The One World Schoolhouse by Salman Khan

Andrew J. Coulson directs the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom and published a book review of “The One World Schoolhouse” by Salman Khan in the Washington Times on December 11, 2012. In his conclusion he wrote: “The only way for teaching and learning to keep pace with the progress happening all around us is to invite education back into the free-enterprise system that has driven that progress.”

Coulson’s conclusion was built on a series of fallacies and misinformation too numerous to repeat. Coulson makes his living by writing about the blessings of the free-enterprise system. However, he devalues the system of governance that is in a symbiotic relationship with the commercial system he supports. Privatizing the commons is the answer to everything for those who publish articles in support of corporations. After all they have been successful, since John Locke justified private property rights, in claiming land, water and air as commodities and then returning their wastes that pollute the commons for the rest of us and our future generations.

Coulson wants to privatize the common K12 education, that is offered free to anyone at a school. This is something protected by federal, state and local governments for over a century. The only way private enterprise can make a profit in education for K12 is to not serve the neediest of students, the disabled, the students from low income families and others that would drive up the costs and drive down the test scores. Now that Khan Academy has delivered on a free education for anyone, anywhere, Coulson criticizes the change as the worst thing for America, as if it were unpatriotic.

Coulson ignores the rising trend of non-profits and for-profit enterprises with social purposes that have ethical and moral standards unknown to the free-enterprise system where the only measurement is profit and wealth. 

The Consequences of Climate Change

As we continue in 2013 to postpone, like we have for decades, the policies that could bring about a sustainable world, the population grows too large, pollution builds too high, resources are drained too much, and a collapse is no longer avoidable.

Purpose

People need something bigger than themselves, some grand, collective goal worth striving toward. I want to transform from being busy as a single ego on the chaotic surface of flatland, to join a multi-generational team with a social mission aligned to a strategy and tactics.

Market Failure and Foresight

Cascade Systems Society Monthly Meeting
Time: 4:00 to 6:00 (informal conversation at the start, main discussion starts at 4:30)
Place: Harder House, Room 104 (HH is at 10th and Market)
Portland State University

Discussion Leader:  Richard Turnock

Topic: Market Failure and Foresight:  Why systems of survival resolve dilemmas created by market failure and how we can use foresight to anticipate the future.

Problem Statement: The Lockean Proviso is true when there are enough resources left in common for others and the quality of the resources is good enough so that others are not deprived of the use of the common resources. An unsustainable world is when the quality of the commons is depleted so that others are deprived of resources. The goal of a Sustainable World is for the Lockean Proviso to always remain true in the symbiotic relationship between the Guardian and Commercial systems. The RBP [reference behavior pattern] of a Sustainable World would show decreasing depletion of resources from the Commons and decreasing pollution of the Commons. The whole earth is inside the boundaries of the Sustainable World including all the land, water and air. However, our system model is going to focus on the interaction between human organizations and the Commons.

Richard retired not too many years ago after 32 years working for Portland General Electric as nuclear engineer, budget analyst, internal consultant for IT, internal auditor, PR education outreach, and teaching teachers system dynamics.

Education: BS in Engineering Physics from OSU and MBA from PSU; Took SysSc 514 System Dynamics by Dr. Wayne Wakeland. 

Current projects: Assisting author with eBook - “Beyond Connecting the Dots.” 

Blog - http://turnock.blogspot.com MyOpinion.

Wiki with Systems and Sustainability information, http://sd4ed.wikispaces.com

YouTube Channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/igranderojo

Writing a Memoir

Creating Systems Academy

Articles:

“Why System Dynamics?” Published by Creative Learning Exchange and listed on my blog

http://www.clexchange.org

http://turnock.blogspot.com/2012/04/why-system-dynamics.html

“A New Mental Model of Teaching and Learning”

http://www.clexchange.org/ftp/newsletter/CLEx18.1.pdf

Global Climate Change Model Development for SysSc 514

http://home.comcast.net/~rturnock/Exercise3/exercise3.htm