thoughtfulHowever, this is where I part ways a bit: "Business does have something to teach educators, but it’s neither the saving power of competition nor flashy ideas like disruptive innovation. Instead, what works are time-tested strategies." What follows are some slogans and platitudes but nothing truly concrete that could or should be applied to education. Education is not a business. And yet business leaders decry the failure of education even as they profit from it. Testing, technology, alt cert, charters, tutoring and other industries have been touted as the magic bullet. Despite statistics to the contrary, some insist they work or they will work in some distant (dystopic?) future.
The closing sentences of this article, though, are absolutely on target. They should be made into posters and flood the hallways and offices of those who would "reform" education: "The process of teaching and learning is an intimate act that neither computers nor markets can hope to replicate. Small wonder, then, that the business model hasn’t worked in reforming the schools — there is simply no substitute for the personal element."
Now, if you dare, if you are seated, read the comments...