Diane Ravitch's blog
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG
DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG
Rhee’s Organization Vindicates Rhee’s Reforms
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 29 minutes ago
Michelle Rhee founded The New Teacher Project. Rhee, of course, was then chancellor of the DC school system for four tumultuous years. One of the people who worked for Rhee at The New Teacher Project was Kaya Henderson, who is now chancellor of the DC schools. So if you want to get a truly rigorous, [...]
A Local School Board Member in Pennsylvania Is a Hero of Public Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 hour ago
Lawrence A. Feinberg is a member of the Haverford Township school board in Pennsylvania. He is a hero of public education and a model for parents, educators and activists across the nation. He is a businessman who cares passionately about public education. Feinberg runs an outstanding website that keeps parents and educators (and people like [...]
A Teacher Describes Parents’ Reaction to Privatization in Memphis
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 hour ago
A teacher in Memphis writes about how parents in her school reacted to the announcement that it would be taken over by the Achievement School District and turned into a charter school. Her school is poor but it has made steady growth and is not one of the lowest performing schools in the city. The [...]
Privatization Picks Up Steam in Memphis
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 hour ago
A teacher writes to report that the privatization movement plans to take over her school and several others in Memphis. The schools slated for privatization are not the district’s lowest performing. She is not pleased and feels sure that the charter operators picked her school because it is doing well, not failing. Tennessee now has [...]
EduShyster Has Discovered an Entire Family of Rephormers
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 hours ago
Who knew? An entire family in the reform/privatization business. The pater familias is a major publisher in Minneapolis. And all the offspring are busily closing the gaps. They are paving the way for a dramatic expansion of the charter sector. If you read the link in the post by EduShyster, be sure to read the [...]
Who Bought the Charter Initiative in Washington State?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 10 hours ago
Is democracy for sale? Apparently it is in Washington State. Three times the voters turned down a charter amendment. In this election, a small number of extremely rich people decided they really wanted charters. So they raised $10 million to beat back the parents and educators of the state, who could not match their spending. [...]
What Will Obama Do Now?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 12 hours ago
Will anything change in Obama’s second term? More testing, more charter schools, more school closings? Joy Resmovits asks around for Huffington Post. She says that if Duncan should leave–which is unllikely–he might be replaced by Rhee. That’s enough to make you appreciate Arne. Maybe the purpose of the rumor is to make you like Arne.
“Brooklyn Castle” on the Jon Stewart “Daily Show”
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 20 hours ago
Jon Stewart is public education’s best friend in the media. Maybe because his mother was a public school teacher. Of course. He interviewed the director/producer of the wonderful film “Brooklyn Castle” and one of the lead students on the school’s chess team. It will be your heart good to hear the student, Pobo, talk about [...]
Why Is Pennsylvania Welcoming More Cyber Charters?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 21 hours ago
Despite the miserable results that cyber charters get in study after study, the state has authorized more of them than any other state. It has 12 up and running, four more just approved, and more in line to be approved. I mistakenly reported in an earlier post that only one cyber charter had ever made [...]
Milkens Join with University of Pennysylvania
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 23 hours ago
I received this communication from the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Just think: You too can earn a cash prize for formulating the best business plan for education. Maybe it would be like the Milkens’ very own K12 virtual school business, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, makes [...]
A Parent Leader Thanks Karran Harper Royal
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 23 hours ago
Helen Gym is a brave and articulate parent leader in Philadelphia. She has been leading the fight to stop the privatization of the public schools in that district, particularly the plan proposed by he Boston Consulting Group (parent of Bain Capital) to shift 40% of Philadelphia’s children into privately managed charters. This is Helen’s public [...]
An Appeal to George Lucas for Help
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Anthony Cody has written an eloquent request to George Lucas, asking for help on behalf of the children and educators of America. Lucas sold his company to Disney for $4 billion and announced that he would give much of his bounty to education. Cody calls on him to think anew, to bring the same out-of-the-box [...]
Duncan’s Weighty Responsibilties
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
It’s not easy being U.S. Secretary of Education these days. Back in the old days, before No Child Left Behind, the Secretary was basically a cheerleader with a bully pulpit. He or she ran a Department that oversaw many programs but had relatively little money and no authority to change what Congress authorized. All that [...]
