Peter Greene tries in this post to understand how “reformers” market bad ideas wrapped in good rhetoric.
It is what he calls a “poop sandwich.”
He thinks a bit more about grit, which everyone thinks is a good thing.
But he recognizes that something else is being marketed and sold with an attractive wrapper.
This is typical of what is deceptively called “reform” today.
The privatizers couldn’t go to the nation’s parents and say, “we want to close your community public school and hand the kids over to a corporation.”
So they call themselves “reformers,” and they say they want “great teachers” and “great schools.” Who wouldn’t?
But, Peter reminds us, it is a poop sandwich.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Not necessarily what I wanted to read before breakfast…As the father of young children and the owner of two dogs and a cat, I’ve had plenty of experience with the subject and like to read about education as a break from my primary function in life: scooping said article.
But sometimes the truth hurts, or at least tastes bad.
There’s no better description of what is being sold to the public these days than Peter Greene’s!
NY is being held hostage. Cuomo and SED obviously have heard the BARRAGE of media covering almost daily protests against Rheeform. Cuomo has back pedaled, announcing “the tests won’t count” on the first day of testing. But he still says they count against teachers, and he’s been ridiculed for the tortured logic.
But this is how politics work. The people speak, politicians listen, and then ask for ransom in order to listen. What might put the fear of Jesus in Cuomo is if parents, teachers and taxpayers pledged a vote directly against Cuomo in the election.
Interesting political tactic from ed reformer superstar Chris Christie:
“Norcross and his bloc of South Jersey legislators helped Governor Christie secure the major legislative achievements of his first term, including a bill to curb the costs of pension and health-care benefits for unionized teachers and government workers, whom Christie often attacked in his first term. “In the past, when we had difficult times, people would look for scapegoats—Jews, Catholics, Irish—and Christie provided public workers, teachers, and the civil-service system,” Florio told me. ”
So public schools (and the kids who attend them) were just collateral damage in a political campaign. It was necessary to attack their schools to get to the “public workers” and win an election – and media star status.
Good to know, for public school parents, how it happened that local public schools went under the campaign bus.
I’m glad the strategy worked out so well for the politicians. Not so good for public schools, but hey, you gotta break some eggs when you’re running as a “reformer”.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2014/04/14/140414fa_fact_lizza?currentPage=8
From the article:
“Standards are not an innately bad thing.”
No, standards in the proper context aren’t a bad thing, they can be very good and a help to making the world a better, safer place. But, in the context of the teaching and learning process, educational standards are an innately bad thing because the implication of a “standard” is that something is measurable. The teaching and learning process is unmeasurable, attempts to do so fail logical rational scrutiny. To understand why educational standards are the completely wrong way to go about the teaching and learning processes read and understand Noel Wilson’s never refuted nor rebutted “Educational Standards and the Problem of Error” found at: http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/577/700
Brief outline of Wilson’s “Educational Standards and the Problem of Error” and some comments of mine. (updated 6/24/13 per Wilson email)
1. A quality cannot be quantified. Quantity is a sub-category of quality. It is illogical to judge/assess a whole category by only a part (sub-category) of the whole. The assessment is, by definition, lacking in the sense that “assessments are always of multidimensional qualities. To quantify them as one dimensional quantities (numbers or grades) is to perpetuate a fundamental logical error” (per Wilson). The teaching and learning process falls in the logical realm of aesthetics/qualities of human interactions. In attempting to quantify educational standards and standardized testing we are lacking much information about said interactions.
2. A major epistemological mistake is that we attach, with great importance, the “score” of the student, not only onto the student but also, by extension, the teacher, school and district. Any description of a testing event is only a description of an interaction, that of the student and the testing device at a given time and place. The only correct logical thing that we can attempt to do is to describe that interaction (how accurately or not is a whole other story). That description cannot, by logical thought, be “assigned/attached” to the student as it cannot be a description of the student but the interaction. And this error is probably one of the most egregious “errors” that occur with standardized testing (and even the “grading” of students by a teacher).
3. Wilson identifies four “frames of reference” each with distinct assumptions (epistemological basis) about the assessment process from which the “assessor” views the interactions of the teaching and learning process: the Judge (think college professor who “knows” the students capabilities and grades them accordingly), the General Frame-think standardized testing that claims to have a “scientific” basis, the Specific Frame-think of learning by objective like computer based learning, getting a correct answer before moving on to the next screen, and the Responsive Frame-think of an apprenticeship in a trade or a medical residency program where the learner interacts with the “teacher” with constant feedback. Each category has its own sources of error and more error in the process is caused when the assessor confuses and conflates the categories.
