Comments on: Class Warfare—Over What? http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2011/08/17/class-warfare%e2%80%94over-what/ Closing the Achievement Gap: Teaching Content Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:23 +0000 hourly 1 By: Betty Dunn http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2011/08/17/class-warfare%e2%80%94over-what/comment-page-1/#comment-19026 Betty Dunn Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:48:14 +0000 http://blog.coreknowledge.org/?p=5532#comment-19026 This is an excellent article. I will certainly look for other articles on school reform by Diana Senechal. This is an excellent article. I will certainly look for other articles on school reform by Diana Senechal.

]]> By: Queens Teacher http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2011/08/17/class-warfare%e2%80%94over-what/comment-page-1/#comment-16858 Queens Teacher Wed, 14 Sep 2011 22:56:19 +0000 http://blog.coreknowledge.org/?p=5532#comment-16858 Teachers College Reading & Writing Project - probably the WORST programs EVER. Poor kids. Teachers College Reading & Writing Project – probably the WORST programs EVER. Poor kids.

]]> By: Kudos to Diana Senechal! « The Core Knowledge Blog http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2011/08/17/class-warfare%e2%80%94over-what/comment-page-1/#comment-16849 Kudos to Diana Senechal! « The Core Knowledge Blog Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:46:54 +0000 http://blog.coreknowledge.org/?p=5532#comment-16849 [...] to this blog challenge classroom orthodoxies on curriculum, assessment, and teaching practices. Her most recent post offered a critique of Steven Brill’s Class Warfare. A full collection of her blog posts is [...] [...] to this blog challenge classroom orthodoxies on curriculum, assessment, and teaching practices. Her most recent post offered a critique of Steven Brill’s Class Warfare. A full collection of her blog posts is [...]

]]> By: Diana Senechal http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2011/08/17/class-warfare%e2%80%94over-what/comment-page-1/#comment-16579 Diana Senechal Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:23:44 +0000 http://blog.coreknowledge.org/?p=5532#comment-16579 Bill, To write a novel like that, one would need to construct a plot and create some suspense. A strong final sentence would be key as well. Brill's book ends, "That requires not eliminating the unions that represent them but keeping the pressure on the unions to help create an environment where everyone can agree that our public school teachers can sit down once in a while--as long as they are committed to running the race and to being accountable for where they are and the children entrusted to them finish." Say what? That's why I took the Tom Clancy option as a distractor. Bill,

To write a novel like that, one would need to construct a plot and create some suspense. A strong final sentence would be key as well.

Brill’s book ends, “That requires not eliminating the unions that represent them but keeping the pressure on the unions to help create an environment where everyone can agree that our public school teachers can sit down once in a while–as long as they are committed to running the race and to being accountable for where they are and the children entrusted to them finish.”

Say what?

That’s why I took the Tom Clancy option as a distractor.

]]> By: bill eccleston http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2011/08/17/class-warfare%e2%80%94over-what/comment-page-1/#comment-16556 bill eccleston Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:32:02 +0000 http://blog.coreknowledge.org/?p=5532#comment-16556 No, Dianna, I mean the Tom Clancy novel as the correct answer. All his plots exploit our historical American fear of the boogeyman---who was a communist in the 80's; an hispanic drug lord in the 90's, and an "Islamo-facist" in the oughts. Presently, the boogeyman is beginning lessons in Mandarin. If the clever minions he's marshaling in the graduate schools of engineering on the yonder side of the Yellow Sea continue their progress, it will once again be "game over" for America. So who's to stop him this time? Why, a superhero exactly along the lines of Michelle Rhee! Who are the boogeyman's stalking horses, his fifth columnists, his useful idiots? Why, the teacher's unions---all that stands in the way of what's educationally good and righteous. Brill is simply in the wrong genre. He'd be rich if he poured his imagination into the mold that it naturally seeks. No, Dianna, I mean the Tom Clancy novel as the correct answer. All his plots exploit our historical American fear of the boogeyman—who was a communist in the 80′s; an hispanic drug lord in the 90′s, and an “Islamo-facist” in the oughts. Presently, the boogeyman is beginning lessons in Mandarin. If the clever minions he’s marshaling in the graduate schools of engineering on the yonder side of the Yellow Sea continue their progress, it will once again be “game over” for America. So who’s to stop him this time? Why, a superhero exactly along the lines of Michelle Rhee! Who are the boogeyman’s stalking horses, his fifth columnists, his useful idiots? Why, the teacher’s unions—all that stands in the way of what’s educationally good and righteous.