Will President Obama Read This?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
This is an excellent summary of what’s wrong with the Obama education policies. Please read. Send it to the White House.
What Are “Reformers” Saying About the Election?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Andy Rotherham writes a regular column on education for TIME. This is his take on the election. He supports the testing, accountability, charter agenda that Beltway insiders refer to as “the bipartisan consensus.” I think of it as the Democratic embrace of the Republican agenda. Andy worked in the Clinton White House during the time [...]
Bad News from Minneapolis
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
A reader sends news about the school board election in Minneapolis: “Don’t know if you got Minneapolis school board results. TFAer Josh Reimnitz narrowly defeated Patty Wycoff. Margin was just 650 some votes out of over 21,000.This was a sad one. Dems were divided as normally intelligent Mpls Mayor R.T. Ryback gave his support to [...]
What the Elections Meant for Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
The recent elections contained powerful messages to supporters of public schools and real education: Do not give up hope. When the public is informed, it supports its public schools. It does not want to outsource its public schools to entrepreneurs. Money cannot buy the voters when they are informed about what is at stake. Parents [...]
See “Brooklyn Castle,” an Inspiring Documentary About Real Kids in a Real School
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Tonight the director/producer of “Brooklyn Castle”–Katie Dellamaggiore–will be a guest on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central. One of the stars of the film, Pobo Efekoro will join her. The documentary is about an amazing middle-school chess team in an inner-city school in Brooklyn that wins one title after another in national [...]
A Plea: Stop Using the Term “Achievement Gap”
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Dr. Camika Royal explains here that the term “achievement gap” is offensive. She says that the comparison between whites and African Americans is inherently demeaning to the latter and ignores the reasons for what it claims to address. Use the term “opportunity gap” or “wealth gap.” But, please, she says, stop using the term “achievement [...]
Lest We Forget: The Devastation Caused by Hurricane Sandy
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
The national election took center stage this week. But we should not forget the suffering of tho were in the path of Hurricane Sandy. These are graphic photos of the hurricane’s destructive force. Well worth viewing, as many people still lack power, heat, gasoline, and are now homeless. Do what you can to help. The [...]
Virtual Insanity
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Florida law requires schools to offer online courses to children in every grade, even as young as kindergarten. There is no evidence or research to support this mandate. None. Wonder if this has anything to do with the political power of Jeb Bush, now the nation’s leading enthusiast for online learning? Wonder if it has [...]
To Sue or Not to Sue: That is the Question
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
In Nashville, two new members of the school board debate whether the Metro Nashville school board should sue the state for withholding $3.4 million to punish the board. TFA Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman, who is devoted to charter schools and privatization, withheld the $3.4 million from Nashville to punish the board because it rejected [...]
Community Supporters Win Seats on Austin School Board
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
The Austin Independent School Board has recently been divided by the hard-driving actions of its Broad-trained superintendent. Angered by the superintendent’s decision to hand a public school over to the IDEA charter chain earlier this year, community groups organized and elected four new members to the board. The new members are pledged to listen to parents [...]
Privatizers Capture Control of Indianapolis School Board
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
It was very exciting that Glenda Ritz managed to oust uber-privatizer Tony Bennett in Indiana, but meanwhile the privatization movement gained ground in Indianapolis, where a group called the Mind Trust has called for the abolition of the school district. Its candidates captured control of the school board in yesterday’s election, promising the moon, the [...]
Indiana GOP Insists that Votes for Ritz Mean Nothing
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
In an article today, Indiana GOP leaders announced their determination to pursue Tony Bennett’s anti-teacher, pro-privatization agenda even though Bennett lost his bid for re-election. Bennett’s challenger, Glenda Ritz, collected more votes than Mike Pence, the Republican who won the governor’s seat. She won despite Bennett’s expenditure of ten times as much as she had [...]
Tony Bennett Blames Unions, Common Core
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
In an interview with Education Week, defeated Indiana superintendent blamed his loss on the teachers’ union and on his support for the Common Core standards. He said that his challenger Glenda Ritz drew away some of his conservative base by criticizing the Common Core. Bennett’s loss stunned supporters in the rightwing reform world. It looks [...]
