Darling-Hammond Blog - emphasis on final chapter

First and foremost, I sincerely appreciate that DH's essentials for education  reside in fields over which we are responsible for and control, i.e., curriculum, instruction, assessment, the learning environment, and professional development, as far- and outward reaching ambitions are invariably thwarted by our gator's reach into the home. Furthermore, her notion of equity truly shifts schools as mere opportunistic enterprises to ones of that assure society of their intended purpose. Unfortunately, schools have become the social whipping post responsible for solving not only the social ills for which they are immediately responsible for, but those over which they have little to no influence. Schools are compelled to institute sweeping changes at the whim of a new superintendent or unfettered public and defy best practice in the name of satiating superiors or the masses. Our Tinkering Towards Utopia has unfortunately left us with a hot mess that can only be remedied through a complete overhaul (which invariably buys time) or extreme public patience coupled with administrative minimalists. In closing, I am somewhat cynical about DH's notion that we can no longer "afford" such failure within our system as bailouts and living on credit pervade the land and disguise the true depth of our woes.