Fw: Current Efforts at 'Reform' Will Produce Minimal Change: An Interview with Herb Kohl

["Monty Neill" <monty@fairtest.org>]

A very interesting interview with progressive educator Herb Kohl - worth a read. He challenges thinking behind both NCLB and 'race to the top.' An early point he makes:

Arne Duncan, on the official Department of Education website said, "For states, school districts, nonprofits, unions, and businesses, Race to the Top is the equivalent of education reform's moon shot."  I thoroughly agree with him.  Remember we went to the moon, not to improve science or the quality of life in our country, but to face down the Soviet Union.  We spent a lot of money doing it, got little return, and never went back. I believe Duncan's analogy should be taken seriously.

And he concludes:
If Arne Duncan asked you for one piece of advice, what would you say?

I would advise him to make, as part of the re-authorization of NCLB, the clear statement that standards and evaluation are not identical with standardization and high stakes testing.  I would have him advocate and fund education that, while trying to achieve the standards, takes imaginative routes to developing skills and knowledge, and to providing clear evaluation of the achievements such education produces or fails to produce.  I would most of all have him advocate imaginative, thoughtful, socially responsible, and content rich learning.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: John Merrow at Learning Matters 
To: monty@fairtest.org 
Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 12:04 PM
Subject: Current Efforts at 'Reform' Will Produce Minimal Change: An Interview with Herb Kohl



              
            An Interview with Herb Kohl 

            Friends,

            Here's some of what Wikipedia has to say about my friend Herb Kohl: "Herbert Kohl is an educator best known for his advocacy of progressive alternative education and as the acclaimed author of more than thirty books on education. He began his teaching career in Harlem in 1962. In his teaching career, he has taught every grade from kindergarten through college."

            I would add my own memories. I remember being inspired by his first book, 36 Children, when I was a beginning teacher in New York. When I was at NPR, I visited Herb and his family at their home in northern California. He had a challenge directing "A Midsummer Night's Dream" for his daughter's elementary school-- four or five girls wanted to play Puck and had the talent and energy to do it well. His solution? Rewrite the play so they could all star! Many years later I ran into Herb, then around 70, in New York and learned that he was studying Chinese calligraphy!

            A restless intellect who has stayed true to his progressive principles, Herb is also an interesting interview. Read my exchange with him and post your comments or share questions for us both. 

            Enjoy,



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