Brill is simply in the wrong genre. He’d be rich if he poured his imagination into the mold that it naturally seeks.

]]> By: Diana Senechal http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2011/08/17/class-warfare%e2%80%94over-what/comment-page-1/#comment-16550 Diana Senechal Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:52:08 +0000 http://blog.coreknowledge.org/?p=5532#comment-16550 Bill, I assume that the Tom Clancy novel would be another "distractor"; is that right? I was trying to be relatively not terribly unfair to the folks taking the test. Bill, I assume that the Tom Clancy novel would be another “distractor”; is that right? I was trying to be relatively not terribly unfair to the folks taking the test.

]]> By: bill eccleston http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2011/08/17/class-warfare%e2%80%94over-what/comment-page-1/#comment-16549 bill eccleston Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:38:51 +0000 http://blog.coreknowledge.org/?p=5532#comment-16549 Dianna, you fail to add the fifth choice, choice "e": Any Tom Clancy novel. Dianna, you fail to add the fifth choice, choice “e”: Any Tom Clancy novel.

]]> By: Robert Pondiscio http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2011/08/17/class-warfare%e2%80%94over-what/comment-page-1/#comment-16548 Robert Pondiscio Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:33:43 +0000 http://blog.coreknowledge.org/?p=5532#comment-16548 Kudos John for uncovering a gap in Diana Senechal's cultural literacy. Ms. Kelley is the notorious "unauthorized biographer" of various celebrity worthies including Frank Sinatra and Jackie O and Oprah. She traffics in scandal and innuendo of questionable credibility. Kudos John for uncovering a gap in Diana Senechal’s cultural literacy. Ms. Kelley is the notorious “unauthorized biographer” of various celebrity worthies including Frank Sinatra and Jackie O and Oprah. She traffics in scandal and innuendo of questionable credibility.

]]> By: Diana Senechal http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2011/08/17/class-warfare%e2%80%94over-what/comment-page-1/#comment-16547 Diana Senechal Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:25:39 +0000 http://blog.coreknowledge.org/?p=5532#comment-16547 You got me there, John. I have no idea what a Kitty Kelly bio is, but if I were given a multiple-choice test, my instincts would have me select "a Kitty Kelly bio" over a video game. In fact, the "video game" answer would probably be the "distractor," meant to trip up the students who didn't know what a "Kitty Kelly bio" was. But ha! Steven Brill's book Class Warfare MOST resembles: a. a Kitty Kelly bio b. The Communist Manifesto c. a video game d. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty You got me there, John. I have no idea what a Kitty Kelly bio is, but if I were given a multiple-choice test, my instincts would have me select “a Kitty Kelly bio” over a video game. In fact, the “video game” answer would probably be the “distractor,” meant to trip up the students who didn’t know what a “Kitty Kelly bio” was. But ha!

Steven Brill’s book Class Warfare MOST resembles:

a. a Kitty Kelly bio
b. The Communist Manifesto
c. a video game
d. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

]]> By: john thompson http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2011/08/17/class-warfare%e2%80%94over-what/comment-page-1/#comment-16546 john thompson Fri, 19 Aug 2011 11:51:34 +0000 http://blog.coreknowledge.org/?p=5532#comment-16546 You are being unfair to Brill. I am only halfway through the book and I have already read about6 two instances of teachers not maintaining their bulletin board correctly. Since that drives Brill's favorite principals into a rage, doesn't that mean that it is Brill's duty to rant against due process protections of teachers who commit those sorts of sins? Also, I think Brill's work reads less like a video game and more like a Kitty Kelly bio. You are being unfair to Brill. I am only halfway through the book and I have already read about6 two instances of teachers not maintaining their bulletin board correctly. Since that drives Brill’s favorite principals into a rage, doesn’t that mean that it is Brill’s duty to rant against due process protections of teachers who commit those sorts of sins?

Also, I think Brill’s work reads less like a video game and more like a Kitty Kelly bio.

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