well, i think that this is the perfect sort of research question
incorporating activity theory as the organizing research lens.
as Nate sez - a lot has to do with allocated resources for children.
> Don't most of us learn as kids that we can't
>complain about the bad situations we caused for ourselves.
well, i really can't accept such a singular cause and effect explanatory
principle, i.e., that we singularly cause bad situations for ourselves -
and secondly, that we can't complain about it. my third graders find
themselves in all sorts of bad situations that they hold varying degrees
of responsibility for, and complaining about it is usually the first step
in problem solving.
>How can this go
>on in this case, in the face of the evidence you have cited.
no simple answer here. wish there were.
why does change, deep fundamental change, occur? knowing this may help
us begin to effect substancial educational reform that benefits children,
and not ideologies.
>
phillip