Meeting Kids Where They Are — Not Where We Wish They Were

January 27, 2010
Education Week
By Jack Schneider
Opinion

Precious, in all likelihood, is not going to college.

This runs contrary to the aims of the dominant players in modern school reform, who, whether they are in government, school districts, or philanthropic organizations, routinely employ the phrase "excellence for all" in justifying their expenditures. The theory of change among the educational entrepreneurs, it seems, is simple: Find what works and make it available to all students. As Teach For America's chief executive officer, Wendy Kopp, has said of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan: "He just wants to find and scale the ideas that work, period."

See article on Education Week website (subscription required).