I agree with many of you that these severe inequalities may be specific to these areas. However, there are inequalities present in education (life in general) across this country in any school/organization that you may visit.

A point Kozol makes that struck me as familiar was that schools implement new, structured, scripted programs that strip education of its flexibilty and teachability. What scares me even more is that often times these programs do not meet the students where they are academically or socially.

Amy, I have always resented "scripted" curricula or as Kozol refers to it..."Skinerian". Children should not have to be treated like dogs salivating to the sound of a bell or rats in a maze. Learning should be meaningful and enjoyable as opposed to repetitious and monotonous.. I find it ironic that the state of N.C. forces programs of this nature on to the schools that are struggling and need the most help. The elementary schools are more apt to be involved with these programs than are middle or high, but if you've ever been involved in programs such as Saxxon Phonics/Math, etc., you know exactly how unmotivating they are. Teacher-proof material is not the answer...if it were, there would be no reason to have teachers in the first place.

Do you not think that these "scripted curriculums" are basically programs that have been sold to schools by others? I have been teaching long enough to recognize these kinds of programs. Because one school has success with an idea, they package it and sell it to other schools. Never mind that the differences between the schools are immense and make implementation of the program a nightmare. There are some "snake-oil" salesmen in education too. They try to make fame or money pushing their program. My rule of thumb when someone tries to introduce a new program is to guage its potential effectiveness by how long and elaborate the promotion. Often what really works is out there and can only be found with quiet searching.

Dictated curriculum has been a growing problem for years. It assumes that all children need to learn the same exact information. Diversity has been the key to education for many years leading up to the 1970’s. People in different areas of the nation need a different set of skills and even in that area having a diverse educational background has help ensure that the nation is prepared for change. Anytime society is standardized it becomes inflexible and in a world economy that can be a road to disaster.

I agree that these cookie cutter programs do very little to advance the students academically or socially. The programs may meet some of the immediate problems such as an inexperienced or unlicensed staffs inefficiencies yet may cause a detriment to the students need for individualized instruction.
There seems to be so many of these programs emerging that promote "quick fixes" but all they really seem to do effectively is fatten the wallets of these "solution" companies who are taking advantage of the predicament public schools are finding themselves in.

Perhaps as administrators we must remember that this Dr. ----- who shows up on our school house steps wants to sell us his program. Ask for research. I have done it before and the company could not produce it. As a teacher I recommended the school system save their money. They bought the program any way because the owner of the company was long time friends with one of the associate superintendents. What happened to what is best for the kids?

What happened to best for the students went out with EOCs. How is it better for the kids to cut recess or gym so that a teacher can spend an extra 30 minutes teaching. Kids as students, not soliders or machines. We are making our children grow up so fast. Testing students is not what is best for the kids, it is best for the politicans.

John is right about the Dr. ----- who shows up on our school house steps. We should ask for research and study if it would work in our particular/culture and would the benefits be worth the risks. That is why teachers get burned out with the next big idea. They know in a couple of years they will change to the next big idea.

Jeremiah, the humorous thing about all of this is that these "snake-oil" salesman are usually easy to spot. A lot of times they are former educators who left the business. They set up consultant companies that boast about their accomplishments. I think too often schools listen too intently to testimonials and do not ask for solid research to back up these claims.