Well, for a start:
In Australia, we had "Working Nation" as a similar starting point almost
ten years ago and, unfortunately, it's one area that Australia is in
advance of the US ... I'll include a list of references for you at the
bottom of this mail for some light reading so's you can assure yourself
that there's at least one other side to the trend you identify.=20
>I have researched plenty of people and companies interested in providing
options
>to public schooling, and I have yet to find anyone who touts "efficiency=
,
>productivity and profit" as their primary motivation. =20
What questions did you ask these "plenty of people and companies" you hav=
e
you researched?
My own experience (from several angles which I'm happy to go into if you
wish) with "competency based" education and the system it engenders has
been horrendous. =20
>I also have yet to
>find anyone who suggests that the primary goal of education should be to
>shut down the arts and humanities and replace it with technology and
>vocational training. Where are you finding these people? Provide some
>specifics.
In the reference list.
>My view on the transformation occurring in education today is that there=
is
>widespread popular dissatisfaction with school as usual, and so there's
>much interest in looking at alternatives. This movement is occurring on
>many fronts, from individual to family to corporate to national. I don'=
t
>see any one hand behind it, but I see a confluence of many forces. My
>question is: Why is this transformation drawing such heated rejection fr=
om
>education faculty, and why is their rejection mischaracterizing it so
>completely? =20
You have an interesting job title. Are you associated with Telis who are
nearby? Who says that your characterisation of the problems of education =
is
correct? The paragraph above is entirely devoid of human agency in key
areas: "there is widespread popular dissatisfaction with school as usual
..." Who, in particular, is dissatisfied? What, in particular, is "school
as usual"? How do you characterise this, Louise?
You also write:=20
"Why is this transformation (which transformation?) drawing such heated
rejection from education faculty [sic] (which faculty?), and why is their
rejection (whose?) mischaracterizing it so completely?"
Why "completely" Louise?
Phil
Refs FYI (this is a relatively "balanced" list - see Freidman. M (1980)
"Free to choose" & von Hayek, F (1994) "The road to serfdom" for the
sources of the most pervasisve arguments supporting a corporatised
education system:
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Professions=92 new blood sapped by funding cut (1998). The Australian. 23
September, p. 1.=20
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Phil Graham
pw.graham who-is-at student.qut.edu.au
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/8314/index.html