Diane Ravitch's blog
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Diane Ravitch's blog
Irony in Ohio
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 51 minutes ago
The State of Ohio says that if your district is low-performing–that is, scoring in the bottom 5% of all districts–then charter schools are allowed to open in your district (previously, they were limited to eight urban districts). But here is the irony. Only one out of four charter schools in Ohio has a better score [...]
What Should the Federal Government Do to Improve Education?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 hour ago
I am often asked my views about what the federal government should do to improve education. The one thing it should not do is to foist unproven ideas on the schools across the nation. Whatever policies it supports should be amply supported by evidence and experience, such as class size reduction and early childhood education. [...]
Where Are the “Great Teachers?”
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 7 hours ago
This reader says, look around you. I believe great teachers know their subject matter, know pedagogy, know child development, know classroom management techniques, know motivational strategies, are passionate about what they do, and are willing to try new things. Most of the teachers I have met and worked with in my 16 years of teaching [...]
Jersey Jazzman Dissects Meaning of Newark Contract
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 9 hours ago
New Jersey is unquestionably one of the two or three highest performing states in the nation on NAEP. Given its extremes of wealth and pockets of dense poverty, it may well be the highest performing state. As is obvious by now, Governor Chris Christie and his helper Chris Cerf hope to privatize as much of [...]
The Catholic Version of TFA
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 11 hours ago
Samuel Freedman has a lovely article in the New York Times about young Catholic teachers working together in Tucson. They are part of a program called the Alliance for Catholic Education, which was created at Notre Dame. They spend a summer at Notre Dame preparing to teach and another summer reviewing what they have learned and [...]
About That Newark Teachers Union Deal
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 15 hours ago
I don’t understand all the details of the deal reached by the Newark Teachers Union and the Christie administration. The final details were hammered out by Randi Weingarten, NTU president Joseph Del Grosso, Newark Superintendent Cami Anderson, Acting State Commissioner Chris Cerf, and perhaps Governor Chris Christie as well. Some people (and I include myself) [...]
Cuomo Appoints TFA-er as Deputy Secretary of Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 16 hours ago
The ascent to power of anyone connected to Teach for America continues. Governor Cuomo just appointed De’Shawn Wright as Deputy Secretary of Education for the state of New York. Wright spent two or four years (it’s not clear) teaching in New York City as a member of TFA. Then he quickly ascended to big jobs [...]
Small Minority of Parents at “Trigger” School Choose Charter Operator
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 17 hours ago
According to the latest news, the parents at Desert Trails Elementary School in Adelanto, California, have chosen a charter operator to take over their low-performing public school. This is the first instance in the nation where the “parent trigger” has been put into effect. But it is not a demonstration of parent empowerment or democracy. [...]
Why Foist an Unproven Method on the Entire Nation All at Once?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 18 hours ago
The U.S. Department of Education is doing something to the nation’s schools that has never been done before. Through the leverage of its Race to the Top program, it has persuaded, pushed, and prodded at least 36 states to evaluate teachers by the test scores of their students. There is no evidence that this will [...]
Another Superintendent Joins the Honor Roll
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 23 hours ago
On my trip to the Midwest this past week, I met the superintendents of 86 districts in Michigan who belong to the Tri-County Alliance, which enrolls almost half the children in the state. Every one I spoke to (and I had a private dinner with a dozen leaders of the group) told me of the [...]
The Onion or Reality?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 23 hours ago
A friend who is an artist sent a link to a website that describes a new Pearson art history book that has no pictures! No pictures of the art it describes. Students are instructed to look for the images in another textbook. The pictureless art history book costs $180. You have to open the link [...]
Who Supports Tony Bennett in Indiana?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
This blog lists the websites and bloggers in Indiana who oppose state superintendent Tony Bennett. That’s easy. It includes every parent group in the state and everyone concerned about the future of education. Which leaves the important question: Who supports Bennett? Well, big corporations. Advocates of privatization. People who hate unions. Groups that want to [...]
