"Whack-a-Mole" is a game which requires the player to react quickly by hitting the mole as it jumps out of the hole. The winner of the game is the person who had the quickest reaction time and "whacked" the most moles. So what connection does this game have to my recent reading of Political Education by Christopher Cross? This book provides a walk through history as it explains how the federal government's role in education has evolved. Many of the educational policies that were created were in reaction to some other event. For example, when Sputnik was launched in 1957 our government reacted by launching a series of programs that were intended to boost math, science and foreign language instruction. The "mole whacking" began in an effort to beat our opponent…..Russia. This same type of reactive policy making has resurfaced throughout history often with our opponent being our own government. As new issues arise and the need for policy is birthed it is often combated within the walls of the same government that is trying to create it. In essence, we often stifle our own ideas about policy. Why is this? Perhaps it is because of differing ideas across parties or a lack of common vision for our education system. Maybe the problem is that the people creating the policy haven't ever taught in the classroom. They undoubtedly sat in a classroom, but teaching in the classroom is very different. In order to set policy, it should be required that you have an understanding of the context. Have you ever tried to cast vision for something in which you have never participated? It seems like a ridiculous idea but it is what is happening in educational policy. It is like making the rules to a game that you have never played.
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AuthorMy name is Tracy and I am pursuing my doctorate at the University of South Florida. I also supervise teacher residents in the Urban Teacher Residency Program at USF. Archives
April 2015
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