How should the Gates Foundation invest their money in education? Much of the talk surrounding the Warren Buffet gift to the foundation surrounded around health issues; the education issues appeared far less (at least after the gift; they received high profile in Business Week). So how will the Gates Foundation invest their money in American schools? How should they invest it?
Paul Hill suggests research and development will help uncover new ideas to improve our schools, which will be slow, but in the long run, effective. The school system suffers from political motivation (although given his description, I would say the problems demonstrate rather an organization eating itself to protect itself:
In any case, he says that education suffers from a "paucity of ideas." I hate to say it, but I agree. Generally, in my school of education, the same ol' same ol' politically correct, everyone's a victim, we're all entitled to more more more groupthink surfaces again and again. One of my classmates self-righteously proclaimed, "I'm not anyone's expert," when I asked what was the point of getting a doctorate if you couldn't be considered an expert at anything. Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you're not an expert, then why are you studying for a degree that in the eyes of most people in our society will make you one? Go live in the commune with your hippie friends and get outta my face (New York accent pulled out there).
the delivery system is frozen by politics, and has all but a small proportion of its money committed to employees and mandated services. Insider groups tolerate small-scale experimentation but resist wide adoption of new ways of doing things, because these can cause job insecurity and upset deals that have been painfully hammered out among organized groups... Thus, in education, new ideas seldom get traction because the delivery system makes sure money and people donÂ’t flow to them.)
We need people who are brave enough to stand up and say, "Listen to me - I've studied this a lot and I think I have an idea." I think people are afraid of saying they're an expert because a) it might hurt someone else's feelings; just like my 7th grade students all being in the honors class, we're ALL experts! Yay! Cookies for everyone!!! and b) you might, once in awhile, be wrong, and aren't experts never supposed to be wrong? And then YOUR feelings might get hurt. Boo-hoo.
A little courage never hurt anyone. Let's be not afraid to stand up and give our ideas - even if it takes years to prove what works, even if they seem too new or different. Even... hold on people... IF WE ARE WRONG. Yes, we, the EXPERTS. Are our schools working right now? No. I'm sorry, but they're not. Not when 10,000 children in DC public schools have fled to charter schools since 2001 in the District, and the student who remain are attending class in decrepit facilities. (see the article I quoted in my last entry.) You think you can learn when the air conditioning or heat are always cutting out, you're sharing space with rats, and the ceiling of your classroom is falling in? Less than ideal, I would say.
Really, how can it get worse?
"Money, Momentum, and the Gates Foundation." (Hill, P. T. Education Week. August 9th, 2006)
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