informed consent

I am not a fan of "innovation" as defined by edu-folk.

Innovation as defined by edu-folk: "letting schools and teachers try things" without informed consent from parents.

I'm against it.


here's an innovation

My district, a few years back, purchased Open Court, one of three Scientifically-Based Reading Research (SBRR) curricula that qualified for Reading First funding (pdf file).

Next year we're dumping Open Court and buying Fountas & Pinnell, a curriculum that did not qualify for Reading First funding and is deemed "Not Acceptable" by the National Council on Teacher Quality (pdf file).

Any particular reason why we're doing this? Any data or evidence that Fountas & Pinnell produces better results than Open Court?

Don't know.

Hasn't come up.



These 19 curricular projects have essentially been experiments.
Westchester schools & their curricula

status quo la-la-la

....This makes sense when one considers the basic motive people have to defend and justify the status quo. People have a need to believe in a ‘‘just world’’ that is orderly and predictable and in which people get what they deserve (Lerner, 1980). According to system justification theory, people are motivated to view existing social arrangements as legitimate, even when this justifies their own disadvantaged position (e.g., Jost et al., 2004; Jost & Hunyady, 2002). In fact, those with the least power in a system are sometimes the most likely to support and defend that system (Henry & Saul, 2006; Jost et al., 2003). Research reveals that people actively perform their own cognitive and ideological work to preserve their sense that the status quo is desirable and just (e.g., Haines & Jost, 2000; Kay, Jimenez, & Jost, 2002).

There are psychological benefits to accepting the status quo. System-justifying beliefs and ideologies are palliative in that they decrease negative affect and increase positive affect as well as satisfaction with one’s situation (Jost & Hunyady, 2002; Jost et al., 2003). Wakslak and colleagues (2007) demonstrated that system justification leads to a significant reduction in emotional distress, both in general and with regard to moral outrage, guilt, and frustration.
Legitimacy Crisis? Behavioral Approach and Inhibition When Power Differences are Left Unexplained
Pamela K. Smith Æ John T. Jost Æ Ranjini Vijay
Soc Just Res (2008) 21:358–376

These researchers are looking at blacks and women, etc. I'm curious whether they would find similar phenomena in parents whose children are attending public schools.


tactics used to maintain the status quo
Diagnosis Diagnosed by Galen Alessi
on a certain arrogance
inputs & outputs
a rare victory
code of silence
code of silence, part 2

Starfish Advocacy Association

I'm back!

Have yet to catch my breath (or read the comments thread sparked by Independent George) - but have just read a rave review of Starfish Advocacy & wanted to get it posted pronto.

Here's the review.