4. Wilson elucidates the notion of “error”: “Error is predicated on a notion of perfection; to allocate error is to imply what is without error; to know error it is necessary to determine what is true. And what is true is determined by what we define as true, theoretically by the assumptions of our epistemology, practically by the events and non-events, the discourses and silences, the world of surfaces and their interactions and interpretations; in short, the practices that permeate the field. . . Error is the uncertainty dimension of the statement; error is the band within which chaos reigns, in which anything can happen. Error comprises all of those eventful circumstances which make the assessment statement less than perfectly precise, the measure less than perfectly accurate, the rank order less than perfectly stable, the standard and its measurement less than absolute, and the communication of its truth less than impeccable.”
In other word all the logical errors involved in the process render any conclusions invalid.
5. The test makers/psychometricians, through all sorts of mathematical machinations attempt to “prove” that these tests (based on standards) are valid-errorless or supposedly at least with minimal error [they aren’t]. Wilson turns the concept of validity on its head and focuses on just how invalid the machinations and the test and results are. He is an advocate for the test taker not the test maker. In doing so he identifies thirteen sources of “error”, any one of which renders the test making/giving/disseminating of results invalid. As a basic logical premise is that once something is shown to be invalid it is just that, invalid, and no amount of “fudging” by the psychometricians/test makers can alleviate that invalidity.
6. Having shown the invalidity, and therefore the unreliability, of the whole process Wilson concludes, rightly so, that any result/information gleaned from the process is “vain and illusory”. In other words start with an invalidity, end with an invalidity (except by sheer chance every once in a while, like a blind and anosmic squirrel who finds the occasional acorn, a result may be “true”) or to put in more mundane terms crap in-crap out.
7. And so what does this all mean? I’ll let Wilson have the second to last word: “So what does a test measure in our world? It measures what the person with the power to pay for the test says it measures. And the person who sets the test will name the test what the person who pays for the test wants the test to be named.”
In other words it measures “’something’ and we can specify some of the ‘errors’ in that ‘something’ but still don’t know [precisely] what the ‘something’ is.” The whole process harms many students as the social rewards for some are not available to others who “don’t make the grade (sic)” Should American public education have the function of sorting and separating students so that some may receive greater benefits than others, especially considering that the sorting and separating devices, educational standards and standardized testing, are so flawed not only in concept but in execution?
My answer is NO!!!!!
One final note with Wilson channeling Foucault and his concept of subjectivization:
“So the mark [grade/test score] becomes part of the story about yourself and with sufficient repetitions becomes true: true because those who know, those in authority, say it is true; true because the society in which you live legitimates this authority; true because your cultural habitus makes it difficult for you to perceive, conceive and integrate those aspects of your experience that contradict the story; true because in acting out your story, which now includes the mark and its meaning, the social truth that created it is confirmed; true because if your mark is high you are consistently rewarded, so that your voice becomes a voice of authority in the power-knowledge discourses that reproduce the structure that helped to produce you; true because if your mark is low your voice becomes muted and confirms your lower position in the social hierarchy; true finally because that success or failure confirms that mark that implicitly predicted the now self evident consequences. And so the circle is complete.”
In other words students “internalize” what those “marks” (grades/test scores) mean, and since the vast majority of the students have not developed the mental skills to counteract what the “authorities” say, they accept as “natural and normal” that “story/description” of them. Although paradoxical in a sense, the “I’m an “A” student” is almost as harmful as “I’m an ‘F’ student” in hindering students becoming independent, critical and free thinkers. And having independent, critical and free thinkers is a threat to the current socio-economic structure of society.
Here’s a school named after a political boss Chris Christie was courting:
“But at its center is a core of new development, anchored by Cooper University Hospital, which Norcross helped to build and where he is the chairman of the board. In early March, Christie broke ground on the latest Norcross project, the KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy, a charter school that will be built near the hospital. ”
Isn’t it great that we got all those icky “politics” out of K-12 education?
They’re just looking at the data. Just calling balls and strikes! No politics involved at all.
Ed reformers are pure and noble public servants, unlike those nasty labor unions 🙂
I just started this at Petition2Congress. It is very easy to sign, copies are automatically sent to President Obama, and your own senators and your representatives. Please take the time to read and the petition entitled: STOP COMMON CORE TESTING. Thank you.
http://www.petition2congress.com/15080/stop-common-core-testing/?m=5265435
Toxic Waste Is Good For You. A book about how exactly to promote to the public what we know is not good for us, what will sicken us as a society and ultimately will destroy democracy. A handbook on how to prepare poop for promulgation.
Educators seem to have an innate resistance to calling a spade a spade. “Oh, that student said the “F” word, or that student “dropped the ‘F’ bomb. “Poop sandwich”-maybe “poop pudding” or “poop pie” but let’s call it as it is: it’s a “shit sandwich”. Polite company????
