Disintegration Of Progressive Education House Of Cards Finally Happening
Compare and contrast the specialized fields of education and medicine.
Ask the simple question: Would the medical field allow an epidemic to start, take hold, spread, and NOT be challenged? No. That would not be, and has never been, allowed to happen. Everything in the structure of medicine screams against negligence of duty.
On the other hand, what is our experience in the field of education? Well, it’s been at least 50 years of a steady spread of dumbing-down of vast populations due to the virus of “progressivism”. Many signals have appeared that pointed to danger. The field is littered with reports and complaints but there has been little relief for long-suffering clients of this system.
Two conditions account for this unchecked education epidemic. Firstly: Ideological activists — well-fueled with articulate platforms and well-placed in zones of influence — have had a relatively free rein in advancing their progressive cause. Secondly: Those in oversight have blindly (and compromisingly) allowed a one-size-fits-all mentality to embed itself into services that should be primarily guided by “best practice” and client consensual choice.
Radicalism and laxity are related. Progressivism, under many guises, propagates and harms mass populations while a blind eye prevails on the part of school boards and government ministries.
Well, there is good news regarding this raging epidemic hitherto allowed to flourish. While radicalism is growing fiercer, faster and more presuming at least we are seeing some influential resistance gearing up.
1 While each new expose seems to promise reform, finally, this book — Progressively Worse — is likely to encourage the opening of a lot of floodgates. Not only releasing pent-up-demand for reform, but actually helping focus on root causes. The 50 year chronology of UK progressivism’s growth is equally applicable to Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand and other nations. http://www.learningspy.co.uk/featured/progressively-worse-review/
The UK Education Minister, Michael Gove, has just announced an independent Review into ITT (Initial Teacher Training).
2 Australia has two Reviews going into “root” issues: Review of the National Curriculum and Review of Teacher Training.
3 Alberta (the “tall poppy” that had to be cut down) has just released a report of the Task Force For Teaching Excellence http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/Task+force+report+politcally+driven+assault+teachers/9808600/story.html
4 The curriculum wars have been ongoing for many decades, to the point where two main camps now predominate — traditionalists vs progressives. The traditionalist camp believes in tolerance, live and let live, consent and choice, whereas the progressive camp believes in one-size-fits-all, paternalistic “we know best” and stealth incrementalism. One side is for freedom, the other for totalitarianism. My reading of the balance at the moment is that progressives, because of methods used and lack of oversight, have “captured” the field by a ratio of 9 to 1. A good article to start understanding the two camps and current “Common Core” debates in the US is here http://www.hoover.org/publications/defining-ideas/article/171441
Of course, the more parents and public get involved, greater likelihood that lax and gutless political entities will have to respond — with genuine and accountable programs.
[posted on Society for Quality Education (SQE) http://www.societyforqualityeducation.org/index.php/blog/read/progressively-worse ]