To Be or Not To Be Radical about Education

Today I read the article in the section of Bloggers Beats: To Be or Not to Be about Education Reform? The topic was that on educational Reform; thus, should we change it or leave it along? The article introduced two heavy hitters in the world of Educational Reform: Nielson, author of 20 Ideas for Parents Sick of Waiting for Superman and Tired of Having their Children Race Nowhere; Bill Ferier, author of Sustainable Change in School. I haven't heard of either of the two lobbyist, not sure if they are celebrities in the educational world, but I'm sure they are very important. Nielson's essay stated, "adolescents who explained how school led them to develop anorexia, cut themselves, consider sucide..." This was a very powerful passage from her document Race to Nowhere. Her view on education really sends the current system through a loop. It's pretty upsetting to say the least. She talks of parent's not having ownership over their children's education. I don't agree with this statement; it blows my mind that a parent can't have ownership over their child's education. On the other end, Bill Ferrier argues that a paradigm shift in the way our schools operate " is a recipe for disaster." He talks about " Out of the box thinking isn't going to get us anywhere in education," I'm not sure what out-of-the-box thinking is? "is thinking on the edges of the box." I do agree with this. He wants to change, or make smaller changes that will help out the institution of the school. As a society we need to make small steps towards the bigger picture. Do I know how to get these small steps, no. It may start at the top: Corporate America, The Government, Other highly powerful influences in the United States.