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You apparently think that

> One is apt to recite drill and kill and learning to learn and then proceed to avoiding teaching things that they think are too hard. (Which is apparently everything.)

is somehow comparable to

> The other is fond of standardized testing at every opportunity as a way to force the first group to actually teach something. (Usually with pretty ridiculous tests.)

I don't. The former is, crudely put, evil, while the latter is, at the same granularity, stupid.

These stupid are not a huge problem. They're skeptical of being conned because that's what everyone tries to do to them, but they're open to what works so long as it actually works.

> In the end outraged parents forced teachers back to the 3 Rs, and New Math became nothing more than a bad memory.

And they were absolutely correct to do so because New Math, as delivered, was a sham.

Intentions matter far less than results.



I was attempting to describe, not compare.

And, of course, I have described both sides as caricatures of complex truths. Both groups have plenty of intelligent, well-meaning, members.


> Both groups have plenty of intelligent, well-meaning, members.

You do know that "he meant well" is an insult, right?

Almost all evil that happens claims "good intentions".




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