Leader of Great Hearts Charter Urges Parents to Oppose New Funds for Public Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Readers of this blog learned about the Great Hearts charter chain in Arizona as a result of its efforts to open a branch in Nashville. The Metro Nashville school board has rejected Great Hearts four times and was punished by TFA Commissioner of Education for refusing to approve this charter. Huffman has withheld $3.4 million [...]
The Most Important Voice in State Education Policy
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
The most important voice in state education policy today is the American Legislative Exchange Council, known as ALEC. ALEC has 2,000 state legislators as members, and dozens of corporate sponsors, including the biggest names in business. Here is an excellent summary of ALEC’s legislative priorities. ALEC writes model legislation. Its members carry it home and [...]
A Hero of Public Education in Connecticut
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Carmen L. Lopez is a hero of public education. She has stood up against the most powerful people in her state to defend the public schools and the basic principles of democracy. She served as a judge of the Connecticut Superior Court from 1996 until her retirement in 2008. At that time, she was elected [...]
An Entire State Joins the Honor Roll
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
I received an email from Stephen Earley, an elementary school principal in Vermont. He reminds us that the state of Vermont decided not to request an NCLB waiver. It wasn’t because Vermont likes NCLB but because the state education commissioner realized that Arne Duncan’s mandates are no better than those in NCLB. Because the state [...]
LA Times Sues to Get Teachers’ Names
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Remember that the LA Times created a firestorm in 2010 when it created value added ratings for teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District and released the names and ratings of thousands of teachers. Arne Duncan said it was a good idea, but many researchers warned that the ratings were volatile, inaccurate, and unstable. [...]
Some Reasons to Vote for Glenda Ritz
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
http://ahuntingtonteacher.blogspot.com/2012/10/tony-bennett-selling-big-lie-about.html Tony Bennett Selling the Big Lie about Need for Hoosier Teacher Accountability In 2010, Tony Bennett and the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) introduced relaxed teacher qualifications known as REPA. A slideshow presented by Bennett stated the need for REPA was a grade of “D” for “policies affecting teaching quality”. This grade was given [...]
This Week’s Journey Ends, But Not Our Struggle
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
As faithful readers of this blog know, this week has been a busy one for me. It started last Sunday night when I arrived in Chicago after a six-hour flight delay caused by possible tornados near Chicago. On Monday, I began the day speaking at the Chicago City Club, where I was introduced by Governor [...]
Pennsylvania Slows ALEC Juggernaut
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
The drive to diminish local control in Pennsylvania was halted when Republicans backed away from Governor Corbett’s charter “reform” legislation. The bill would have allowed the Governor and the State Education Department to override local school boards and open charters where the local board rejected them. This is a priority for Governor Tom Corbett and [...]
PBS Interview Is Now Online
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
My interview with Evan Smith will air tonight in Texas and other locales but it is now online here.
Did We Lose the Middle Class? Where Did the Left Go?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
A reader offers his observations of where we are today: Others and I have posted quite a bit about this issue in other threads of the blog. In fact, I wrote at some length of the convergence of the Democrats and Republicans (or as a friend calls the two parties, the “Republocrats”; I like “Demonicans” [...]
Who Needs Higher Education?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
The New York City Department of Education intends to ask the state Board of Regents to allow it to grant certification, bypassing the higher education route. The Regents have already given permission to TFA and to the charter training program Relay to award certification. The Museum of Natural History also has that authority. Soon there [...]
The Absurdity of NCLB
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Commenting on an earlier post, a teacher pointed out that students in his/her district in a low-performing school are allowed to transfer (thanks to No Child Left Behind) to a higher-performing school. In my district, parents have the right to transfer their child to a “higher performing” school in the district if their local school [...]
