Most progressive reformers utilize the "factory model" to explain how education in the United States came to be. Could it be wildly inaccurate? Jennifer Binis contacted us in response to a graphic on our website, which characterized this view:

In our view this was an accurate (albeit poorly drawn) portrayal of what the "factory model" was and continues to be, but Jennifer raised concerns that this was inaccurate. So we invited her on!

Jennifer is the curator of the podcast Ed History 101. She is a former special education teacher who now supports teachers and districts with authentic assessment design (such as portfolios and projects) and is published in the fields of special, gifted and middle-level education and has left her opinions and research related to history, gender, and education in various corners of the internet.

Much of what we spoke about seemed to run in circles...is the factory model completely untrue, one perspective, or accurate? Listen in to the podcast and find out - there's a ton of lively discussion within. Because it would be too long to include here, there's a more formal write-up of my thoughts here.