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A Gates Foundation Education Initiative Fizzles
theodp writes "Three years ago, Sarah-Palin-bogeyman William Ayers published a paper questioning the direction the small school movement was taking (PDF) with the involvement of would-be education reformers like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. And now, after $2 billion in grants, Bill Gates concedes that in most cases his foundation's efforts in that area fell short. 'Many of the small schools that we invested in did not improve students' achievement in any significant way,' said Gates. Bill does cite High Tech High as one of the few success stories, but even there has to limit his atta-boys to the San Diego branch — the Gates-backed Silicon Valley High Tech High closed its doors abruptly due to financial woes (concerns about the sustainability of Gates-initiated small schools were voiced in 2005). Not surprisingly, some parents are upset about the capital that school districts wasted following Bill's lead."
And you wonder why conservatives don't like Ayers?
I hadn't before, but I am wondering now.. what is it about small schools, social justice, equity and community that conservatives dislike?
...after the following sentence in the first paragraph:
And you wonder why conservatives don't like Ayers?
Nobody who's sensible about education likes that kind of shit. Social justice, equity, and community are entirely peripheral to the process of education.... unless you're trying to "educate" kids to be little pinko commie idealists with a flawed view of reality.
If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
I'm surprised he's still alive, honestly. You would think a scumbag like Ayers would have been offed by some vigilante many years ago.
Life is not for the lazy.