Eduwonkette accepts David Brooks’ apology on behalf of Julian Bond, T. Berry Brazelton, Debbie Meier, Ted Sizer and a host of other “who have dedicated their lives to improving the lives of poor and minority children” and counts herself among (in Brooks’ unfortunate phrase) the status quo–those who signed on with the Economic Policy Institute’s “Broader, Bolder Approach to Education”
I really do hate my permanent residence in the reality-based community, but at least half of the achievement gap that exists between black and white students – the fact that the average black 12th grader performs at about the 16th percentile of the white distribution (a gap of about 1 standard deviation)- cannot possibly be attributed to the K-12 schools.
Eduwonkette finds an unlikely ally at Flypaper, where Checker Finn is naming names, asking “what the likes of Joel Klein, Arne Duncan, Michelle Rhee, Kati Haycock, Joe Williams, and Andy Rotherham think they’re doing” by affiliating themselves with Al Sharpton, even while he agrees with many of principles espoused by the “National Education Reform Coalition.” Alexander Russo, spoiling for a fight as always, wonders why the education blogs “have spent so much time debating two ultimately unimportant documents put out by different education coalitions.”
Sorry, A-Rus, but this matters a lot. Sane, executable policy can only spring from a pragmatic consensus on expectations and accountability. Personally, I’m not ready to stand with either side because while I think the “Broader, Bolder” camp has nothing to apologize for in terms of accountability (making closing the achievement gap your life’s work is a funny preoccupation for the accountability-averse, no?) there would be value in a clear, unambiguous statement that accountability matters. Likewise the Klein-Sharpton gang are certainly right when they say that schools to “are doing what we have designed them to do over time” by protecting the interests of adults over children. But it’s simply wrong to suggest that if a child fails in school, someone in the school has dropped the ball.
One piece of the EEP statement of principles particularly irritates me. On the one hand, there’s a call to “create accountability for educational success at every level – at the system and school level, for teachers and principals, and for central office administrators.” A few lines later comes the “call on parents and students to demand more from their schools, but also to demand more from themselves.”
Aye, there’s the rub. I and others have spent years making exactly that call to parents and students. Sometimes the call is answered. Often it is not. Sometimes it can’t be. Want to call me unaccountable?
Them’s fightin’ words.
Don’t miss: Teacher John Thompson, who frequently graces this blog with his thoughtful, eloquent comments, has a great one on Eduwonk. Click here and scroll down.
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