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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Diane Ravitch On How To Fix K-12 - Forbes

Diane Ravitch On How To Fix K-12 - Forbes:

Diane Ravitch On How To Fix K-12


Diane Ravitch is Research Professor of Education at New York University and a historian of education. In addition, she is a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. From 1991 to 1993, she was Assistant Secretary of Education.

To improve education, the first thing needed is a sense of modesty and scale. Education is a complex activity that involves students, teachers, administrators, parents, legislators, and the mass media. No single program will produce fast change. It won’t happen, and you will be disappointed.

If you want to attack the root cause of low academic performance, think poverty. Test scores are tightly correlated with family income, which is correlated