Ravitch and Canada face off at Education Nation
David Gregory in talk with Diane Ravitch and Geoffrey Canada (photo by Nick Pandolfo)
The third day of Education Nation kicked off with a lively debate between charter school manager and educator Geoffrey Canada and education historian Diane Ravitch. Canada applauded the success of the charter schools in Harlem and elsewhere, with Ravitch countering that his schools and other charters had far more resources at their disposal than the average public school. Talk then branched into many of the public-private partnerships that some charters use. Canada, in his usual animated fashion, said he didn’t mind the private funding. He argued that private companies provide funds for new and potentially transformative ideas. “Education has no pressure to innovate whatsoever,” said Canada. Ravitch answered with a rejoinder that one in three charter schools, which have been given more freedom to experiment with curriculum and
