[I hope this post proves interesting. It was written by Edwize blogger Leo Casey, and previously posted on Edwize.]
When teachers talk of the "McDonaldization of education," the term is commonly employed in a metaphorical way, to describe a process that, if it were taken to its logical conclusion, would transform schools into the instructional equivalent of fast food outlets. Of particular concern is the de-skilling of educators into deliverers of canned programs, the unhealthy standardization of curriculum and pedagogy and the commercialization of public schools.
Now it appears that the term has a literal, as well as a metaphorical, application. The New York Times reports that the Seminole County public school system is sending home report cards in packages covered with McDonalds' advertisements, pictures of Ronald McDonald and photographs of 'happy meals.' The district even provides a 'happy meal' to fifth graders with good grades.
