When Is School Reform Guaranteed to do More Damage than Good?

Considering the motivation behind reform measures, many of which are insituted by politicians for political purposes, not educational ones, a better questions might be, when isn't it?

Here we have an announcement (below) of what is touted to be an "important and powerful" reform...

OK, say you have Cancer and after months and months of Chemo Therapy (which makes you feel sicker than ever) your tumor has continued to grow, but your doctor announces, "Great news, patient - I've just found a way to provide you with much, much more Chemo!" Would you cheer? Or would you rationally walk out of the office shaking your head?

One more - If after helping you loose scads and scads of money in the stock market your broker calls and tells you that he has wonderful tips on more securities to buy.... "guaranteed to produce results!", would you place an order and then send out for champagne to celebrate? Or would you hang up and commit to doing the hard work needed to find more rational ways to achieve your goals?

Got it? Then how is it that politicians, people who don't know spit about Education, continually snooker a concerned citizenry into thinking that more school - more days for kids to attend - more hours in each of those days - is going to help? Since when is more of something that doesn't work the answer to making it work? Good money after bad... ugh! Worse yet, while this sort of knuckleheaded non-reform wastes money and precious time, needs and gaps continue to grow!

Our problem is in WHAT school is, not in how much of it we provide!!!

Massachusetts governor proposes major education reforms Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has issued a 40-page, 55-point report proposing dramatic education reforms, including lengthening the school day and year and aiming by 2020 to reduce the dropout rate to less than 10% while ensuring that 90% of students are prepped to enter college with no need for remedial coursework. Some observers questioned the state's ability to pay for the changes -- as well as the legislature's ability to bring about some of the more controversial aspects of Patrick's plan, such as creating a statewide teacher contract. The Boston Globe