Daily Archives: November 30, 2010


The Questions Education Reformers Aren’t Asking

There is a long article by Mike Rose posted on truthdig.com, The Questions Education Reformers Aren’t Asking.

…both elite and mainstream media have pretty much fallen in line with the reigning policy talk about the problems with our schools and how to fix them. As well, no one in power is asking the more fundamental questions like: What is the purpose of education in a democracy, and are our reforms enhancing—or possibly restricting—that purpose?

The article closes with:

The way we express the purpose of schooling shapes our collective definition of the educated person. If we want our youth to thrive and stay in school, the goal of all current school reforms, then we need an education policy that embodies the full range of reasons people go to school in a free society.

The article is composed of five parts that are all linked together.  To give you some idea of the content, I’ll post the titles of the five parts and the direct links to each part.

Maybe it is just my predeliction for cutting to the chase, but I am always frustrated by the preponderance of generalities and the under emphasis on specifics of these articles. There are some specifics to reward you for reading all the words. Perhaps you have to read the book to get what I am looking for.

Mike Rose is on the faculty of the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA and is the author of Why School?: Reclaiming Education for All of Us.


Miss Massachusetts USA

The Boston Globe article, Miss Massachusetts USA, says that the newly crowned Miss Massachusetts USA is from Bolton, Ma, works for Genzyme. and won the annual pageant at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium on Sunday.

Our daughter grew up in Bolton and works for Genzyme. We are so proud of her.

The fact that I was born and brought up in Lowell has absolutely nothing to do with the awarding of the Miss Massachusetts USA title to the current winner.