Cracking the Story about Money Behind Charter Referenda
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Some investigative journalist is going to win major prizes for breaking open the story about the money and the motives of those promoting privatization of public education. Motoko Rich drops tantalizing hints in her story in the New York Times. We learn that the charter referendum in Georgia was funded by “out-of-state donors, including Alice [...]
Maureen Reedy Loses in Ohio
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
I am sorry to say that veteran educator Maureen Reedy narrowly lost in her bid for a seat in the Ohio Legislature to another contender, who was funded by (among others) Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst. Count on StudentsFirst to place its bets against an experienced educator. With so many crucial education issues before the legislature, it [...]
ALERT! Washington State Results Have Not Been Finalized!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
I promise this is the last thing I will post about the charter referendum in Washington State until there really is a final tally. Someone sent me what she thought was a final tally but it was NOT a final tally. The votes are still being counted. The election is close. The charter advocates were [...]
Washington Charter Proposal Passed in Close Election
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
This just in from the Washington State Secretary of State: November 06, 2012 General Election Results Initiative Measure No. 1240 Concerns creation of a public charter school system Last updated on 11/06/2012 11:26 PM Initiative Measure No. 1240 Concerns creation of a public charter school system County Results & Map Candidate Vote Vote % [...]
Privatization Leaders Praise President Obama
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
I received the following news release from the National Alliance for Charter Schools. They of course were crowing about the passage of the ALEC-inspired initiative in Georgia, where the governor will be free to open charter schools everywhere across the state without consulting any local school board. I knew Nina Rees when I worked in [...]
Georgia Charter Referendum Passes Easily
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Voters in Georgia passed an amendment to the state constitution enabling the governor to set up a commission to approve charter schools over the objection of local school boards. The margin of victory was 58-42. This is an ALEC-inspired model law, meant to strip away the powers of local school boards. It had major financial [...]
California: Prop 30 Passes, Prop 32 Loses
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Governor Jerry Brown led a successful campaign to raise taxes to fund the state’s public schools and universities. His Proposition 30 passed with heavy support from Los Angeles County. Had it not passed, the cuts to education would have been devastating. Hats off to Governor Brown and Superintendent Tom Torlakson for fighting to increase taxes [...]
Usdin Wins in New Orleans
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Sarah Usdin won a school board seat in New Orleans, unfortunately. She is a major advocate for privatization of public education. Her background is Teach for America, the New Teacher Project (founded by Michelle Rhee), and New Schools for New Orleans (which opens charters). She had the advantage of more than $110,000 in contributions from [...]
Bill Ayers Writes a Letter to the President
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
I won’t go into the baggage associated with Bill Ayers. During the campaign of 2008, his name came up again and again and was hurled as an accusation against candidate Barack Obama. I recall Sarah Palin saying that Obama was guilty of “palling around with terrorists,” or words to that effect. I did not approve [...]
Charter Cash Loses in Santa Clara County
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Charter school advocates and operators poured big money into Santa Clara County, California, to defeat Anna Song, a school board member who had dared to vote against a charter school. Song was outspent overwhelmingly, by 25-1, yet she won. This is a victory for parents and citizens against privatization. A reader sends this update: On [...]
Michigan’s Emergency Manager Law Repealed
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder was rebuked by voters yesterday as they repealed the law that gave dictatorial powers to emergency managers appointed by the governor to control fiscally distressed districts. Public Act 4 of 2011 was rejected by a vote of 52-48. Snyder installed emergency managers to take control of public education in Detroit, Highland [...]
Warning!! Washington State Ain’t Over Yet!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Hold off on popping the champagne corks, corporate reformers. Voters in Washington State advise that the state is an all-mail-in state and many ballots have not yet been counted. This from one reader: It’s not over yet. There are still over 600,000 ballots to be counted and nearly 300,000 of those are from the two [...]
