Braun: The conservative case to save traditional public schools
Published: Friday, May 25, 2012, 8:00 AM
As soon as Diane Ravitch finished speaking in New Brunswick the other day, public school advocates left the lecture hall to bring the message of saving traditional schools to other organizations. Deborah Cornavaca of East Brunswick and Julia Rubin of Princeton, among others, had the commitments before listening to Ravitch’s talk, but the imagery was nice: fired-up disciples going out into the world to bring her message of school reform to others.
What was odd about the scene — and what makes Ravitch so powerful an advocate for pre-privatized public schools — is that she is an apostate. The New York University historian worked for three right-wing think tanks. She was an official in the administration of the first President Bush. She embraced choice, testing and accountability.
Diane Ravitch was, in short, a conservative — and still thinks she is. In her latest book, "The Death and Life of the Great American School System," Ravitch argues she was "too conservative" to