From Valerie Strauss, Washington Post: “Here is a thoughtful piece about school reform and the march toward privatization of public education. It was written by Arthur H. Camins, director of the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. His writing can be accessed at http://www.arthurcamins.com/.”
From Arthur Camins: “If we are to successfully counter the anti-democratic privatization movement, we need to pursue three strategies. First, educators and their unions need to seize the initiative so that we own the work of improving teaching, including establishing and embracing standards (not standardization) of effective professional practice. This work is beginning, but it is not well known. In their respective books, “Professional Capital” and “Getting Teacher Evaluation Right,” Michael Fullan and Linda Darling-Hammond chronicle this work and highlight what can be done to bring it to scale. Second, we need to pose clear values choices. Third, to illuminate those choices we need to tell compelling stories that resonate with people across diverse audiences.”
Please read Mr. Camins’ questions. They are at the heart of the public education debate–or they should be.