I do not think of Larry Cuban as an optimistic person. To me, he is mostly about explaining why things don’t work and why nothing in education changes.
I was surprised today when he made the claim that Common Core standards may work. The explanation is more typical – CC will work because it is better than standards based on alternatives such as textbooks, tests, and other similar methods for setting expectations.
National, state, and local opinion-makers in the business of school reform know that what matters is not evidence, not research studies, not past experiences with similar reforms–what matters is the appearance of success.
I did find a quote that keeps my world spinning in the proper orbit. Too bad I already have the Curmudgeon Speaks URL reserved. Others may be more deserving of the description.