Is Michael Gove as dangerous as he sounds?

[Flosshilde]

Successive Education Acts (going back at least to the Thatcher era) have progressively given more and more power directly to the Secretary of State for Education (all in the name of devolving power to the lowest level).

Well, Michael Gove is pretty low.

[amateur51]

Well, Michael Gove is pretty low.

"Low" I agree

"Pretty"?

[scottycelt]

Well, Michael Gove is pretty low.

You can't get any lower than a Scotsman who graduated at Oxford ...

[Flosshilde]

The Grauniad's favourite photy of Gove -

http://ukgovernmentwatch.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/michael-gove-school-visit-008.jpg

'happy Gove'

http://www.leftfootforward.org/images/2010/12/Michael-Gove.jpg

'sad Gove'

http://cyberboris.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/gove.jpg

& Gove explaining how integrated his education policies are -

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01154/Michael_Gove_1154582c.jpg

[scottycelt]

This might be your favourite photy, Flossie ... ?

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/michael-gove?before=1296415948

Fourth one down!

[Flosshilde]

No - far too demure.

[DracoM]

Ref OP = yes.

[amateur51]

Two interesting pieces from today's Education Guardian, the first by Peter Wilby which looks at the ideological basis for free schools and at similar schemes in Sweden which concludes that:

"The IEA report – which bizarrely compares allowing profit-making companies to run schools to giving votes to women – demands to know why "those who oppose the profit motive" believe that it will "always" lead to inferior results. I for one believe no such thing but the evidence, from developed countries, is that it mostly leads to something that is either worse or no better than the state provides"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jul/30/for-profit-schools-opinion

The second is a fun piece by Michelle Hanson looking at Gove's 'ideas'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jul/30/michael-gove-latest-horrid-idea

Read and weep

[Serial_Apologist]

Gove should just go off to the States and become his equally antedeluvian would-be mate Romney's running mate.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Gove should just go off to the States and become his equally antedeluvian would-be mate Romney's running mate.

But would he be able to find his way there?

[Serial_Apologist]

But would he be able to find his way there?

Yes - all he would need would be an up-to-date (in his eyes) 1800 or thereabouts world atlas: it's the big, pinky bit over to the left of the Atlantic, Govey boy! - Yes, that pink inverted triangle. Then he can run down to Greenwich and ask to borrow the Cutty Sark for a quick sortie.

[Lateralthinking1]

The current standard of education is quite poor.

It is though way too high for the few jobs that will be available throughout the next 60 years.

Michael Gove is nature's way of restoring equilibrium.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The current standard of education is quite poor.

Based upon what evidence?

The standards of newly qualified teachers is probably higher than it has ever been. When I qualified, you could get though your PGCE year just by turning up.Not so now, when the standards are so much more exacting.

[Flosshilde]

The second is a fun piece by Michelle Hanson looking at Gove's 'ideas'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jul/30/michael-gove-latest-horrid-idea

Read and weep

I see that they are using their favourite picture

[Flosshilde]

But would he be able to find his way there?

Simple - just put him in a boat, push it off from the beach in the general direction of the USA, & he'll arrive eventually (perhaps).

(which, come to think of it, is much the same approach that he takes to education policy)