The Bill Gates Challenge
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Now that Bill Gates and his billionaire buddies have managed to buy a law authorizing charter schools in Washington State, over the objection of virtually every education-related group in the state, almost every parent association, local school boards, superintendents, principals teachers, and the League of Women Voters, it is time for him to show his [...]
Billionaires Buy Charter Law in Washington State–but Just Barely
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Bill Gates, Alice Walton, the Bezos family (of amazon.com) and a handful of other billionaires poured more than $10 million into a charter referendum in Washington State and won, but just barely. For their investment, the state gets 40 charter schools over the next five years. Watch for new legislation and more millions to lift [...]
Luna Laws in Idaho Go Down to Stunning Defeat
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Voters in Idaho gave Mitt Romney a landslide but simultaneously voted overwhelmingly to repeal the “Luna Laws,” the brainchild of state superintendent Tom Luna. This stunning victory for public education demonstrates that not even red-state Republicans are prepared to privatize public education and dismantle the teaching profession. The Luna Laws imposed a mandate for online [...]
The Most Important Education Vote Yesterday
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
The most important education vote yesterday occurred in Indiana. As the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette pointed out in its editorial, this election has national implications. Tony Bennett had become the face of rightwing reform in America. His mission was to bring the ALEC agenda to life in the Hoosier State. He was head of Jeb Bush’s [...]
Teacher: Stop the Scripting!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
A frustrated teacher writes: I am in my 21st year of teaching and have been close to quitting every year for the last six years. The pressures to conform and follow a script even when I know it’s bad for kids have been really, really stressful. I am a creative teacher, and I feel like [...]
Why Do Hedge Fund Managers Love Charters?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Julian Vasquez Heilig has a scintillating new post on one of the most interesting questions of our age: Why do hedge fund managers adore charters? Many sit on charter boards. They have their own PAC called Democrats for Education Reform to spread campaign cash to charter-friendly candidates. What is the connection between hedge fund managers [...]
Indifferent to Kids–and Proud of It!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Three teachers in training from Louisiana State University went to a meeting of the state board of education and were stunned by what they saw. This is the board that Governor Jindal worked so hard to install, the board whose last election attracted an avalanche of out-of-state money.
Good news from Colorado
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Stand for Choldren endorsed five Republican candidates in Colorado, and all five lost! A friend in Denver reports: “In addition to going for Obama tonight, Colorado stood up to Stand for Children. All 5 Democratic candidates where SFC supported Republican opponents won, albeit one by 115 votes. “Maybe they have overstepped their “power.” And earlier [...]
Who Tried to Buy School Elections?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Robert Valiant has launched a website to gather information about who funded campaigns for charters and vouchers and against teachers, unions and public education. If you have links to newspaper articles or other reliable sources, please post them to this website. I hope that a law firm or investigative journalist will find out where Rhee [...]
President Obama Re-Elected, and Now…
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Now that President Obama has been re-elected, supporters of public education must redouble our efforts to end educational malpractice and rejuvenate American education. It’s time to stop the privatization of public education. It’s time to stop using invalid methods to judge teacher quality. It’s time to stop high-stakes testing. It’s time to stop closing schools. [...]
Meet Glenda Ritz
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Glenda Ritz upset Tony Bennett. She stands for genuine education reform. She believes in teachers. She was a teacher for 33 years. She opposes vouchers, merit pay, letter grades for schools, and evaluating teachers by test scores. She is a breath of fresh air.
Georgia Charter Amendment Likely to Pass
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
With half the vote counted, Georgia voters are likely to pass an amendment to the state constitution re charters. The governor will be able to create a commission to approve charters, giving charters a way to bypass local school boards. Since the governor is a strong advocate of charters, his commission will likely be a [...]
UPSET: Tony Bennett Loses in Indiana!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Tony Bennett has conceded. Bennett is the quintessential reformer: pro-charter, pro-voucher, pro-privatization. Anti-union, anti-teacher, surrounded in state education department by 11 TFA staff. Head of Jeb Bush’s rightwing Chiefs for Change. Rumor in Florida is that the state board of education wants Tony Bennet as state commissioner to implement the rightwing agenda in that state. [...]
