Douglas Massey on Diane Ravitch and Jonathan Alter's attack
The observations below are from Douglas Massey, professor at Princeton and president of the American Academy of Political & Social Sciences (photo at left). On Thursday night, the Academy presented the Moynihan award to Diane Ravitch, given annually to outstanding civic leaders who "champion the use of evidence and informed judgment in the policy process. " 
Yet on Friday Jonathan Alter let loose a vicious attack on Diane, and enlisted Arne Duncan in an attempt to undermine her credibility, claiming that she uses "phony empiricism." Yesterday I posted some responses from parents, educators and advocates. Alter, (photo to the right) a former Newsweek columnist, now works for a new branch of Bloomberg LP, run out of the Mayor's personal offices next to his home, and "intended to channel his personal philosophy and worldview," according to the NY Times.For the potential conflicts of interest involved in Alter's attack on Diane, a prominent Bloomberg critic, see Salon. Another good takedown showing how Alter has consistently spread anti-teacher propaganda in the service of Bill Gates and the rest of the Billionaire Boy's Club, and how the US Dept. of Education has been promoting his attack on Diane is at School Matters. As Jim Horn writes, for the "Billionaire Boys Club... an inability to buy the truth has reached a crisis point that demands that the truth tellers, now, be burned at the stake."
Dear Diane:
Getting pilloried in public and attacked by people in power means you are living up to the Moynihan legacy! When it
