Stephen Downes

This article is a bit light but I think it's useful to have some of the statements from the Occupy Wall Street people on the subject of education on the record. On the subject of K-12 education they urge more funding, greater public control, and less of an emphasis on standardized testing. On higher education the cost of tuition was a major factor, as well as interest rates on student loans and concerns about financial institutions recruiting on university campuses.

Related, there has been some interesting dialogue about what appears to be a sea change in opinion on U.S. education reform. Tom Hoffman writes, "At the intersection of Mathews, Russo, and Cody today, the most important point is that reformers have nothing to gain through more public debate. They've got the inside game, and that's all they need. They are strongest when policymakers and politicians are completely unaware of any alternative vision. That's why they constantly claim that no alternative vision has been articulated, when many have been, in great detail and rigor. It is getting harder for them to keep up that stance, but as more and more data comes in showing their approaches aren't working, they'll have to double down."