Hess's Edu - Resolutions for 2014

Rick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute is perhaps the most conservative blogger to be carried regularly on Education Week’s daily alerts.  On Dec. 30, 2013, he posted a list of “Edu-Resoltutions for 2014”.  Here are some of his thoughts.  Would be interested in your reactions, concerns, or suggestions.

Let's resolve to stop assuming that anyone who disagrees about what needs to be done is motivated by malice, ignorance, or a lack of concern for kids.  Most debate on education reform efforts is unnecessarily strident and often readable only by those faithful to that particular view point.  Whipping up the faithful is not inappropriate; but it is counter productive to a useful exchange of opinion and a dialogue. 

It'd be nice if we'd resolve to stop making excuses for irresponsible parents (regardless of class, race, or income)... and to stop taking responsible parents for granted.  The parenting component of education reform is the most overlooked and ill-represented of any component.  Some states have simply ignored the parent component, which in and of itself says a great deal about the issue. 

Let's resolve to stop treating pedantic observations as dazzling insights (e.g. hard work and character matter), and then turning them into faddish dogmas that are bound to disappoint before fading away in the face of the next new fad.  I think this one speak for itself quite eloquently.

Let's resolve to keep in mind that studies around complex phenomena like parental choice, school accountability, or teacher evaluation are ill-equipped to "prove" that policy interventions do or don't "work", but that we can learn a lot of useful stuff from them if we dial down the claims and the vitriol.  I would suggest that “ill-equipped” is perhaps an inappropriate analogy, but the sentiment is valid.  Lack of understanding, regarding the requirements of valid statistical inferences, is a primary concern, even among self proclaimed experts and most certainly among layman and amateurs.

Would-be reformers should resolve to stop suggesting that reading and math scores are a robust measure of student learning or teacher quality (fortunately, I don't think most believe that)... and self-proclaimed skeptics should resolve to stop suggesting that reading and math scores don't tell us anything of import about student learning or teacher performance.   The clear balance in Hess’s approach here should suggest listening to him.

Let's resolve to spend less time seesawing back and forth again from shrill declarations that MOOCs (courses of study made available over the Internet without charge to a very large number of people) are about to transform education to bombastic declarations that MOOCs are yesterday's news and a massive disappointment.  This issue is most clearly exemplified by the hugely unsuccessful record of online charter schools.  The very poor record suggests the need for careful and in-depth investigation.

Let's resolve to stop encouraging any attention-seeking snake oil salesman who has already peddled more than two played out edu-fads in the 21st century.  The vehemence of Hess’s wording should suggest the level of importance of this resolution.

It'd be sweet if our earnest Secretary of Education would resolve to stop asserting that any trace of skepticism regarding the Common Core is evidence of venality, extremism, or neurosis.  I would add the Secretary’s attitude toward anyone who disagrees with him, not just those skeptical of Common Core. 

And with that, it's on to 2014.