Comments on: An Ignorant Screed on School Choice http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/ Keeping politicians' hands off the Net & everything else related to technology Fri, 25 May 2012 18:27:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Kevin Delaney http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-37235 Kevin Delaney Wed, 21 Feb 2007 21:18:39 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/#comment-37235 <p>It seems to me that charter schools and voucher systems lead to diversity of ideas. Oddly, this seems to explain why progressives tend to oppose the measures. Progressivism wants a diversity of peoples all with the same indoctrination.</p> It seems to me that charter schools and voucher systems lead to diversity of ideas. Oddly, this seems to explain why progressives tend to oppose the measures. Progressivism wants a diversity of peoples all with the same indoctrination.

]]> By: Kevin Delaney http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-52550 Kevin Delaney Wed, 21 Feb 2007 21:18:39 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/#comment-52550 <p>It seems to me that charter schools and voucher systems lead to diversity of ideas. Oddly, this seems to explain why progressives tend to oppose the measures. Progressivism wants a diversity of peoples all with the same indoctrination.</p> It seems to me that charter schools and voucher systems lead to diversity of ideas. Oddly, this seems to explain why progressives tend to oppose the measures. Progressivism wants a diversity of peoples all with the same indoctrination.

]]> By: Richard Bennett http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-37234 Richard Bennett Wed, 21 Feb 2007 17:53:47 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/#comment-37234 <p>School choice pits two traditional Democratic constituencies against each other, minorities and unions. Until the Dems perfect a fundraising and volunteering model that doesn't depend on unions, the minority kids are screwed.</p> <p>It's sad that Jobs' remarks are seen as controversial; it should be obvious there are a lot of under-performing employees in the school system, and it's largely because of the tenure system that makes them untouchable after two years on the job (in California, at least.)</p> <p>That's not the end of the school system's problems, however: politicized textbooks and curricula and slacking parents are big parts of the problem as well. And lately it seems to me that the "video culture" we're developing is hostile to learning in itself, and I don't begin to know what we do about that.</p> School choice pits two traditional Democratic constituencies against each other, minorities and unions. Until the Dems perfect a fundraising and volunteering model that doesn’t depend on unions, the minority kids are screwed.

It’s sad that Jobs’ remarks are seen as controversial; it should be obvious there are a lot of under-performing employees in the school system, and it’s largely because of the tenure system that makes them untouchable after two years on the job (in California, at least.)

That’s not the end of the school system’s problems, however: politicized textbooks and curricula and slacking parents are big parts of the problem as well. And lately it seems to me that the “video culture” we’re developing is hostile to learning in itself, and I don’t begin to know what we do about that.

]]> By: Richard Bennett http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-52549 Richard Bennett Wed, 21 Feb 2007 17:53:47 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/#comment-52549 <p>School choice pits two traditional Democratic constituencies against each other, minorities and unions. Until the Dems perfect a fundraising and volunteering model that doesn't depend on unions, the minority kids are screwed.<br><br>It's sad that Jobs' remarks are seen as controversial; it should be obvious there are a lot of under-performing employees in the school system, and it's largely because of the tenure system that makes them untouchable after two years on the job (in California, at least.)<br><br>That's not the end of the school system's problems, however: politicized textbooks and curricula and slacking parents are big parts of the problem as well. And lately it seems to me that the "video culture" we're developing is hostile to learning in itself, and I don't begin to know what we do about that.</p> School choice pits two traditional Democratic constituencies against each other, minorities and unions. Until the Dems perfect a fundraising and volunteering model that doesn’t depend on unions, the minority kids are screwed.

It’s sad that Jobs’ remarks are seen as controversial; it should be obvious there are a lot of under-performing employees in the school system, and it’s largely because of the tenure system that makes them untouchable after two years on the job (in California, at least.)

That’s not the end of the school system’s problems, however: politicized textbooks and curricula and slacking parents are big parts of the problem as well. And lately it seems to me that the “video culture” we’re developing is hostile to learning in itself, and I don’t begin to know what we do about that.

]]> By: Matt S http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-37233 Matt S Wed, 21 Feb 2007 16:39:49 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/#comment-37233 <p>The fact that Kahney asks frames the question:</p> <blockquote>It sounds great �¢â?¬â? for the successful schools. But what about the failing ones?</blockquote> <p>...demonstrates that he doesn't understand the issue. The failing school may well fail, but that doesn't mean the students are hurt. It simply means their business goes elsewhere, to schools that perform better. The resources of the failing school are redirected toward better-performaning ones.<br /><br /></p> <p>The intimation that we should be protecting schools first, and students second, is absurd in the extreme.</p> The fact that Kahney asks frames the question:

It sounds great �¢â?¬â? for the successful schools. But what about the failing ones?

…demonstrates that he doesn’t understand the issue. The failing school may well fail, but that doesn’t mean the students are hurt. It simply means their business goes elsewhere, to schools that perform better. The resources of the failing school are redirected toward better-performaning ones.

The intimation that we should be protecting schools first, and students second, is absurd in the extreme.

]]> By: Matt S http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-52548 Matt S Wed, 21 Feb 2007 16:39:49 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/#comment-52548 <p>The fact that Kahney asks frames the question:<br><br></p> <blockquote>It sounds great �¢â?¬â? for the successful schools. But what about the failing ones?</blockquote> <p><br><br>...demonstrates that he doesn't understand the issue. The failing school may well fail, but that doesn't mean the students are hurt. It simply means their business goes elsewhere, to schools that perform better. The resources of the failing school are redirected toward better-performaning ones.<br></br><br><br><br>The intimation that we should be protecting schools first, and students second, is absurd in the extreme.<br></br></p> The fact that Kahney asks frames the question:

It sounds great �¢â?¬â? for the successful schools. But what about the failing ones?



