z42\doc\web\2000\07\lehman.txt Lemann's piece in Newsweek almost made me puke. I can't believe Newsweek printed that slop. He says, "a giant government program that has sneaked up on us, because it wasn't planned from the top down..." What planet has he been visiting? As Cliinton might say, "It depends on how you define top down." Gerald, I know now not to read his book. I just re-read the article and it is so bad, there is nothing from beginning to end that makes any sense. I'm disgusted. I have to go re-lace my shoes. Irv -----Original Message----- From: Gerald W. Bracey To: ARN-L@LISTS.CUA.EDU Date: Thursday, June 15, 2000 9:41 AM Subject: Re: Pew mid course correction >Lemann thinks the standards movement is "most significant" because he wants >it to be. At the end of his book, The Big Test, he calls for a national >curriculum with college admission determined by how well students do on it. >After all his railing against ETS, the SAT, and the "meritocracy", he's >unthinkingly and naively willing to turn things over to some group that will >produce a "nationally agreed upon" curriculum. As I said in my review of >the book, he obviously hasn't thought about this much. It comes off like >"Uh, oh, I've written a lot of pages and I'm really tired of this whole >subject . Got to find a way to end this book." > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: George N. Schmidt >To: >Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2000 9:33 AM >Subject: Re: Pew mid course correction > > >> In a message dated 6/14/00 12:07:57 PM, ArthurH@TANGIS.COM writes: >> >> << Interesting, Terry Bergson is using just that term >> "mid course correction" to change being mandated on her >> by the legislature to fix the !@#$% 4th grade math >> WASL. >> >> >> Arthur, >> >> Once you know the latest from the Vatican, you can anticipate what the >> liturgy will be for the next couple of years. >> >> Check out this week's Newsweek for a real take on everything. Nicholas >Lehman >> (New Yorker staff; card carrying member of the Eastern Liberal >Establishment; >> basher of George W. Bush; author of The Big Test) sayeth: >> >> "That is why the nationwide movement for educational standards and >> accountability is arguably the most significant government intervention >since >> the New Deal..." >> >> Bet you hear that in places along with "mid course correction." >> >> What's amazing is the next two sentences in Lemann's piece: >> >> "Its [the nationwide movement for educational standards and >accountability] >> importance is easy to underestimate, because the driving force behind the >stan >> dards movement is not the education establishment itself but a diffuse >group >> of parents, business interests, and state bureaucrats..." >> >> Do you think all the apologists for these schemes retire for a few weeks >each >> year to an ashram in Apsen to spin their next round of cliches? Betcha! >> >> George Schmidt >>