It interests me to hear about Oprah's view on education. She has her uninformed opinion about the matter but rarely dives outside the realm of her pseudo-reality.
My question is, when will the outspoken celebrities who advocate privatization invite the dissenting opinion onto their nationally televised shows to argue with the facts and to objectively take a look at the actual problems that plague education? Is it because there's a lack of objectivity? Is it because they're scared of admitting that they're wrong? Is it because they don't want to admit that they're misinformed?
For whatever reason, it's more important to feel right than to look at something and realize that the message you send is not only wrong, but professionally offensive and abusive.
It's shows like this that solidifies the notion that Oprah is someone who doesn't exercise skepticism when watching politically directed documentaries. I suppose she believes her celebrity friends more than the people who live and work in the hardest public school districts in the country. I'd love to see her invite Diane Ravitch or myself or my school's faculty onto her show to dive into the dark side of the educational reform movement launched by non-educators like Gates, Guggenheim, and Legend. Because who listens to a general who's never fought the fight before? Who listens to a coach who has never played the game? Who listens to Oprah and friends about what we should be doing to turn around a public education system that is being starved by the private sector?
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