A Conversation Blog # 5

Apple discusses conservative modernization with the notion from neoliberals that somehow opening up the realm of education to a "free market enterprise" and letting business be the deciding factor within curriculum development is ultimately damaging our education system. Bringing in Apple's discussion about "restoring our traditional common culture" would be where his conversation with Slattery would begin. Slattery may say something to the effect that although we may all live in the same country there is no true common culture. When using the autobiographical reflection forum when dealing with currere no two experiences will every be the same. Apple would agree, and discuss how this notion gives further credence to his argument that tightening the control of a school by the neoliberal outside influences is destroying a child's possibility of connecting and bonding with the curriculum we ultimately would like them to ascertain. Both would discuss the fact that although standardized tests give us baseline data to see how much of a connection a student has with pieces of curriculum in their life, Slattery would point out that each student's lived experiences in the past influence how they approach the standardized tests, and work their way through it. I imagine Slattery might point out that within the reading test for example, students who have world travel experience would better understand the abstract readings due to the fact that now these passages are more international and diverse in culture, whereas a student from the inner city would struggle with making a connection because his past lived experiences do not have a global background. Apple may then broaden his thoughts on why the conservative modernization is such a strong movement today is that although neoliberals say they want “no child left behind” what they are actually doing is intentionally leaving at least 1/3 of the student population behind with these rigorous tests which do not test basic ability, but actually contributes to a further widening of the socioeconomic class gap. Slattery would support this by saying in the currere “race to the top” we are really running away from what all children bring with them to the classroom. Some of their autobiographical reflections itself effects their ability to sit for two and half hours to take these state tests, which have been made to see if our children are living up to the conservative modernizations movements view of what the business world see as an effective future contributor to our economic society. Slattery would probably close with something to the effect that if we really want to make the conservative modernization movement explode we should enlist the students help in the development of curriculum in the post modern era since they are the ones who will have to live with it for the rest of their lives, become part of their regressive reflection on education. Unfortunately we have not come that far yet in our thinking.