http://www.thencat.org/Guides/DevMa th/DM1.%20The%20Essentia

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http://www.thencat.org/Guides/DevMath/DM1.%20The%20Essential%20Elements%20of%20the%20Emporium%20Model.pdf

People often wonder "why does education suck so badly in the US when everything else is pretty decent"- the reason is simple: Corporations and lobbying groups. There is just too much money at the table for corporations to not feel the need to contrive "solutions" for problems that are economic in nature. In other words, the problem with education in general is a problem with economics of the students rather than a problem with teachers themselves. Rather than realize that students living in poverty will have a lower graduation rate, lower test scores, etc. and accepting that as a consequence of economics, politicians have decided that it's the teachers fault. Since no one has called them out on their bullshit, corporations have capitalized on creating bullshit ad-hoc "solutions" for these problems (starting with the "New-Math" movement in the late 70s).

Let's go down the list of "essentials" to the Emporium

1.) Meaningless statement
2.) cliche
3.) Buy products we tell you to buy to "save money"
4.) meaningless statement
5) cliche
6.) buy our product so you can "automate" feedback (whatever that means)
7.) teachers already do this
8.) teachers already do this
9.) teachers already do this
10) Buy our product