I bring this up because yesterday I had a student (a good size boy, freshman, who puts on a certain air of toughness and supposed wittiness but with a major attitude problem. Something is up with him but I haven’t been able to figure it out) say to me, “Speak fucking English to me!” Now normally I would have probably have let him know how inappropriate that was and to see me after class where I would have discussed it with him and let it go at that. But by his reaction and the reaction of the class I knew I had to do something different. I calmly said to him “pack up your things and report to the office”. Now I hardly ever send a student to the office and when they arrive there the office knows something way out of line was done. And it wasn’t the “fucking” part that was way out of line, it was a culmination of a 3/4 of a year of him resisting with a major attitude doing his part in class and the other students knew that fact.
So I dutifully “wrote him up”. We’ve been told to be careful with what we write down because the parents will see it. So I wrote “Student said to me ‘Speak fucking English to me’.” And that was all. I’m thinking I’ll get spoken to about writing the “F” word-fucking-on the write up come Monday. We’ll see. . .
Serendipity, eh!
Oh, Duane, I was waiting to find your response to poop sandwiches. I didn’t think you let it pass and I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t. Teachers are so often limited in their expression to that internal bubble over our heads, but you had to write exactly what that kid let fly. I hope you have your own internal catalog of his others antics although to bring it up would probably get you called on not reporting him before this! Administrators love to second guess our decisions. By the time you had had enough, the whole class knew you were justified in your actions. Having the rest of the class behind you is critical. They know you gave this student a long rope. He made his choice to yank it until it broke. I hope he was ready to learn something from your reaction.
Sorry that happened to you, Duane.
Situations like that are tough.
In my district, the administrators are constantly reminding us to ” write EXACTLY what was said on the form. Don’t write kid cursed, write the exact word or phrase.”
This has caused many a tough time for some of our teachers. They cannot seem to bring themselves to write, repeat such language.
Funny, I hope, story…
I once had to go to a discipline hearing at county office and repeat aloud what I overheard one student say to another. It involved every ( and I do mean every!) obscenity you have ever heard. It was quite a rant.
My principal was concerned for me having to say all that in front of a full hearing, parents, board members, lawyers, etc, until I reminded her I have worked in theater since I was a child. 😉
Just a little levity.
Again, sorry for that kind of encounter. That sort of thing is always depressing. Hope you can figure out how to help this kid.
The encounter itself didn’t really bother me, I can handle those situations, I’ve certainly been in a lot worse. What bothers me more is that I haven’t been able to “reach” the student as much a I would like. At times he comes around and does okay but other times, well. . . I’ve learned that I can only do so much.
Duane,
I have no doubt you can handle it…but because I know you are a real teacher. And because I know that, I know situations like that bother you.
Me too.
Yes. we can only do so much.
But we never stop trying, wondering, wishing to help a kid grow up…be a successful human.
As they say, I feel you, my friend.
Hang in.
Ang
Señor Swacker: since you brought it up…
I never intended to write this, but a very piquant expression I remember from my time in the Detroit public schools I attended, applied to the ideas [I use the word “ideas” loosely] of the “education reformers” would come out thusly:
“Chomping down hard on the rheephorm agenda is like taking a bite out of a shit sandwich.”
Leaves a bit of a bad taste in the mouth, dontchaknow, but your comments…
Never.
😎
Mil gracias, KTA.
Poop Sandwich……Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing….Sociopathic Billionaire Corporate Reformers….
By whatever name it is called …..it’s still the same:
Adults Perpetrating Abuse to Children!
Here in NYC, teachers have always been expected to take shit.
Now we’re expected to eat it.
The post I told you about..love, Julie
________________________________
I’ve never fond of scatological humor. I’m not sure why I have this distaste (other than for the obvious reasons), since I consider swearing one of the most useful and engaging of the many boons conferred upon us by speech.
I once read, in The American Scholar, I think, or perhaps it was in Verbatim, a tragic report on the paucity of dedicated swear words in classical Latin. The Romans were always envious of the subtlety of the Greek tongue, of its rich resources for philosophical and literary purposes, but the Greeks were even less well endowed with profanities than the Romans were. The poor Romans had to result to graffiti, which they did with wild and glorious abandon, while the Greeks stuck to salacious decoration of vases.
I have a nice little collection of books on cursing in various languages. French, Spanish, German, Italian–the modern European languages, generally–are rich mines of lively expressions. But our language, which has been so promiscuous through the centuries, has to be the finest for cursing that our species has yet developed. We are blessed with borrowed riches, there, that speakers of other tongues can only dream of.
So, when I watch a David Coleman video, there’s a lot for me to say, and a lot of choice language to say it with.
Those of you who are English teachers will be familiar with the Homeric catalog. It’s a literary technique that is basically a list. The simple list isn’t much to write home about, you might think, but this humble trope can be extraordinarily effective. Consider the following trove of treasures. What are these all names of? (Take a guess. Don’t cheat. The answer is below.)
