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“When I was a child, back in the Parenting Stone Age (a.k.a. the Parentocentric Era), your parents were the most important people in the family. They paid the bills, bought your clothes, prepared the food you ate, took care of you when you were sick, drove you to where you needed to be, tucked you in, and kissed you good night. They were essential . . . When they spoke to you, they didn’t bend down, grab their knees, and ask for your cooperation in a wheedling tone . . . The rule was very simple: They told you what to do, and you did it because they said so . . . Today’s parents still pay the bills, buy the clothes, prepare the food, and so on, but by some strange twist, they treat their children as if they are the most important people in the family.” ~ John Rosemond
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“Now the administration proposes a competition to ‘redesign America’s high schools.’ Rewards will go to schools that develop more classes ‘that focus on science, technology, engineering, and math–the skills today’s employers are looking for to fill jobs right now.’ But we don’t need a nation of technocrats. Let’s not forget that you can’t do well in math and engineering if you can’t read proficiently, and that reading is the province of courses in literature, language, and writing. Nor can you do well in science and technology if you can’t interpret images and develop effective visualizations–skills that are strengthened by courses in art and art history.” ~ Danielle Allen
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“Eduction has become so institutionalized that the act of ‘doing’ something equates to readiness for the next checked off item on the ‘to do’ list of instructional practice. The ebb and flow of ‘doing’ becomes a barometer for success as measured by standardized high stakes tests that, in one moment, assess a student’s ability to ‘do school,’ measure a teacher’s effectiveness, and be a check and balances sheet to maintain the system as directed by the institution.” ~ Mike Fisher
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“Not since the battles over school desegregation has the debate about public education been so intense and polarized, observers say, for rarely before has an institution that historically is slow to change been forced to deal with so much change at once.” ~ Michele McNeil
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“It’s heartbreaking to hear children identify themselves as ‘below basic,’ or as a ‘one.” ~ Arne Duncan, U.S. Education Secretary
