Applying his own precept that pundits should be paid on the basis of performance, Claus von Zastrow of Public School Insights determines that, on the evidence of his recent articles on education, NewsWeek writer Jonathan Alter's salary should be docked--and indeed, that he should even be facing termination. Not sure he was expecting Alter himself to show up in his comments section, though. ... At any rate, it's a good back-and-forth.
Hat tip: Pondiscio.
Yes, that was indeed a surprise. He also called me out for the tone of some of my comments--fairly enough, it seems. I still take issue with the way he has presented some reform ideas. He commits sins of omission that have become absolutely typical in school reform discussions.
Still, when the object of my criticism read the posting and responded, it reminded me of the need for greater civility and less snark. It's easy to forget that in the blogosphere.