Public education needs public discussion

04-20-2011

Blog by Diana Senechal/Washington Post

One of the phrases that I hear often in education discussions is “behind the scenes.” Curriculum may be a controversial subject, but “behind the scenes,” educators are busy discussing it and devising new proposals. Policymaker X declares that online learning is the future, but “behind the scenes,” she expresses misgivings about its costs and complications. Value-added assessment seems to be moving ahead full throttle, but “behind the scenes,” experts admit to its dangers. It seems we live in an age of P.R., where people put up a good front in public, then deal with the messier stuff behind closed doors or over drinks. To get things done, supposedly, you have to know who’s who, make the rounds, belong to the right circles. And you have to be willing to play a game: to pretend everything’s just fine (whatever you support, that is) and confine your reservations to a special time and place. (more...)

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