She does mention that other charter schools that skip the gardens get better results.<p>And what she's proposing is clear, too: replace gardening time with more instruction in traditional subjects.<p>If there were some evidence gardens help achievement, or if it was just replacing other necessary 'rec' time, they'd be fine. But she reports there's never been any evidence -- beyond the supporters' anecdotal warm fuzzies -- that gardens fix educational gaps, and strongly implies garden time is trading off against more beneficial instruction.<p>So I appreciated the strong point of view and ironic opening scenario -- given her beliefs it's appropriate to be a bit caustic.