Ironies of the First Parent Trigger
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
At Desert Trails Elementary School in Adelanto, California, the “parent trigger” law is taking effect after court battles. Parents who asked to take their name off the petition to hand their school off to a charter chain were told by a judge that they were not allowed to remove their names. Now, it turns out, [...]
Tonight on PBS
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
When I visited Austin recently, I taped an interview with Evan Smith for his PBS program “Overheard.” It will air tonight on PBS stations in Texas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Tampa, New Orleans, and other places. If you miss it, this is the link that will go live after the show airs. There was [...]
A Way to Test the “Bad Teacher” Theory
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
In response to an earlier post, a reader suggests a simple way to evaluate the oft-repeated assertion tat low test scores are caused by bad teachers: I wonder why the reformers don’t try this experiment: Take the staff of an underperforming school and switch them for a year with the staff in a high performing [...]
You Must Not Say What You Think
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
The new Broad leader in Dallas has hired a communications director and a PR team to craft a list of “power words” and “power phrases” that teachers and principals are supposed to use when communicating with the public. Dallas principals and teachers: Please take care to say what you are told. Memorize your lines. If [...]
Australia Claims the GERM Title
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Is Australia the GERM capital of the world? I was sure that the U.S. was first in the world when it came to testing and accountability, choice, competition, and privatization. Sad to discover we are number 2. Australia – The GERM Capital of the World GERM is an acronym for the giant scato-meme that testucators [...]
When Mr. Rogers Saved PBS
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
At a time when Mitt Romney is threatening to remove federal funding from PBS, please watch what Mr. Rogers said to Congress in 1969 when President Nixon wanted to cut funding to PBS. Senator Pastore got “goose bumps” when he listened. I got tears in my eyes. Please watch. It reminds you of when we [...]
Crucial Referendum in Georgia
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
In November, voters in Georgia will vote on an important referendum to amend their state constitution. The goal of the amendment is to allow the government to appoint a commission that can impose charter schools in districts over the objection of local school boards. More than 90% of the money to support the referendum is [...]
Will Two Very Rich Men Buy the Oakland, CA, School Board?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Very strange, the large sums of money suddenly appearing in local school board elections, sometimes from wealthy individuals who have no children in the schools or don’t even live in the district. That happened earlier this year in the Dever school board election and is happening now in A New Orleans school board race. In [...]
A Cry from the Heart
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Dear President Obama, I am disheartened by the state of education and the course we are heading as a nation. Today, I was forced to administer an assessment which will be used to judge me, as a professional educator. I watched eight year olds crumble under the pressure for fear of getting an answer wrong. [...]
Marc Tucker Says that Choice Is “Beside the Point”
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
In a recent essay for Education Week, Marc Tucker took issue with advocates for choice, charters and competition. He dismantled the libertarian argument for free markets in schooling. That’s not what enables top-performing nations to succeed, he says. Worth reading.
Can 10 Very Rich People Change Public Education in Washington State?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Ten people have supplied 91% of the $8.9 million raised to promote a charter school referendum in Washington State. Prominent among the super-donors are Bill Gates, Walmart heiress Alice Walton, Amazon Titan Mike Bezos, and venture capitalist Nick Hanauer. It’s fair to say that none of these financial sponsors have a child in the public [...]
Do You Care, Mr. President?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Dear Mr. President, Throughout our country, the voice of the masses is being squelched. The changes needed in our public systems are in control of the powerful and influential entities, people who do not need these systems. Chicago and other major cities are ground-zero for these injustices. The public systems are breaking down for the [...]
Fact-Checking Indiana’s Tony Bennett
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Here’s a thankless task. A blogger in Indiana is trying to sort out facts from empty boasts by the state’s Superintendent of (Public) Instruction.
How to Respond to the Letter from the White House
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Earlier today, I posted the form letter that the White House is sending to people who write to complain about the damage caused by Race to the Top. The form letter shows clearly that no one read your letters indicting RTTT. The White House response is canned and insulting. There are hundreds of individual letters. [...]
