Teacher Praises Blogs for Role in Policy Debate
Oklahoma City teacher John Thompson took over the Core Knowledge blog yesterday. Thompson, a serial commenter here and elsewhere, has this to say about NCLB:
"Educational reformers often act like a team that is down by several touchdowns late in the game. We abandon any semblance of a game plan and throw one desperation pass after another, creating turnovers and making things worse. When our school addressed the challenge of NCLB by instituting high stakes benchmark testing, the argument was, 'We have tried everything else. Why not try this?' We learned the hard way. On the other hand, it was not nearly as hard on the teachers as on the students who dropped out by the dozens."
At the end, he adds that blogs are the best place to "achieve a proper balance of policy, research, theory, and practical experience." He also warns against drinking while blogging. Good advice.
