Wednesday, May 31, 2017

"it's always something — if it ain't one thing, it's another."

This was the canned response from the "fictional" character 
Roseanne Roseannadanna of 'Saturday Night Live'
fame when any issue was being discussed.

This is not much different than what we have seen in public 
education when it discovers supposed problems, looking for something outside the whelm of what is actually occurring.

The latest I have seen is the recognition of the "opportunity gap", 
a term I was unaware of until recently, even as it has been around since 2013.

What is the 'opportunity gap'?  I found this description:

​T​
he term opportunity gap
​ ​
refers to the ways in which race, ethnicity, socioeconomic
​ ​
status, 
English proficiency, community wealth, familial situations, or other factors contribute to or perpetuate lower educational aspirations, achievement and attainment for certain
.

I find the 'opportunity gap'  to be just another "fictional" solution 
that is offered by the public education 'industry' that is obsessed 
with what I call 'bean counting'.  

No longer does the individual matter. The focus is on what it perceives, differences based on any criteria educators can use to introduce a new program that never seem to solve the problems humans put upon themselves!

The fiction we laughingly digested from Ms. Roseannadanna is 
not so funny when it is applied on public education!

"Opportunity gap" joins 'White privilege", "single parenting", "poverty", "lack of diversity", "drug use" and anything else the 
will 'stick' in the public's psyche!  All have been heralded, and 
led to most universities creating departments and 'investing'
(never called spending) tens of millions to fix a non-existent 
problem!

Public education is no better now that it was before "its always something" drove it down to where it currently resides!

The public education 'industry' is thriving as the majority of 
students who attended public schools appear to be less educated 
than their parents and grandparents.

Maybe we just need "another something"! 

Regards,
Anthony Bruno





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