Vote for Richard Flarend in Pennsylvania’s 79th District
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
I support all candidates who support public education. In the 79th district in Pennsylvania, there is an exceptional candidate for the state legislature. Richard Flarend is a physicist on the faculty at Penn State Altoona who has played an active role in civic matters. This is what he says about education: State funded public education [...]
The Voice President Obama Should Hear
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Whether the President listens or not, we won’t stop telling him to pay attention to the people who work in the nation’s classrooms and schools every day. His Race to the Top is NCLB 2.0. The original failed because its sponsors tried to impose their theories on practitioners without listening. When we get the President’s [...]
President Obama’s Disappointing Response
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
This is the disheartening response from the White House to a reader who wrote to complain about the destructive effects of Race to the Top. So a letter that explains the pernicious consequences of RTTT gets a response saying it’s just a wonderful initiative. It’s all about the kids. It’s succeeding. Hello? We have been [...]
Feel Good About America: A Public School in Mississippi
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Michael Vandveckhoven is a proud parent of a student in the public schools of Meridian, Mississippi. This is a video that shows his son’s school. The school is half white, half black, about 40% low-income. For someone like me, who grew up in the age of legal segregation, this is a heartwarming sight. This is [...]
How Michelle Rhee Became Isolated from the Democratic Mainstream
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Jeff Bryant has written an insightful article about Michelle Rhee’s increasingly strained effort to promote the policies of the far-rightwing and ALEC, while claiming to be a Democrat. Rhee goes from state to state, funding GOP candidates and a few Democrats who are anti-teacher, anti-union, and anti-public education. She is not a centrist Democrat but [...]
If Teachers Ran Their Classes Like NYC Runs Schools, Then….
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
A reader in New York City offers a thought experiment. He invites you to participate: If teachers ran their classes the way New York City runs its schools… • Students would get their grades 4-5 months after they finish the teacher’s class. (Progress Report grades for schools are distributed 4-5 months after the end of [...]
Jersey Jazzman Writes to the President
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Jersey Jazzman is one of my favorite bloggers. He is an educator who consistently writes with precision, accuracy and passion, a great combination. Here is his letter to President Obama.
“Won’t Quiet Down”: The Next Big Hollywood Movie
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Diana Senechal has written about the latest Hollywood release: “Won’t Quiet Down.” This is a sequel to “Won’t Back Down.” It is the next phase of “reform.” Get ready for the Student Trigger! Before you write to comment, please be aware that this is satire.
How to Spot Propaganda
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
A reader sent us a useful description of propaganda techniques: “How to Identify Propaganda Techniques” (So many parallels to the “reform agenda”.) 1 Look for the use of “glittering” generalities in the form of catchphrases, sweeping and vague statements. Slogans using positive and uplifting concepts such as love, honor, family, peace and freedom are often [...]
How the Testing Industry Ate Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
A teacher in Illinois writes: I gave the first Illinois Standard Achievement Test (ISAT) the first time it was given many years ago. As the reading teacher at my school, I was in charge of overseeing the first iteration of the test. After my colleague and I had administered the test to the students, which [...]
James Meredith on Saving Public Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
James Meredith bravely integrated the University of Mississippi fifty years ago. It is hard to imagine now, but at the time it took nerves of steel and a willingness to die. Mississippi was the most racist state in the nation (others were close contenders), and black people put their life at risk by speaking too [...]
Today Is the Day to Support Public Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Two weeks ago, in response to many readers who were frustrated by destructive federal policies, this blog launched a Campaign for Our Public Schools. The immediate goal was to stimulate an outpouring of letters and emails to the President to let him know the views of many teachers, parents, students, administrators, and concerned citizens. A [...]
New Jersey Parents Write a Letter to President Obama
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Parent activists in New Jersey have written the President. Please read.
