These two educational leaders, one progressive and one more conservative, are again teaming up following their notable article in Education Week, published May 24, 2006.
This time they are co-writing a blog analyzing educational policy. The blog carries the same title as their article, and can be found at this link: Bridging Differences.
Thus far both Meier and Ravitch have introduced themselves and set the tone for their future postings. It should be interesting. While Meier has been a beacon of inspiration and hope for many progressive educators over the past decades (see her books The Power of Their Ideas and In Schools We Trust, Ravitch has been a leading educational historian and proponent of increased national standards in education, and has written many books of her own, notably Left Back and The Great School Wars.
Both of these individuals have powerful voices that are important to the educational debate. I find much more to agree with and draw inspiration from in Meier’s perspective that education must enable all children to develop the habits of mind and heart necessary for leading a good life in a democratic society. The more conservative Ravitch does, according to the original Education Week article, agree with that goal; however Ravitch, unlike Meier, believes in the primacy of national standards to help achieve that goal. Meanwhile I strongly agree with Meier’s call for locally-designed authentic assessments that connect to that larger goal of enabling students to become active citizens in a democracy.
Nonetheless, having read many articles and books by Meier and seeing her speak several times, it seems to me that she downplays several essential aspects of a more progressive and democratic educational approach. While Meier’s call for education for democratic citizenship is an important distinction from the current emphasis on preparation for college and the workforce, there is a larger and more humanistic goal that she seems to ignore. That is, that education ought to enable young people to develop holistically (personally, socially, intellectually, physically) toward happiness and life fulfillment. Nel Noddings (Happiness and Education, 2004), among others, describes the importance of discussing the idea of happiness in educational goal-talk.
Moreover, while Meier speaks to the importance of more autonomy for teachers to create relevant curricula for students, I believe she places too little emphasis on the value and importance of students directing their own learning. Freedom and democracy must exist for teachers AND for students. What is more, freedom and democracy for young people is important not only for the results of such an education, but more fundamentally because such freedom is a human right, for young people as well as older people.
Nonetheless, Meier is an important voice, especially with her experience and insight into working with low-income and minority neighborhoods, and her dedication to creating a more progressive public educational system. Perhaps this blog with Ravitch will help explore the possibilities and potential extremes of building this more progressive vision.