…demonstrates that he doesn’t understand the issue. The failing school may well fail, but that doesn’t mean the students are hurt. It simply means their business goes elsewhere, to schools that perform better. The resources of the failing school are redirected toward better-performaning ones.



The intimation that we should be protecting schools first, and students second, is absurd in the extreme.

]]> By: Randy Picker http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-37232 Randy Picker Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:43:25 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/#comment-37232 <p>I confess that I regard very few public issues as moral issues, but I think of vouchers in exactly those terms. The members of Congress who rail against vouchers--typically Democrats--who at the same time send their kids to Sidwell Friends aren't against private schools for their kids, just for not making the same possibilities available to people with less money. I find it hard to describe that as something other than morally offensive.</p> I confess that I regard very few public issues as moral issues, but I think of vouchers in exactly those terms. The members of Congress who rail against vouchers–typically Democrats–who at the same time send their kids to Sidwell Friends aren’t against private schools for their kids, just for not making the same possibilities available to people with less money. I find it hard to describe that as something other than morally offensive.

]]> By: Randy Picker http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-52547 Randy Picker Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:43:25 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/#comment-52547 <p>I confess that I regard very few public issues as moral issues, but I think of vouchers in exactly those terms. The members of Congress who rail against vouchers--typically Democrats--who at the same time send their kids to Sidwell Friends aren't against private schools for their kids, just for not making the same possibilities available to people with less money. I find it hard to describe that as something other than morally offensive.</p> I confess that I regard very few public issues as moral issues, but I think of vouchers in exactly those terms. The members of Congress who rail against vouchers–typically Democrats–who at the same time send their kids to Sidwell Friends aren’t against private schools for their kids, just for not making the same possibilities available to people with less money. I find it hard to describe that as something other than morally offensive.

]]> By: Jim Lippard http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-37231 Jim Lippard Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:29:32 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/#comment-37231 <p>Arizona has had one high school ever make the Newsweek list of the 100 best high schools in the country.</p> <p>It was a charter school, BASIS, which only exists because Arizona has allowed experimentation with publicly-funded but privately supplied education, and <a href="http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/127085.php" rel="nofollow">it came in at #3 on the list last year</a>.</p> Arizona has had one high school ever make the Newsweek list of the 100 best high schools in the country.

It was a charter school, BASIS, which only exists because Arizona has allowed experimentation with publicly-funded but privately supplied education, and it came in at #3 on the list last year.

]]> By: Jim Lippard http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-52546 Jim Lippard Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:29:32 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/#comment-52546 <p>Arizona has had one high school ever make the Newsweek list of the 100 best high schools in the country.<br><br>It was a charter school, BASIS, which only exists because Arizona has allowed experimentation with publicly-funded but privately supplied education, and <a href="http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/127085.php" rel="nofollow">it came in at #3 on the list last year</a>.</p> Arizona has had one high school ever make the Newsweek list of the 100 best high schools in the country.

It was a charter school, BASIS, which only exists because Arizona has allowed experimentation with publicly-funded but privately supplied education, and it came in at #3 on the list last year.

]]> By: Jerry Brito http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-37230 Jerry Brito Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:10:38 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/#comment-37230 <p>Tim, I feel your pain. I'm driven to madness every time Leander Kahney strays from his Mac beat. Here I take him to task for his idea that Gates should be praised for giving his money to charity while Jobs just a greedy capitalist:</p> <p>http://www.techliberation.com/archives/032703.php</p> <p>And here I point out that, when trying to decipher trade secrets law, Kahney should consult a lawyer and not a sociologist:</p> <p>http://www.jerrybrito.com/archives/000975.shtml</p> <p>Sadly, this is nothing new for Wired News:</p> <p>http://www.jerrybrito.com/archives/000899.shtml</p> Tim, I feel your pain. I’m driven to madness every time Leander Kahney strays from his Mac beat. Here I take him to task for his idea that Gates should be praised for giving his money to charity while Jobs just a greedy capitalist:

http://www.techliberation.com/archives/032703.php

And here I point out that, when trying to decipher trade secrets law, Kahney should consult a lawyer and not a sociologist:

http://www.jerrybrito.com/archives/000975.shtml

Sadly, this is nothing new for Wired News:

http://www.jerrybrito.com/archives/000899.shtml

]]> By: Jerry Brito http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-52545 Jerry Brito Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:10:38 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/02/21/an-ignorant-screed-on-school-choice/#comment-52545 <p>Tim, I feel your pain. I'm driven to madness every time Leander Kahney strays from his Mac beat. Here I take him to task for his idea that Gates should be praised for giving his money to charity while Jobs just a greedy capitalist:<br><br><a href="http://www.techliberation.com/archives/032703.php">http://www.techliberation.com/archives/032703.php</a><br><br>And here I point out that, when trying to decipher trade secrets law, Kahney should consult a lawyer and not a sociologist:<br><br><a href="http://www.jerrybrito.com/archives/000975.shtml">http://www.jerrybrito.com/archives/000975.shtml</a><br><br>Sadly, this is nothing new for Wired News:<br><br><a href="http://www.jerrybrito.com/archives/000899.shtml">http://www.jerrybrito.com/archives/000899.shtml</a></p> Tim, I feel your pain. I’m driven to madness every time Leander Kahney strays from his Mac beat. Here I take him to task for his idea that Gates should be praised for giving his money to charity while Jobs just a greedy capitalist:

http://www.techliberation.com/archives/032703.php

And here I point out that, when trying to decipher trade secrets law, Kahney should consult a lawyer and not a sociologist:

http://www.jerrybrito.com/archives/000975.shtml

Sadly, this is nothing new for Wired News:

http://www.jerrybrito.com/archives/000899.shtml

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