The famous international scholar and the N.J. Education Commissioner — NewsWorks

The famous international scholar and the N.J. Education Commissioner — NewsWorks:

The famous international scholar and the N.J. Education Commissioner

July 19, 2012

By Laura Waters, of NJ Left BEhind

    ..

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In this January photo, Christopher D. Cerf, center, acting New Jersey Commissioner of Education, applauds as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivers the annual State of the State address in Trenton. (Mel Evans/AP Photo)

More Info:

• NJ SPOTLIGHT
  Op-Ed: Charter schools -- a single strand in NJ's tapestry of great public schools
• NJ SPOTLIGHT
  Schools in Camden, Willingboro among 9 granted final charters by N.J. DOE

This is commentary from education blogger Laura Waters of NJ Left Behind.

On Tuesday morning, NJ Spotlight published an editorial by Education Commissioner Chris Cerf's on charter schools. That afternoon, the renowned education historian, Dr. Diane Ravitch, posted anangry rebuttal (currently going viral). Why all the fuss? What could incite a famous international scholar to respond to a simple and factual description of a tiny subset of New Jersey's public school system?

Let's unpack this a bit.

Comm. Cerf tells us that he wants to "go beyond the frequent misrepresentations to have an honest conversation about what charter schools are and why they are important to New Jersey." While not part of the local district, they "are public schools, with public school students and public school teachers, funded with public dollars. Like district-run public schools, they are open to all students and, unlike many magnet and vocational schools, they are legally