Dear Michelle:
According to the Associated Press, you are starting a school reform organization:
On Monday, she’ll announce the group’s agenda, focusing on three areas: the teaching profession, empowering families with information and choices; and developing more accountability.
I am puzzled by a few things.
No — not that your goal is to raise 1 billion dollars. (You recently lost your job. So, of course, you want a job. And fame makes you different from us ordinary educators, who look for jobs in the 30 to 50 thousand range.)
And no — not that you will focus on accountability. (You always equated higher test scores with “student achievement” and the purpose of public education.)
1. I am puzzled that you are trying to reform and improve what you define in such a shallow way. Why so much investment and effort on such a shallow purpose (higher test scores)?
2. I am puzzled that you are now an educational philosopher, after years of being an educational administrator. You had neither the time, nor the experience to develop a deep philosophy of education. I know — I was once an educational administrator.
3. I am puzzled that you believe others should contribute to your shallow ideas.
But maybe you’re not a philosopher. Maybe you’re an entrepreneur. In that case, you might have the wrong enterprise. Improving/reforming public education simply requires Americans to be philosophical enough to define “educated” as modeling and teaching the six virtues.
That doesn’t cost a single dollar, but you want 1 billion? Explain that to me; or am I a fool to need explanation?