The Berliner Article
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Some while ago, I posted an article by David Berliner about poverty and inequality. I promised to post the link when I got it. Here it is. http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentID=16889
Mr. President, Please Read This Letter
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Dear President Obama, I strongly supported you in 2008 and I continue to support you in 2012; however, your record and your policies on education give me pause. Unlike Governor Romney, who by all accounts views public education and teachers with contempt, you have expressed some interest in preserving and improving our nation’s democratic educational [...]
Dear President Obama, from a Teacher
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
October 17, 2012 Dear President Obama: Have your educational policies ushered in an Age of Enlightenment? Sadly, no. Have your educational policies ushered in an Age of Reason? Sadly, no. Have your educational policies ushered in an Age of Discovery? Sadly, no. Your educational policies have ushered in an Age of Measurement, and that is [...]
The Debate: Ugh!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
I confess: the debate gave me a headache, and I’m not prone to headaches. Must have been Romney’s smug tone. Obama can be smug, but Romney has smugness down to a science. And he was really grating. The smoother he was, the more grating. Why did I feel like he was trying to sell me [...]
Another Laugh Out Loud from EduShyster
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Please read this. it is about a miracle school where teachers are respected, treasured, then fired. http://edushyster.com/?p=920#more-920.
Read This to Understand TFA’s Outsize Influence in DC
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Alexander Russo has written an interesting paper on how TFA has managed to have unusual influence inside the Beltway. If you wonder why members of Congress seem determined to support unpopular and ineffective programs like No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, read this. Interesting that the two TFA state commissioners (John White [...]
A Lawyer Offers Good Advice to the President
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Sound advice, and it didn’t cost anything. Dear President Obama: I am writing to you as a fellow magna cum laude Harvard Law grad (’73) and fellow Democrat. Please reconsider two of your Administration’s Race-to-the-Top education policies – 1) high-stakes testing, and 2) charter schools. Under superficial analysis, these policies appear sensible; under in-depth analysis, [...]
If You Have Friends in Washington State…
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
If you have friends in Washington State, call them and tell them to vote no on 1240. Friends don’t let friends fall for propaganda campaigns funded by billionaires. Friends don’t let friends be fooled into voting to privatize public education. Friends don’t let friends give their public schools away to Wall Street and entrepreneurs. Tell [...]
No Tests for MY Child, says This Teacher
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
This teacher will not allow her children in pre-K and K to be tested. If everyone opted out, the testing regime would collapse. I have been a high school teacher for 16 years. My own children begin pre-K and K this year. I have already informed their schools that my children will be “ill” on [...]
Why He Is Voting for Obama
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
A reader sent this comment: If I may be so bold and presumptuous, it is time for a deep breath, a time-out from the issues of the day, and a focus on the issues of tomorrow: THIS ELECTION IS LIFE OR DEATH FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION. I got a wake up call on many fronts on [...]
A Teacher Offers Good Advice to President Obama
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
As part of our Campaign for Our Public Schools, this teacher wrote a fine letter to the President: Dear President Obama, While I was and remain your supporter I respectfully disagree with many of your ideas about education policy. I have been working in education for more than ten years and I can say confidently [...]
What “Reform” Is Doing to Teachers
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
A teacher reflects on how teachers are perceived, how little support they get, and how teaching has changed: Being in the teaching profession, most of the public generally hates you because they ‘see’ you with the summer off and a pension, which most of us hope will be intact by the time we get there. [...]
Kevin Huffman Punishes Nashville Board for Disobeying His Orders
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Tennessee’s TFA Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman ordered the Metro Nashville school board to grant a charter to a school run by Arizona-based Great Hearts. The School board voted no. It voted no four times. It said the school wanted to locate in a neighborhood where it would draw mainly from well-to-do white families; the [...]
My Talk to the Chicago City Club: Two Visions of School Reform
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
I was honored to be invited to speak to the Chicago City Club today. The invitation was arranged by Governor Pat Quinn, who introduced me. I spoke about two visions of school reform, one grounded in reality and evidence, the other grounded in ideology and wishful thinking. I put the Chicago teachers’ strike in a [...]
