Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Emerging Model for Public Education

The model for public education being developed now--with a huge green light from ESSA- is packaged instruction offered by scripted educators. Some of this will be offered on computer terminals, some in conventional classrooms.; but it is a low cost, data driven model that depersonalizes schooling in ways which we have never seen before. The huge savings in teacher training, teacher salaries and teacher persions ( it is presumed there will be high teacher turover) make this overwhelmingly attractive to policy makers and budget conscious politicians even though it defies every theory of child development worth its salt and deprives children of the sponaneity, creativity, play, critical thinking and opportunity to develop personal relations with teachers and peers. It is a chillingly futuristic vision being brought to life right now in real space and real time. Just read Peggy Robertson's posting about her school in Aurora Colorado to see what this actually entails. Yes, hers is a "turnaround" school, but after the powers that be finish with low income schools and districts, they will set their sights on middle class communities, especially since the middle class is shrinking fast.

Be afraid. Be very afraid. As bad as you think it was, it's worse.