I see myself as an educational blogger and some may be surprised and perhaps annoyed that I comment about political issues. I do not consider these comments as being off target. In fact, I consider the decisions made by politicians and the factors that motivate politicians of greater significance than what technology is used in classrooms and what activities educators ask students to complete. As far as annoyance goes, I am annoyed with those who argue they are focused on learners and learning when they ignore general political issues. What variables do you assume will have the largest impact on learners?
The general issues that have led me to this conclusion are economic inequity and the role of money in the political process. The knowledge and motivation that students bring to the classroom has long been recognized as possibly the most important factors in how effectively they benefit from a group learning experience. The quality of instruction matters, but it matters the most with students who come with the least. Coleman first noted this reality in the ‘60s and I have seen nothing that has disputed this position since. Of course, quality education seems inversely related to existing benefits rather than working in the opposite direction. The incentives do not seem to be there to change this situation. I see this as a political problem educators are not willing to reverse.
It appears that our political system is pretty much available to the highest bidder. Political decisions regarding funding place no effective limits on contributions and those who spend the money expect to be compensated via political decisions for their contributions. The one man (person) one vote mantra exists in getting individuals to office only if the primary process does not cull candidates and politicians are true to their promises once in office rather than give in to lobbyists ready to help with funds for whatever seems necessary once politicians arrive. The growing inequity in wealth and the increasing role wealth plays in political life has created a downward spiral resulting in greater disparity and less political responsiveness. This has to be a spiral we can recover from if meaningful change is to happen.
I had hoped that the Internet would somehow reverse this cycle, but this will happen only if the message from time to time focuses on the major sources of variability rather than personal preoccupations that will produce little change. My concern is that the myopic are worried about their brand and are afraid that negative comments may direct their audience elsewhere. Perhaps, but I also think those who think this way are part of the problem even though they claim to be part of the solution. Perhaps I should name names. Spend some of your time addressing priority problems with your audience.
A couple of links:
The CNN series on money and political influence
Lawrence Lessig’s book (comment here) Republic, Lost