A Teacher Offers Good Advice to the President
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
So many articulate letters. This one has sound suggestions. Dear Mr. President: I strongly supported you in last election because Linda Darling-Hammond was your education adviser. I really believed you would be going in a direction that supported public school students and not privatization and increasing the profits of testing and charter companies. I suspect [...]
Tony Bennett: Fiasco in Indiana
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Social media has allowed educators to contact one another and express their views. The news they tell does not often get covered in the local press. The educators’ insights are worth sharing. Read this post from Indiana about State Superintendent of Education Bennett, no friend of public schools. Bennett is running for re-election against veteran [...]
Testing Madness Is Sick
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
The Wall Street Journal reports that New York City has adopted a new test for its gifted and talented classes. It is said to be “harder” than the previous test. The Bloomberg administration uses a test as the sole means of getting into these highly coveted classes. Critics say it will reduce the proportion of [...]
Carol Burris Writes President Obama
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Carol Burris, who was recently named to the honor roll as a hero of public education, wrote a letter to President Obama. Carol understands how excessive testing is harming students and demoralizing teachers. She warns the President how this policy–at the heart of Race to the Top–will do increasing damage as it is institutionalized. Dear [...]
The Latest Charter Scam
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
An earlier post described how Chinese investors can get green cards by funding charter schools. The article linked there said that wealthy Chinese had poured $30 million into charters in Florida. A reader comments: A Chinese investor gets a green card for investing $1 million in a project that will “create” ten jobs. The publicly [...]
Who Needs Public Libraries?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
What a quaint idea Andrew Carnegie had when he subsidized 2,500 free public libraries a century ago. He wanted knowledge to be free to the public. Today, our reformers don’t believe in subsidizing anything other than for those at the very bottom (but not much). If you want a book, buy it. If you aren’t [...]
Why Schools Fail
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
A retired principal, Pat Buoncristiani, writes to describe what she learned in many years of experience.. She writes: When I was the principal of a struggling Title 1 school I grappled for the reasons behind my children’s difficulties. Others would make suggestions – it’s because their parents don’t care, it’s something about their race, it’s [...]
A Great Letter from a Teacher to President Obama
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
This teacher wrote a great letter. Please write your own, to help the President see what he needs to change: Dear President Obama, I am a teacher, and I’m concerned about what’s happening in American education today. I’m not sure what I can say that will help you listen to me, but please do. Does [...]
New Jersey Civil Rights Groups Appeal to Secretary Duncan
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Some 45 organizations in New Jersey, from parent groups to civil rights groups have appealed to Secretary Duncan to halt the damage that will be imposed on poor children and children of color as a result of the NCLB waiver to the state. Because of the waiver, state officials will inflict even more high-stakes testing [...]
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette Endorses Glenda Ritz!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette published a powerful editorial endorsing educator Glenda Ritz for State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Indiana. Tony Bennett, the current superintendent, is a foe of public education. He removed the word “public” from his title. He has done whatever he could to promote privatization of the state’s public schools. He [...]
Daniel Willingham Explains Why Merit Pay and VAM Are Unfair
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Daniel Willingham is a very smart and sensible psychologist at the University of Virginia. He has a talent for explaining complex issues in simple language. In this video, he gives six reasons why value added assessment and merit pay are unfair–all in three minutes.
A Model Letter for October 17
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
The deadline to send emails to the President to support the Campaign for Our Public Schools is October 17. Here are instructions about where to send them. Send them either to this blog or to Anthony Cody at Anthony_Cody@hotmail.com. Below is a model letter for teachers. It can be revised to make it appropriate for [...]
The Movie Nobody Wants to See
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
That anti-union, anti-public education movie is a historic flop. Will Hollywood get the message? Or will the billionaires keep saying that they “won’t back down” no matter how small the audience. A $19 million movie is chump change for them.
