The Educating Gates Foundation Twitter feed raises an interesting question about education policy in the United States. As one of the followers post, "It's not about children learning. It's all about the profits made on constant scab picking and improving education."

Educating Gates attacks an important controversial question: how do we control market influence from misinformed, or unethical, philanthropists?

Bill Gates might believe he is saving education, but he is not approaching the issue from the appropriate perspective. He is not a classroom teacher. Instead, his influence has harmed urban students, and Houston, Texas, is a prime example.

To expose misinformed, unethical reformers such as Gates, simply google a look at how his policies have affected standardized test scores around the nation. Test scores have declined; especially in reading and writing, where students experience almost no joy because of constant test preparation.

Teacher purges have destabilized communities, and damaged student perceptions about the worth of education itself. Because they no longer look up to their teachers, classroom disruptions have risen dramatically, and students believe their teachers are expendable, fun to get rid of, and not competent to teach their subject.

If Bill Gates could go undercover, wear a disguise, get hired in a tough urban high school, and last for two weeks, Hell would freeze over.

I recommend following The Educating Gates Foundation--find out what is happening to urban kids and their teachers.

Posted with Blogsy by redhotpen