In defense of Diane Ravitch (not that she needs it!)
Today, Jonathan Alter of Newsweek let loose an attack on Diane Ravitch for her recent oped in the NY Times, in which she pointed out how the claims made many of the charter advocates of "miracle schools " are often based on inflated or distorted data.
Last night, Diane won the Moynihan award, given annually by the American Academy of Political and Social Science to outstanding civic leaders who "champion the use of evidence and informed judgment in the policy process. " She richly deserves this award for standing up to the corporate reformers and venture philanthropists who consistently distort data to suit their own ideological biases.
Below is my response to the Alter column; I also reprint comments sent him directly or submitted online by NYC parent Jennifer Freeman, celebrated education reformer Debbie Meier, education advocate Robert Skeels, and Nancy Flanagan, a former teacher who writes a column in EdWeek.
If you'd like to send your own comment, you can email Jonathan at alterjonathan@gmail.com and/or submit them online.
______
Jonathan: What you call "beefing up accountability and standards" is what others call high-stakes testing. In