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Recent Comments:
DonorsChoose, Charity of the Day {Luxist}
Dec 15th 2007 9:11PM "I don't think anyone is saying that one charity is better than the other."
If that's true, we have a real problem on our hands.
Do you think that one business is better than another? Obviously there's no "master ranking" - different businesses do different things - but the notion that they're "all doing great work" is pretty ridiculous, even if all of them are trying to (which they largely are).
The achievement gap is a notoriously thorny problem that has resisted well-intentioned, well-funded efforts again and again. To say "improving school supplies so that students have their own books to read is going to improve the educational experience for those children" as though it's a fact, requiring no support (when in fact I believe there is no support for this claim) is to dismiss one of the toughest and most important problems we have in our society with a cavalier negligence it doesn't deserve.
I'd like to see us acknowledge that most charities are trying to do incredibly difficult things, and things that matter - and just as with any other organization, we should approach them with skepticism and demand the best, rather than saying "eh, it's charity, I'm sure it's fine." I'd like to see us think at least as hard about giving as we do about consuming, at least.
DonorsChoose, Charity of the Day {Luxist}
Dec 13th 2007 10:23AM Why DonorsChoose? Why not one of a trillion other charities? Is there any evidence that improving school supplies improves education? Is this a better idea than improving the teachers themselves (Teach for America) or reworking the schools (KIPP, Achievement First)?
Why not use a site like http://www.givewell.net to get real info on the best charities, instead of promoting whichever happens to catch your eye? Giving proactively is harder, but it's a better way to help people.
