Do education reform practices really work? Are these methods the best for the welfare of our students?

David L. Kirp, professor at the University of California, Berkeley, looks at this issue in a recent article in The New York Times, and said that certain strategies do not work, and it is impossible to improve education by "doing an end run around inherently complicated and messy human relationships." Kirp said education reformists look at education and teaching as a business, and that seeing it that way is wrong.

"All youngsters need to believe that they have a stake in the future, a goal worth striving for, if they’re going to make it in school," he said."They need a champion, someone who believes in them, and that’s where teachers enter the picture. The most effective approaches foster bonds of caring between teachers and their students..While these reformers talk a lot about markets and competition, the essence of a good education — bringing together talented teachers, engaged students and a challenging curriculum — goes undiscussed," he wrote.

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Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor