4 ms·

It’s not just California. The combination of “no child left behind” legislation, combined with modern political movements (CRT/I in particular), has rendered la

It’s not just California. The combination of “no child left behind” legislation, combined with modern political movements (CRT/I in particular), has rendered large swaths of American public education devoted to bringing everyone up to a minimum standard (not necessarily a bad thing in itself, mind you), but all the while sacrificing the potential of gifted students by not placing everyone into separate (and significantly varying) tracks according to their varying abilities. In addition, schools are funded based on standardized test scores, which encourages many schools, especially in poorer areas, to teach to the tests—instead of teaching students to think.

burtness 7y ago
By CRT are you referring to Critical Race Theory? I'm sceptical that its both that influential, or that any good faith reading of CRT supports sacrificing accelerated programs. In particular CRT in education if anything pushes against reliance on standardized testing scores.
- TimTheTinker 7y ago
  Yes, that’s what I meant (and I for intersectionality). Agreed that CRT/I would oppose standardized tests, but that’s only because CRT/I at its core opposes anything objective. And the philosophy of CRT/I has already made significant inroads in American culture. Witness all the accelerated programs that have been shut down, the many recent attacks on objective standards—all in the name of “equity” (which does not mean equality of value, treatment, or opportunity—it means creating equal outcomes by whatever means is available —consider the implications carefully). Universities are being forced to grapple with these ideas, with the core question being “does our university still value the pursuit of truth, critical thinking, and free inquiry above all else, or will we acknowledge that ‘people from oppressed classes have a truth unto themselves that cannot be taught but must be respected, and all opposing viewpoints must be shut down’?” If this movement hasn’t yet affected you, it will soon. It’s ripping apart social groups all over the place. (I can give examples of all I’ve described in the morning if you’re interested. I’m just tapping this out before bed.)
  - nickik 7y ago
    CRT is postmodernism, witch is basically what depressed Communists came up with to continue to hope they get communism. The amount of inroads stuff like this has made, specially in universities is beyond sad.
  - droopyEyelids 7y ago
    Yeah please share the examples! What you write sounds plausible, but it also mirrors a lot of what we hear from the right that is at times overstated. I'd love to hear a set of sober examples- I don't have any connection to early education anymore and I'm really curious.
    - TimTheTinker 7y ago
      Sorry these are coming a whole day later. Here we go: New York City has (or had?) an active effort in place to cancel/dismantle "gifted" programs in primary and secondary education. Here's the PDF released by their committed last August: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/1c478c_f14e1d13df45444c883bbf6590129bd7.pdf https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/1c478c_f14e1d13df45444c883bbf... . There are lots of other examples of this phenomenon around the country... I doubt I need to come up with more examples now. Notably, the University of Chicago came firmly down on the side of free inquiry: http://provost.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/documents/reports/FOECommitteeReport.pdf http://provost.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/documents/re... An excellent, charitable, clear-minded discussion on critical theory in general: https://youtu.be/p6DnHxuuXI4 https://youtu.be/p6DnHxuuXI4 Here's a good introduction to many of the practical, everyday consequences of CRT/I's influence in American culture. It's an interview with Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay (this is part 1, and I think there are 3 or 4 parts in total): https://youtu.be/YDFL3xwEEG8 https://youtu.be/YDFL3xwEEG8 -- that last one in particular, if you watch the whole thing, is chock full of great examples. Hope that's helpful. That's all I was able to find in the time I had.
    - fastball 7y ago
      As someone that has been spending a lot of time around Higher Education over the past 7 years or so, I personally cannot think of a single University I have interacted that isn't making many of their decisions under the influence of the ideas described above. This is in the US/UK.

burtness 7y ago

By CRT are you referring to Critical Race Theory? I'm sceptical that its both that influential, or that any good faith reading of CRT supports sacrificing accelerated programs. In particular CRT in education if anything pushes against reliance on standardized testing scores.

TimTheTinker 7y ago
Yes, that’s what I meant (and I for intersectionality). Agreed that CRT/I would oppose standardized tests, but that’s only because CRT/I at its core opposes anything objective. And the philosophy of CRT/I has already made significant inroads in American culture. Witness all the accelerated programs that have been shut down, the many recent attacks on objective standards—all in the name of “equity” (which does not mean equality of value, treatment, or opportunity—it means creating equal outcomes by whatever means is available —consider the implications carefully). Universities are being forced to grapple with these ideas, with the core question being “does our university still value the pursuit of truth, critical thinking, and free inquiry above all else, or will we acknowledge that ‘people from oppressed classes have a truth unto themselves that cannot be taught but must be respected, and all opposing viewpoints must be shut down’?” If this movement hasn’t yet affected you, it will soon. It’s ripping apart social groups all over the place. (I can give examples of all I’ve described in the morning if you’re interested. I’m just tapping this out before bed.)
- nickik 7y ago
  CRT is postmodernism, witch is basically what depressed Communists came up with to continue to hope they get communism. The amount of inroads stuff like this has made, specially in universities is beyond sad.
- droopyEyelids 7y ago
  Yeah please share the examples! What you write sounds plausible, but it also mirrors a lot of what we hear from the right that is at times overstated. I'd love to hear a set of sober examples- I don't have any connection to early education anymore and I'm really curious.
  - TimTheTinker 7y ago
    Sorry these are coming a whole day later. Here we go: New York City has (or had?) an active effort in place to cancel/dismantle "gifted" programs in primary and secondary education. Here's the PDF released by their committed last August: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/1c478c_f14e1d13df45444c883bbf6590129bd7.pdf https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/1c478c_f14e1d13df45444c883bbf... . There are lots of other examples of this phenomenon around the country... I doubt I need to come up with more examples now. Notably, the University of Chicago came firmly down on the side of free inquiry: http://provost.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/documents/reports/FOECommitteeReport.pdf http://provost.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/documents/re... An excellent, charitable, clear-minded discussion on critical theory in general: https://youtu.be/p6DnHxuuXI4 https://youtu.be/p6DnHxuuXI4 Here's a good introduction to many of the practical, everyday consequences of CRT/I's influence in American culture. It's an interview with Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay (this is part 1, and I think there are 3 or 4 parts in total): https://youtu.be/YDFL3xwEEG8 https://youtu.be/YDFL3xwEEG8 -- that last one in particular, if you watch the whole thing, is chock full of great examples. Hope that's helpful. That's all I was able to find in the time I had.
  - fastball 7y ago
    As someone that has been spending a lot of time around Higher Education over the past 7 years or so, I personally cannot think of a single University I have interacted that isn't making many of their decisions under the influence of the ideas described above. This is in the US/UK.