Teacher Inactivist Man vs Achievement Gap Woman

The idea of working to close the so-called "achievement gap" in education is very similar to the concept of "greenwash" in environmentalism.

Greenwash is the term used to refer to propaganda deliberately used by polluters to cover up what they are really doing. A typical example would be the plant-a-tree days that are funded by big oil and auto companies. Obviously, no amount of tree planting will ever undo their damage, yet the public relations people know that greenwash is a great way to protect their profits from costly calls for more government regulation: it distracts people from real causes. It encourages people to "take personal responsibility" rather than blame corporations who are made to look like leaders of environmentalism.

Similarly, when we look at education, we find that its new mission around the globe has, ever since NCLB, become "closing the achievement gap," that is, leaving no child left behind. I call this "gapwash" because it covers up the real problem of the ever-widening gap between the rich and poor, a gap which was caused by globalization and technology which together have dealt a death blow to the "decent jobs" of yesteryear's working class and given rise a new super-class of billionaires. "Closing the gap" gives educators a feel- good mission of raising test scores and graduation rates as it preserves the illusion that they are actually doing something to raise children out of poverty.
~ continued at http://forpublicschool.wikispaces.com/Achievement+Gap

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• close the gap
• achievement gap
• xtranormal
• satire
• nclb
• no child left behind
• humor

[GreenNetizen]

Good one



[Hilary2005k]

teach for your supper!!!!!



[iowaaviator]

Tragically accurate



[Wendy62]

Excellent video, and so true.