and far-left-of center edu-pundits/edu-reformers friends never seem to ask themselves:

And yet when you listen to these endless seminars and interviews on NBC and its various platforms, I never seem to hear Matt Lauer or David Gregory ask “Isn’t the education crisis a failure of liberalism?” After all, liberals insist all social problems can be reduced to root causes. Well, they’ve been in charge of the roots for generations and look at the mess they’ve made. Look at it.

My only quibble is that I think that lefties are calling themselves progressives again after tarnishing the liberalism brand-name.  All the more appropriate anyway since the progressives got us in this mess in the first place.  They might as well be taking the blame today.

Instead of recognizing that they we have a stinky turd on our hands and scooping it up; they keep trying to polish it-up.

polished-turd

 

I’m still waiting for someone to present a coherent defense for keeping the present system, rather than blowing it up.  It’s like removing a Band-Aid;  sometimes it’s best just to rip it off and deal with the short-term pain.

(H/T: JPG Blog)

4 comments:

Dick Schutz said...

Well, there are alternatives other than "keep the present system or blow it up."

The trouble with "blow it up" is it's a fanciful notion. The irresponsible "educational terrorists" don't want to pull out of the public financed enterprise. They just want to feed at the same trough to forward some ideologically-driven beliefs.

Incidentally, look at history. The "standards and standardized test movement" has been a bipartisan agreement from the beginning of the "movement" in the late 1980's.

The public schools do many things well. They provide cheap baby-sitting in a safe environment. They feed kids who would otherwise be worse fed than they presently are. They provide no-cost first-responders for physical and mental health risks. They sort kids for the "higher ed" system. They provide no-cost farm clubs for college and professional athletics. They provide surrogate parents for many kids. And so on.

The thing is, parents and the public think the schools are there to teach the kids how to read and do math and to prepare the kids to "leave home" either by "getting a job" or "going to college"

That's not too much to ask. The kids are capable of learning this and the teachers are qualified.

The weakness is at the top of the EdChain with the Govt-Academic-Publisher triangle of Unaccountables.

KDeRosa said...

The trouble with "blow it up" is it's a fanciful notion. The irresponsible "educational terrorists" don't want to pull out of the public financed enterprise. They just want to feed at the same trough to forward some ideologically-driven beliefs.

Exactly. I never said capitalists thought highly of capitalism or competition. And I am certainly not advocating a non-competitive replacement system that would allow the players to continue to feed at the trough. Healthy competition is the key.

Incidentally, look at history. The "standards and standardized test movement" has been a bipartisan agreement from the beginning of the "movement" in the late 1980's.

Again, since when have Republicans been champions of competitive markets? They enjoy interfering with the markets almost as much as Democrats. Privatizing and subsidizing do not a free market make.

The public schools do many things well. They provide cheap baby-sitting in a safe environment. They feed kids who would otherwise be worse fed than they presently are. They provide no-cost first-responders for physical and mental health risks. They sort kids for the "higher ed" system. They provide no-cost farm clubs for college and professional athletics. They provide surrogate parents for many kids. And so on.

We already have a private network of child-care providers who already take care of these same functions even more cheaply. Many of the other functions have private sector counterparts. So, yes, the public schools handle these non-instructional functions competently if not inexpensively.

The weakness is at the top of the EdChain with the Govt-Academic-Publisher triangle of Unaccountables.

Publishers will gladly give those buying their products whatever they are asking for. Regulations/standards determine the content.

Academics are a problem in many sectors and those sectors find a way of dealing with the students they are given.

That leaves government as the culprit.

Dick Schutz said...

Healthy competition is the key.
Sounds good, doesn't it? What rules of engagement do you suggest?

since when have Republicans been champions of competitive markets?
Read their lips. Of course, as you say, there is a gap between their lips and their greed. But greed is good, right?

We already have a private network of child-care providers who already take care of these same functions even more cheaply.
Really? What is the name of that network and where can I find it? I've never heard of it, but I'd like to recommend it to my friends and relatives.

Publishers will gladly give those buying their products whatever they are asking for.
Right. Publishers will sell anything. They are unaccountable. Nice work if you can get it.

Academics are a problem in many sectors and those sectors find a way of dealing with the students they are given.
What sectors are you referring to here?

KDeRosa said...

What rules of engagement do you suggest?

Give tax monies directly to parents and let parents decide where to send their children to school.

But greed is good, right?

Self-interest is good. Adam Smith got that part right.

What is the name of that network and where can I find it?

They are called preschools. Public schools don't serve this segment, so private industry provides these services. They do it as competently and much more cheaply than the public schools provide what is in effect glorified daycare. In my state the regulations require preschool teachers to have a teaching certificate and have low teacher to pupil ratios.

Publishers will sell anything. They are unaccountable.

No, they have ultimate accountability. If they put out product no one wants, they won't stay in business long.

What sectors are you referring to here?

All of them. Have you ever heard any business that is happy with the quality of graduates they are being sent by the universities.