Obama's roundtable suggests that going forward there will be even stronger ties between private businesses and public education. Aimed at creating a stronger workforce, most of the partnerships enumerated in this press release emphasize the need to get students into post-secondary education programs. Though it is difficult to argue with the goal of creating a stronger workforce, I fear that these partnerships risk giving corporations the upper hand in determining what students need to know and how school districts can demonstrate this knowledge.
It is hard to look a gift horse in the mouth when companies such as Microsoft Education donate $15 million for "learning technology, including digital archives and game-based teaching". Technology would go a long way in my classroom and at my school, but when companies get as specific as "game-based teaching", I wonder where the teacher stands in this transaction. What if teachers would rather not use games in their classrooms? Without millions of dollars to spend on initiatives such as this one or the Bill and Melinda Gates' Foundation's push for smaller high schools, will teachers and other stakeholders be able to impact what and how students learn?
In Baltimore there is a revolving door of ideas regarding the implementation of public education. This speaks volumes of the creativity of organizations and individuals dedicated to making a difference for thousands of children and their families, but it does not say much about the success of these ideas. I'm curious about how much impact Baltimore teachers can have in determining what and how to teach when faced with Race to the Top, corporate funding, and private affiliations.
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