I don't understand the consternation here; as I understand it, private consultants and publishers have been charting curriculum in US states (each state seems to be able to specify its own curriculum to a large degree) for over a decade. There are state committeees or commissions, but in reality the choices are driven by the availability of texts, and the texts are determined by the essentially private corporate system in place in big client states like Texas, which selects texts subsequently purchased by the smaller states.
-Pete On Thu, 5 May 2011, D and N wrote: > > *Diane Ravich, Ed Week* - [Concerning] the agreement between the Gates > Foundation and the Pearson Foundation to write the nation's curriculum. > When did we vote to hand over American education to them? Why would we > outsource the nation's curriculum to a for-profit publishing and > test-making corporation based in London? Does Bill Gates get to write > the national curriculum because he is the richest man in America? We > know that his foundation is investing heavily in promoting the Common > Core standards. Now his foundation will write a K-12 curriculum that > will promote online learning and video gaming. That's good for the tech > sector, but is it good for our nation's schools? > > Oh, and one more outrage: The Gates Foundation and the Eli Broad > Foundation, both of which maintain the pretense of being Democrats > and/or liberals, have given millions to former Florida governor Jeb > Bush's foundation, which is promoting vouchers, charters, online > learning, test-based accountability, and the whole panoply of corporate > reform strategies intended to weaken public education and remove > teachers' job protections. > > The scariest thought is that the Obama administration welcomes the > corporatization of public education. Not only welcomes the rise of > educational entrepreneurialism, but encourages it. U.S. Education > Secretary Arne Duncan's chief of staff Joanne Weiss, who has experience > as an education entrepreneur, wrote the following in a blog for the > Harvard Business Review: > > "The development of common standards and shared assessments radically > alters the market for innovation in curriculum development, professional > development, and formative assessments. Previously, these markets > operated on a state-by-state basis, and often on a district-by-district > basis. But the adoption of common standards and shared assessments means > that education entrepreneurs will enjoy national markets where the best > products can be taken to scale." > > Yes, indeed, lots of opportunities for new businesses, smart investors, > and a national marketplace for entrepreneurs. I would expect to read > this sort of thing from the public relations department of Pearson or > McGraw-Hill or one of the other industry leaders. But the chief of staff > to the U.S. secretary of education? > > http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/Bridging-Differences/ > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
