Comments on: Checker Says RELAX!

By: concerned

concerned — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:18:41 +0000

Beautiful!!

By: Daniel Earley

Daniel Earley — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 08:04:06 +0000

Thomas Jefferson on government prescribing arbitrary and foolhardy standards beyond its natural jurisdiction of competence:

“[T]he Newtonian principle of [gravity] is more firmly established on the basis of reason than it would be were the government to step in and make it an article of necessary faith. It is [only] error which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.”

By: MOMwithAbrain

MOMwithAbrain — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:48:48 +0000

Checker lost all credibility by embracing this scam against parents and taxpayers.
We all know the Fordham grades are slightly inflated. We are not impressed.
He needs to do what Ravitch did and admit he was wrong.

By: Ed is Watching » Price for State Board to Adopt Common Core Standards Is Simply Too High

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:57:14 +0000

[...] of some leaders advocating for the adoption of Common Core — those who are trying to tell us just to relax and not worry about the whole [...]

By: Greg Forster

Greg Forster — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:32:18 +0000

I don’t really agree with the idea that gradualism has a special connection to conservatism. Certainly if conservatives want to be faithful to their principles (which they frequently aren’t) they ought to be careful and cautious when doing something that involves increased exertion of government power (e.g. for national defense). But I think the same doesn’t apply when conservatives are rolling back state power. Of course we ought to be prudent, but sometimes real prudence demands boldness and even radicalism. The mountain climber who never takes a risk is doomed to fail. If you gave me a magic wand that would instantly create universal voucher programs in all 50 states, I wouldn’t hesitate to wave it.

By: concerned

concerned — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:41:22 +0000

There’s a tension that exists for conservatives throughout the political spectrum, but I wouldn’t categorize it as either gradual or limited…

http://concernedabouteducation.posterous.com/the-tension-11

By: Jay P. Greene

Jay P. Greene — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:45:30 +0000

I think Matt really has it figured out. Conservatives are aware of the limitations and dangers of government action, so they tend to proceed gradually and with limited ambition. Checker is a man in a hurry and has dropped his previously sensible caution to rush ahead with something — anything — that might work.

By: concerned

concerned — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:35:38 +0000

You’re right! Conservatism isn’t about maintaining the status quo!

Readers might be interested in some info from CA here: http://educatedguess.org/2010/07/30/better-or-worse-off-with-common-core/#more-2809

Thanks also to Sandra Stotsky! I hadn’t seen Professor Milgram’s review of the math standards prior to following your link. Thx!

By: Daniel Earley

Daniel Earley — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:01:13 +0000

Clarification: Perhaps the only Fabian virtue worthy of our emulation–patience–is an easy virtue to lose, and consequently our cause is likewise easy to lose in its entirety. Unfortunately, this impatience seems to be Checker’s current driving force, even admittedly so.

By: Daniel Earley

Daniel Earley — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:47:30 +0000

While the Fabians of a century ago may have been utterly misguided in principle, their tactics are what made them successful. Each was fully aware that they would never live to see their utopian leftist dreams fulfilled, yet they were committed. Hence their namesake — the embodiment of the model of patience they followed.

Perhaps the only Fabian virtue worthy of our emulation, patience is easy to lose — and consequently our cause in its entirety.

Of course, this begs the question of what our cause is. Is it just about test scores? Is it about providing life-opportunities to the disadvantaged? Is it about freeing market forces to lift all boats? Is it also about preserving the kind of educated people who can preserve liberty in functioning republic? Might it be even something more?

The Fabians’ centralized utopian cure for society’s ills turned out to be worse than the disease. The “risk” Checker suddenly invites us to take in the sphere of K-12 unfortunately lies parallel to that well-trod path, only now in the name of impatience. Call me averse to the risk of cures like Thalidomide, but some treatments have well-known effects.

That said, I appreciate Matt’s deference to Checker for his life-long experience. After a lifetime in the trenches, his frustration may certainly be understandable. But therein lies the trap that makes Checker vulnerable: the temptation to believe that he’s already seen everything, that nothing will change, that there is nothing to be patient for.

The only response I can give at this time without saying too much is that the marketplace is wiser than anyone realizes. Beyond Checker’s time frame being too short, revolutionary developments do, in fact, turn industries on their heads on a regular basis. The very medium we’re communicating through attests to this, and events are in the pipeline that even Gates is not aware of.

Hopefully Checker and his backers will soon rise out of the gloomy funk that has burned out their hope in in mankind’s ability to excel without parental compulsion. Rather than yield to their impulse to micromanage, they could rejoin the real race to the top — illuminating the marketplace — where the focus is instead on shining brighter lights for sorting out the schools.