Hit Again

April 1, 2013

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Education reform needs a Mulligan. A do-over. The opportunity to go back to “Go” and start over. For example . . .

Back to a time before the attack on neighborhood schools closed those schools and contributed to neighborhood collapse and community disconnect.
Before suburban schools were allowed to prey on and profit from an urban school’s misfortunes.
Before large buses lumbered down narrow residential lanes to transport our littlest learners from the shadow of their local school to another across town, where all the other littlest students were gathered for more “cost-effective” education.
Before schools shuffled off low-achieving students to alternative schools in order to elevate their ranking on standardized test scores.
Before teachers based their lessons more on test preparation than learning.
Before education re-segregated through specialized charter schools with non-inclusive curricula.
Before public schools were barred from beginning their instructional days before Labor Day, or whenever their community thought it best for the education of its students.
Back to a time when pedagogy more than politics planned and delivered education.

Let’s tee it up and hit again.

Look Out Below!

March 27, 2018

Here are the kinds of statements that should send chills down the spines of thoughtful leaders of school-based basketball:

From Maverick Carter, business manager for LeBron James and CEO of Springhill Entertainment: “... the system is broken at the base, the foundation of it, which is youth basketball ... And if youth basketball is broken, then that’s part of his (NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s) job, too, because those kids are quickly in his league.”
“... the NCAA has these stupid-ass rules that are so archaic, so you have to fix that whole thing and figure out a way to do it. I own a piece of Liverpool football club, in European soccer, because clubs have a system all the way down to youth.”
From Michelle Roberts, NBA Players Association executive director: “... we need to go younger, and we’re now plotting ways to do that.”
From Draymond Green, formerly of Michigan State and now of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors: “You talk to the European guys who I’ve played with, and they’ve been making money since they were 15 years old ...”
From Michael Singer of the Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN: “... the NBA is indeed exploring avenues to connect with elite high school players and improve the developmental system ... Part of the NBA’s plan could hinge on working with elite prospects throughout high school, whether at tournaments or at summer camps.”

So, at minimum, this is what school-based sports can expect as a result of NBA and NCAA efforts to fix what’s broken in college basketball:

Additional pressures on students to specialize in basketball year-round from a very early age.
Further distraction from the masses of players toward elite players.
An attack on amateur standing rules in school-based basketball.