Green Darner
Roseate Skimmer
Great Pondhawk
Ringed Cascader
Comet Darner
Banded Pennant
Orange Emperor
Banded Groundling
Black Percher
Little Scarlet
Tau Emerald
Southern Yellowjack
Vagrant Darter
Beautiful Demoiselle
Large Red
Mercury Bluet
Eastern Spectre
Somber Goldenring
Back to my dreams of properly cursing Coleman and the Core, of dumping the full Homeric catalog of English invective on them.
Diane doesn’t allow such language in her living room, and I respect that. But perhaps she wouldn’t mind a little Shakespeare.
Let’s begin with some adjectives:
Artless, beslubbering, bootless, churlish, craven, dissembling, errant, fawning, forward, gleeking, impertinent, loggerheaded, mammering, merkin-faced, mewling, qualling, rank, reeky, rougish, pleeny, scurvie, venomed, villainous, warped and weedy,
And then add some compound participles:
beef-witted, boil-brained, dismal-dreaming, earth-vexing, fen-sucked, folly-fallen, idle-headed, rude-growing, spur-galled, . . .
And round it all off with a noun (pick any one that you please):
Bum-baily
Canker-blossom
Clotpole
Coxcomb
Codpiece
Dewberry
Flap-dragon
Foot-licker
Hugger-mugger
Lout
Mammet
Minnow
Miscreant
Moldwarp
Nut-hock
Puttock
Pumpion
Skainsmate
Varlet
Or, if you want the whole thing:
“Thy tongue outvenoms all the worms of Nile.” (worms = snakes)
“Methink’st thou art a general offence and every man should beat thee.”
You scullion! You rampallian! You fustilarian! I’ll tickle your catastrophe!”
You starvelling, you eel-skin, you dried neat’s-tongue, you bull’s-pizzle, you stock-fish–O for breath to utter what is like thee!-you tailor’s-yard, you sheath, you bow-case, you vile standing tuck!”
“Thou sycophantic, merkin-faced varlet.”
“Thou cream-faced loon!”
There. Glad I got that out of my system.
BTW. Those are names of dragonflies, above. Beautiful, aren’t they?
Fuzzy-legged skimmer
Fairy lacewing
Such riches!
“The world is so full of a number of things, / I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.” ― Robert Louis Stevenson
corrections:
First paragraph: I have never been fond . . .
First Shakespeare quotation: all the worms of the Nile
I knew with the “great pondhawk” you were probably talking about dragonflies but wasn’t/still ain’t sure if those names include damselflies.
“Odonata is an order of carnivorous insects, encompassing dragonflies and damselflies. The word dragonfly is also sometimes used to refer to all Odonata, but odonate is a more correct English name for the group as a whole. Wikipedia”
Have always enjoyed watching odonates since being a kid. Having them land on you is even better. Having a mating pair land is the best!
me too. I am very happy that you know the difference.
here, a poem of mine in which dragonflies and damselflies make an appearance:
Bob,
Thanks for the poem. IAGO! (It’s a Good One.)
For those that don’t know, at least this is how I learned to distinguish dragon from damsel flies, Dragons rest with their wings out where as Damsel rest with their wings together up over their body.
For a good quick reference on the difference see: http://insects.about.com/od/identifyaninsect/a/dragonordamsel.htm
…or be or talk to a fisherman?
Hi Diane,
I’m the guy that Peter mentions in his blog, Dr. Robert A. Martinez, and yes, I am a sincere educator. I understand fully many of the concerns regarding “reform” and those that are attempting to privatize public education, and I continue to be a proud active educator in our California public school systems.
One area of research that I have focued on is Resiliency Development. In my daily practice as an educator also focus on providing teachers with the time, support, encouragement, and focused professional development that is in alignment with the true needs of the children they serve. I work with teachers, school board members, site administrators, and various professional associations such as the Association of California School Administrators, and the California School Boards Associaiton to promote healthy public schools. All of our students deserve no less from each of us.
I’ve written a several pieces on Resiliency Development for the Association of California School Administrators, and most recently have developed a Governance Brief as part of a Post-Graduate Fellowship program sponsored by Drexel University and the California School Boards Association. This Governance Brief will be shared with more than 5,000 California School Board Members over this next year, and I will speak to anyone who will listen on the importance of each educator to connect with their students each day!
Here is a link to my blog and my latest entry: @DrRobM_FSUSD: “Building the Resiliency of At-Risk Students”-Transformational Resiliency in Action http://t.co/UOzlGQR4qb
Also, here is a link straight to the Governance Brief on the CSBA website:
http://www.csba.org/GovernanceAndPolicyResources/~/media/CSBA/Files/GovernanceResources/GovernanceBriefs/201404_GBResiliencyofAtRiskStudents.ashx
I hope you take a moment to read and share what I believe are essential and imperative issues for all of our students.
Thanks, Rob
You could also follow me @ResiliencyGuy