Who Is AIMS

Somebody should take up a collection to buy computers for Moncton reporters. Then they could do some easy research,and use a little more sense when reporting on the Atlantic Institute of Marketing Studies.

The could, for example, check out Charles Cirtwell, President and CEO of AIMS, a prominent spokesman on educational issues. His training and experience in education? Zero.

His publishing record consists largely (if the word largely can be used at all) of artcles for extreme right wing American publications such as The American Spectator. His own bio claims he has done extensive research on education. ( Busy man. Extensive research on education, government, free enterprise, etc., all while doing his job as CEO). You have to admire him as a worker who can, in  his spare time, demolish most of the ressearch on education that has been published by thousands of educations scholars all over the world in the past century.

He has links with CATO, the very far right wing "think tank" based in Washington.

He is also an expert on health care, and crticizices the Canadian system for wasting money - nicely ignoring the fact that it something like half the cost per person of the US one, and serves ALL the Canadian people. Oh, and he also ignores the difference in  health ratings between Americans and Canadians.

He writes approval of Premier Harris of Ontario, who introduced repayment of $3500 to parents to sent their children to private schools. Gee. I wonder who had to make up for that generosity to private schools?

Unusual, iin my eperience of reports, is that there is no listing of exactly who did the research, and who drew the conclusions from it. I mean, that's pretty important. If a small group of researchers got together in Halifax and disproved the research of highly qualified experts all over the world, they must be whoopie-doo experts. Shouldn't  AIMS really impress us by saying who they are?

Oh, interesting note. AINS is hiring. They are looking for education researchers who are interested in the free enterprise system, in private schools and, well, anybody who agrees that the answers they already have are right.  AIMS is one of the think tanks that starts with answers, then writes propaganda and pseudo-science to prove them.

The AIMS webs site is an interesting read - vague propaganda very skilfully written. But there is no evidence, and no sign of whoever researched this stuff.

Great job, all you Moncton news media. When Jeb Bush ( also a man with no educational  training or experience but with a lot of experience in the care and feeding of billionaires) spoke here, Mr. John Irving, founding Chairman of AIMS was here. But you really should have taken the opportunity to ask Mr. Irving how long he has been concerned about education. And why.

And is it really true that most of the professors of education are so ignorant that they disagree with the findings of AIMS. Well, then, why don't we fire them all? We could replace them with distinguished thinkers named Irving.