[AAACE-NLA]Opposing proposed changes to ERIC

[Catherine B. King]

Colleagues:

Below is a reference to a new work by Diane Ravitch:
"The Language Police."

The point is about the changes in ERIC is to be aware more
about what is actually happening, rather than what is being
SAID about what is happening.  Do we really think that if
a kind of "cleansing" of liberal and diverse education is on
the agenda that those in charge of it are going to say:  "We
are getting rid of all liberal ideas and replacing everything
that doesn't go along with our right-wing religious agenda"?
Sophistry is nothing if not persuasive and cloaked in half-
truths and well-sounding language.

Further, from what Tom Stitcht says, nothing has really
changed but has in fact gotten better.  Not to worry.
But I think this administration has enough of a track record
for those of us in education, adult or otherwise, to be
skeptical about the administration's right-wing intent, its
psuedo-religious agenda, its contempt for liberal
educational practices, and its disregard for principle in
these and many other matters.

BOOKS OF THE TIMES | 'THE LANGUAGE POLICE'
> Young Minds Force-Fed With Indigestible Texts
> By MICHIKO KAKUTANI
> Diane Ravitch provides an impassioned examination of how
> right-wing and left-wing pressure groups have succeeded in
> sanitizing textbooks and tests.
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/29/books/29KAKU.html?th

Catherine King

----- Original Message -----
From: Thomas Sticht <tsticht at znet.com>
To: <aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2003 2:28 PM
Subject: [AAACE-NLA]Opposing proposed changes to ERIC


> When I read the new statement of work for the ERIC system I did not see
> that the system is being done away with. Instead, the functions of 16
> clearning houses are being consolidated into a central site because of the
> advances in technology made since ERIC was initiated in the mid-1960s.
>
> A considerable benefit of the new system will be the ability to download
> full text documents, which one cannot do under the present system.Also,
> there will be links to various journals, publishers, and others that will
> permit full text documents to be downloaded.
>
> There will still be peer-reviewed screeing of documents and content
> experts  will work on this activity. There will be maintenance of all past
> documents and many may be converted to full text documents for
> downloading, otherwise they will continue to be available as now. So the
> database of the last fourty years will not disappear. It should become
> even easier to access if all goes as the statement of work suggests.
> Special publications such as ERIC briefs etc may be resumed as the work of
> the continuous improvement component of the new contract gets going. So
> from my reading of the statement of work I did not see a lot to be
> concerned about. Just better use of newer technology seems to moving ERIC
> in a new direction.
> Tom Sticht
>
>
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