While the Institute is away at a corporate retreat, far, mostly, from the interwebz, I've arranged for some dips into the archives.
Personalization and the Outliers
Henry Ford was an early proponent of personalization. "Any customer can have a car pained any color that he wants," said Ford in 1909, "so long as it is black."
There have always been limits to personalization. I like to wear hats, but my head is some sort of extra-large melon, so while hat manufacturers may offer choices to fit the personal size preferences of many customers, I'm an outlier. Many times I'm just SOL on a particular hat.
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Archives: Myth of the Hero Teacher
While the Institute is away at a corporate retreat, far, mostly, from the interwebz, I've arranged for some dips into the archives.
Oh, that damn hero teacher. She does it for the kids, and not because she likes to eat and have a place of shelter. And now we need her to answer the call again. I've bitched about this myth a few times, but here's an early take on this damaging trope:
The Myth of the Hero Teacher
Oh, that hero teacher.
Larger than life. Leaping tall filing cabinets with a single bound. Taking a few moments out of every day to personally reach out to every single student and making that child feel special, while at the same time inspiring greater levels of smartitude just by sheer force of teacherly awesomeness. The Hero Teacher shoots expectation rays at students, making them all instant geniuses.
Oh, that damn hero teacher. She does it for the kids, and not because she likes to eat and have a place of shelter. And now we need her to answer the call again. I've bitched about this myth a few times, but here's an early take on this damaging trope:
The Myth of the Hero Teacher
Oh, that hero teacher.
Larger than life. Leaping tall filing cabinets with a single bound. Taking a few moments out of every day to personally reach out to every single student and making that child feel special, while at the same time inspiring greater levels of smartitude just by sheer force of teacherly awesomeness. The Hero Teacher shoots expectation rays at students, making them all instant geniuses.
Archives: What Does The Free Market Really Foster?
While the Institute is away at a corporate retreat, far, mostly, from the interwebz, I've arranged for some dips into the archives.
If I ever get a "theory" named after me, let it be this one--
The free market does not foster superior quality; the free market fosters superior marketing.
And here are some of the many times I've talked about it.
What Choice Won't Do
Netflix and the Myth of Personalization
Do Charters Create Pressure for Excellence?
Coke Provides a Marketing Lesson
Choice and Cable
If I ever get a "theory" named after me, let it be this one--
The free market does not foster superior quality; the free market fosters superior marketing.
And here are some of the many times I've talked about it.
What Choice Won't Do
Netflix and the Myth of Personalization
Do Charters Create Pressure for Excellence?
Coke Provides a Marketing Lesson
Choice and Cable
Monday, July 27, 2020
Archives: Test Prep
While the Institute is away at a corporate retreat, far, mostly, from the interwebz, I've arranged for some dips into the archives.
As we argue about whether or not the Big Standardized Test should be given this year (spoiler alert-- no, it shouldn't), let's take a look at some of the reasons it sucks up so much time during the year. And no, test prep is not about memorizing a list of facts. It's even worse than that.
What Is Test Prep?
Yesterday I fell into a discussion of test prep on Twitter where a participant tossed forward the notion that test prep actually decreases test results. Others asserted that test prep doesn't really help. I'm pretty sure that both of those assertions are dead wrong, but I also suspect part of the problem is that "test prep" is an Extremely Fuzzy Term that means a variety of things.
As we argue about whether or not the Big Standardized Test should be given this year (spoiler alert-- no, it shouldn't), let's take a look at some of the reasons it sucks up so much time during the year. And no, test prep is not about memorizing a list of facts. It's even worse than that.
What Is Test Prep?
Yesterday I fell into a discussion of test prep on Twitter where a participant tossed forward the notion that test prep actually decreases test results. Others asserted that test prep doesn't really help. I'm pretty sure that both of those assertions are dead wrong, but I also suspect part of the problem is that "test prep" is an Extremely Fuzzy Term that means a variety of things.
Archives: Nobody Really Wants Choice
While the Institute is away at a corporate retreat, far, mostly, from the interwebz, I've arranged for some dips into the archives.
Despite the constant focus on school choice, I remain unconvinced that choice is what people really want.
Nobody Really Wants Choice
Families need a choice. Parents want a choice. Poor students deserve a choice. We hear the rhetoric over and over again, but I remain convinced that it's baloney.
People do not want choice.
When I sit down in a restaurant and order my favorite meal, the one I've been craving all day, I don't sit there eating it thinking, "Oh, if only there were more choices. If only, in addition to the meal I'm eating, there was a wider variety of other meals for me to not eat."
Despite the constant focus on school choice, I remain unconvinced that choice is what people really want.
Nobody Really Wants Choice
Families need a choice. Parents want a choice. Poor students deserve a choice. We hear the rhetoric over and over again, but I remain convinced that it's baloney.
People do not want choice.
When I sit down in a restaurant and order my favorite meal, the one I've been craving all day, I don't sit there eating it thinking, "Oh, if only there were more choices. If only, in addition to the meal I'm eating, there was a wider variety of other meals for me to not eat."
Sunday, July 26, 2020
Archives: Whitney Tilson and DFER
While the Institute is away at a corporate retreat, far, mostly, from the interwebz, I've arranged for some dips into the archives.
This profile of Whitney Tilson, a gabillionaire hedge funder and a founding father of DFER and a guy who got in on the ground floor of reformsterism, looks at many of the talking points that are still driving the discussions about education. You can team this piece up with this other piece about how Tilson decided it should be DFER and not RFER in the first place.
Whitney Tilson Is Better Than You
When we're talking about the kind of hedge-fund managing, faux-Democrat, rich fat cat, anti-public ed reformsters who are driving much of the modern ed reform agenda, we're talking about guys like Whitney Tilson.
This profile of Whitney Tilson, a gabillionaire hedge funder and a founding father of DFER and a guy who got in on the ground floor of reformsterism, looks at many of the talking points that are still driving the discussions about education. You can team this piece up with this other piece about how Tilson decided it should be DFER and not RFER in the first place.
Whitney Tilson Is Better Than You
When we're talking about the kind of hedge-fund managing, faux-Democrat, rich fat cat, anti-public ed reformsters who are driving much of the modern ed reform agenda, we're talking about guys like Whitney Tilson.
Saturday, July 25, 2020
Archive: Support Public Schools
While the Institute is away at a corporate retreat, far, mostly, from the interwebz, I've arranged for some dips into the archives.
As various privatizers and profiteers try to use the coronavirus as a mean to Katrina public ed into oblivion, here's a listicle of reasons to support one of the US's oldest institutions.
10 Reasons To Support Public Schools
Public education has become a political orphan in this country. So it's important to take the time to remember why US public education is actually a great thing. Here are some reasons.
As various privatizers and profiteers try to use the coronavirus as a mean to Katrina public ed into oblivion, here's a listicle of reasons to support one of the US's oldest institutions.
10 Reasons To Support Public Schools
Public education has become a political orphan in this country. So it's important to take the time to remember why US public education is actually a great thing. Here are some reasons.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)