El Paso Cheating Scandal: Who Is Next?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/education/el-paso-rattled-by-scandal-of-disappeared-students.html?hpw THIS is what Bush/Spellings/Obama/Duncan/Bloomberg/Klein hath wrought. Hardly a surprise, and it’s most likely going on all over the country, including NYC. Just a question of scale and who gets caught. In El Paso’s case, the lack of action by the Texas Education Agency — which actually cleared Superintendent Garcia for lack of evidence (!!!) [...]
Will Ann Coulter Sue?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
The latest satire from Students Last.
Parent Groups Seek to Block Release of Student Data: URGENT UPDATE!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Parent groups in New York are trying to block the release of student data to an entity that includes Wireless Generation, a technology company owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, in collaboration with the Gates Foundation. “On Sunday, October 14, at a press conference held at the midtown law offices of Siegel Teitelbaum & Evans [...]
Why Does the U.S. Department of Education Support Privatization?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
A reader points out that the U.S. Department of Education has the following program information on its website: “The U.S. Department of Education’s Charter Schools Program (CSP) has invested more than $255 million in charter schools this year. The purpose of the program is to increase financial support for the startup and expansion of these [...]
Is Michelle Rhee the Ann Coulter of Education?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Jeff Bryant asks whether Michelle Rhee is the Ann Coulter of education. Rhee expends great energy insisting that Democrats support the hard-right agenda of ALEC. She tries to sell the idea of a bipartisan consensus to eliminate collective bargaining rights, teacher tenure, test-based evaluation, and privatization via charters and vouchers. Democrats would be wise to [...]
Lessons from a Top-Rated Charter in Minnesota
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
People often ask me, “Why don’t the public schools learn from the charter schools?” Good question. The top-rated charter school in Minneapolis has lessons to teach the public schools. But I doubt that the public schools should copy those lessons or even if the lessons are legal. First, the charter school takes half as many [...]
Is It OK for States to Break Contracts?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Glen Brown, teacher and poet, examines the legal and moral reasons why states should not break their contracts with their employees by calling it “reform.”
“I Am a Teacher. Let Me Teach.”
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Matthew Swope has been teaching physics for ten years. He is a STEM teacher, the kind that every district wants. Before becoming a teacher, he was a Marine, then a police officer. He took a big pay cut to become a teacher. He loves teaching. Read his words of wisdom: I am a teacher. Year [...]
A Powerful, Important Letter to President Obama
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
This letter was written by an early childhood educator. It expresses succinctly what many readers of this blog believe to be true: Dear President Obama, Please wake up and see that the education policies your administration is promoting are decimating our public schools, harming our children, demoralizing our teachers, and threatening the future of our [...]
Join the Campaign for Our Public Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Whether you are a teacher, a parent, a student, a principal, a school board member, or a concerned citizen, please join the Campaign for Our Public Schools. Speak out against high-stakes testing and privatization. Write a letter to President Obama and other elected officials. Here are instructions.
When Students Join the Battle for Sound Education, It Will Be a Game-Changer
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Nikhil Goyal is a very articulate high school senior who just published a book about what is needed in American education. He wrote a letter to the editor of the NY Times, and his letter was so impressive that it became the focus for one of the Times’ Sunday dialogues. That means that the Times [...]
Best Practices: You Will Laugh Out Loud
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
EduShyster has written another fabulous post, this one on a theme that readers of this blog know well: What are the “best practices” that turn charter schools into media sensations? Wherever you live, send this post to whoever covers education. The journalists should pay attention. EduShyster is a terrific teacher.
A State Board Member Joins the Honor Roll
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Carolyn Hill ran for a seat on the Louisiana state education board as a reformer. But after she assumed office, she realized that “reform” was intended to privatize the public schools, not improve them. For having the wisdom and courage to see beyond the rhetoric; for speaking out and acting on behalf of children and [...]