PJM Column by GF on BB (Just AAMOI)

August 22, 2008

(Guest post by Greg Forster)

Pajamas Media carries my take on BB today. I’m not as harsh on BB as Jay and Matt have been. I’m harsher.

Those of you who have been following the unions’ desperate attempt to distract you from the fact that BB doesn’t have the empirical evidence they claim it has by flinging a bunch of calumny at Jay may find this section of particular interest:

The really funny thing is, we’ve tried bringing social services into schools before. Fifty years ago, schools didn’t serve breakfast and provide teams of guidance counselors. Providing these and other social services in schools was originally justified on grounds that the kids needed these services to do well in school. How has that worked out?

Well, after all the empirical research that’s been done on schools, there’s no serious evidence that educational outcomes have improved as a result of these services. When the unions were challenged to come up with some evidence, they responded that “teachers know” these policies work.

But if the real purpose of providing these services in schools was to enlarge the government education blob, mission accomplished.

I wrote the column before the exchange about evidence and “cherry picking” over the last few days, but I see nothing that needs revision. As Jay pointed out, the evidence to which they now appeal is on the same scientific level as that used to prove the healing power of crystals. Their original “teachers know” argument was actually better – at least it didn’t pretend to be scientific.

Leave a Comment » | money myth, myth of helplessness, teacher union | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Greg Forster

I Pity the Fool!

April 23, 2008

(Guest post by Greg Forster)

                                                                                                                                             George Clowes

Connoisseurs of the art of the smackdown will not want to miss the richly deserved spanking George Clowes administers to two representatives of the blob in the letters section of today’s Wall Street Journal.

Two public school teachers had written in to peddle the Myth of Helplessness*, blaming poor public school performance on what they called “inferior raw material,” i.e. low-income minority students.

Clowes pulls no punches. As the great school reformer Mr. T once said, “Allow me to introduce you to my good friend pain!”

Enjoy.

*If you don’t know what the Myth of Helplessness is, for goodness’ sake move out of your mother’s basement and start hanging out with the cool kids.

(Edited to fix the quote from the teachers. The actual quote is even worse than what I had originally put!)

13 Comments | myth of helplessness | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Greg Forster