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The neocons' agenda on educationWHAT A WONDERFUL surprise it would have been had Abigail Thernstrom, a member of the state Board of Education, used the space accorded her (and coauthor Stephan Thernstrom) to denounce the budget cuts undermining our public schools ("Left behind," Ideas, Oct. 26). Even in the most affluent suburbs, class sizes are edging up to 30, and now the ax is poised to drop on special education programs.
Instead, she chose to put her neoconservative agenda first. For Thernstrom, it's all about standardized tests, and she blames inept teachers for the "race gap" in exam scores. She decries the notion that class size matters yet lauds the smaller charter schools despite their mixed results. This is because the charters advance her pet idea for dismantling the public school system, which she is supposed to champion. She doesn't like public school teachers. She hates unions. She doesn't support raising taxes, as she believes that school funding levels are irrelevant. But she loves charters, and she's never met a standardized test she didn't like. If the neocons could see past their ideological blinders, they might consider the relationship between a class system they defend and the "race gap" they use to push their political agenda. Great opponents of "political correctness," they nevertheless imply that those who oppose their schemes are racists. Thernstrom should consider leading by example. Apparently we have many inner-city schools in the state that could use her expertise. Let her open that classroom door -- and let her show us how to do it. BILL SCHECHTER History department Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Sudbury © Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.
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