ed news commentary

[Juanita Doyon <Jedoyon@AOL.COM>]

http://www.educationnews.org/in_response_to_steve_silver_in_r.htm

In Response to Steve Silver in response to Gerald Bracey's January 16 column

by Martin B. Solomon, Ph.D.

Steve Silver seems to find Gerald Bracey's commentary on schools, "quite
lacking in factual basis," although he provides absolutely NO facts at all.
He and ideologically bankrupt organizations such as the Manhattan Institute
need to do just a little reading on why children do not learn in school.
Their agenda is to create a crisis atmosphere where vouchers will finally be
acceptable if they tell the big lie often enough.

It is really sophomoric to believe that schools have the entire
responsibility for educating children. It is sophomoric not to recognize
that over 10% are handicapped and may not be able to possibly meet arbitrary
standards set with arbitrary methods by arbitrary people. It is sophomoric
to not understand that children who are hungry, medically needy, battered
and abused cannot effectively focus on schoolwork. Didn't these people ever
read Maslow? Now they should read Cornell's James Garbarino who explains
fully how children must have a balance of opportunity factors and risk
factors if schools have a reasonable chance of educating them. If kids have
nobody in the family who cares, have a peer group made up of gangsters and a
home life that is threatening, how can Manhattan Institute ideologues ignore
such?

But then, talking to Manhattan Institute folks is not quite as satisfying as
talking to a brick wall.