NYC’s best education reporter, Elizabeth Green of the NY Sun, has a big piece this morning about anonymous blogger Eduwonkette, whose blog has become “a thorn in the side” of the New York City Department of Education.
DOE communications chief David Cantor and Eduwonk Andy Rotherham are among those who take shots at EW, alleging that her anonymity keeps readers from evaluating her bias. Having spent decades in the news business before becoming a teacher, I should be predisposed to agree. So why doesn’t her anonymity bug me? Perhaps it’s the nature of her blog. By focusing on research, EW on her best days functions as a first-rate BS detector, saying in essence “here’s the data. You decide.” The fact that she’s got deep pocketed institutions and major players in the edusphere taking shots at her is a testament to her impact. Indeed, you can probably divide edubloggers into two camps: those who admit they are envious of EW’s impact…and liars.
But that’s her second most significant accomplishment. Her first is that she makes education research entertaining. Her anonymity may be frustrating to her critics, but her blog is indispensible.
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I agree, Robert. My high school principal used to tell us, “If you won’t put your name to it, don’t publish it.” In general, I agree with her. But there are plenty of interesting exceptions.
Why doesn’t eduwonkette’s anonymity bug me? Because of the quality and spice of her writing, and the personality that comes through. She has many interesting things to say, and says them wittily. She makes sense of data and shows us how to do the same. She is energetic and undaunted by nonsense or murk.
Now for the moment of truth. As an “edublogger,” do I envy her impact, or am I a liar? Oh, sure, I envy her impact. But in a happy way, the way a kid on a plane might envy the pilot.