We at WCT like to wonder "what if?" The "what if?" question for today is:
What if education reformers applied the same ideas to police departments?
Corporate Reform Efforts
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Public Schools
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Police Departments
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Examine data
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Student performance: low test scores reveal failure in inner-city schools.
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Crime: high crime reveals failure in inner-city neighborhoods
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Determine parties responsible for failure
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teachers, schools
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police officers, police departments
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Initial action regarding failure
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Offer corporate-sponsored charter school replacements for failing inner-city public schools
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Offer corporate-sponsored alternate police squads for failing inner-city neighborhoods
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Policies regarding older, tenured staff
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Replace with young grads of selective universities with no policing experience
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Policies regarding leadership
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Train corporate-style administrators who have no educational experience in fast-track programs
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Train corporate-style leaders who have no police experience in fast-track programs
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Policies regarding standards
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Assume that all American children -- regardless of location, background, socio-economic status, and English language proficiency -- will learn the same skills at the same time, given proper instruction
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Assume that all American people -- regardless of location, background, and socio-economic status -- will behave in a cooperative, compliant and law-abiding manner, given proper police supervision
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Policies regarding accountability
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1. Schools that serve students with low test scores are threatened with punitive measures
2. Teachers’ salary increases tied to improvement in students’ test scores.
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1. Police departments that serve communities with high crime rates are threatened with punitive measures.
2. Police officers’ salary increases tied to reduction in crime rates.
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Maybe some Chicago ed reformers or thought partners could contact CPS to make a pitch! Maybe they could go for a ride-along and offer advice on how to lean into discomfort, how to socialize all shareholders into the informational experience, and how to promote excellence and rigor?
What if? Rahm already wants to punish the police along with all other Chicago public employees with draconian pension cuts.
ReplyDeleteShocking comparison that points out the ridiculousness of what people assume others to be capable of-compliance given enough policing or learning given enough instruction. I guess that scumbag rapist from the NW side who a judge RELEASED needs more supervision to comply with the very basic laws of society. Goddamned crazy.
ReplyDelete