Possible Upset in Indiana?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Watch this one. Glenda Ritz is running ahead of Tony Bennett for state superintendent. Bennett is for charters, vouchers, teacher-bashing, anti-union, privatization, for-profit charters and cyber charters. He is head of Jeb Bush’s rightwing Chiefs for Change. He outspent Ritz 5-1. The latest: 3,686 of 5,319 precincts – 69 percent Glenda Ritz, Dem 970,768 – [...]
More on Defeat of Corporate Reform in Bridgeport
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
In Bridgeport, voters said no to mayoral control. Jon Pelto has the details on his blog, linked here. Rhee dropped $100,000 into the Bridgeport contest and lost. Would be interesting to know whose money she is funneling and where she is placing her bets. There must be laws requiring disclosure, don’t you think?
Great News from Bridgeport
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Despite heavy spending to persuade voters in Bridgeport to give up their right to elect their school board, the big money lost!! The people of Bridgeport rejected appeals by Michelle Rhee’s husband and the mayor, voters said no. No dice to mayoral control. Yes to democracy!
Is This Legal Graft?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Motoko Rich of the New York Times has written a good article about the Georgia charter referendum. We already knew that big donors from out of state funded the pro-charter vote. What I learned from this article was that charter corporations also funded the Yes vote. She writes: “The roster of contributors in Georgia includes [...]
Destructive Reforms Fail
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Teacher/poet Glen Brown points out what is obvious to educators yet utterly unknown to our nation’s leaders: The privatization movement (aka “reform”) is failing. It demoralizes teachers. It punishes children who don’t give the answers the test makers want. It is wrong. It is antagonistic to good education. It is failing, failing, failing. It has [...]
District Reform: No Sit-Downs
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Teachers in Magnesia, Texas, were in for a big surprise when they reported to their schools one day recently and found their chairs had been removed. They quickly learned that they were on the cutting edge of the latest reform idea. THIS IS A SPOOF!! Too many readers couldn’t tell. Hard to satirize current madness!
Shadowy Groups Back Prop 32 in California
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Far-right groups sent $11 million to try to crush labor unions in California. No surprise there. Need to know more about real donors. Too many billionaires in this country trying to silence voices of working people, especially teachers.
How “Reform” Affects a Special Education Classroom
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
A reader writes: I could not agree more with this letter. As a Special Education Teacher, I can say that no one sees the fear and tears more than those in the special education realm. My students, who have been identified and have IEPs stating that they are not intellectually capable of completing grade level [...]
Help! Someone Collect All the Elections that Privatizers Are Buying
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
I keep seeing articles about elections influenced by out-of-state and out-of-district contributions. Sometimes, as in Los Altos, California, and in New Orleans, the elections are for local school board. Sometimes, as in Louisiana, the election is for state school board. Sometimes, as in Indiana and Idaho, the election is for state superintendent. Sometimes, the election [...]
Please Vote. Your Vote Matters.
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
If you live in one of the battleground states, I urge you to vote to re-elect President Obama. Though many of us oppose his Race to the Top, please vote for him for other reasons. We can’t allow a reactionary, backward-looking Republican Party to take charge of this nation’s future. We can’t allow a rightwing [...]
Please Help Hurricane Victims
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Families on the south shore of Long Island were devastated by the hurricane. Many lost everything. Principal Carol Burris is collecting supplies for children and families at South Side High School. Here is the address. South Side HS 140 shepherd st. Rockville centre, NY 11570 carol Burris writes: What the kids need is warmth. We [...]
DC Teacher to Washington State Voters
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Erich Martel retired as a much-respected veteran social studies teacher in the DC public schools. He offered this warning to voters on the other side of the continent, in Washington State: From: Erich Martel To: voters in Washington State November 5, 2012 Charter Expansion (Ballot Initiative I-1240) Will Harm, Not Help, Public School Students in [...]
Help Hurricane Victims By Sending Books
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
The Albert Shanker Institute is collecting money to buy books for children in the devastated areas. Please read this and send whatever you can. Every dime will go for books, not a penny for administration.
Rightwing Groups Pour $$$$$ into Tennessee
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
StudentsFirst and another far-right group called Tennessee Federation for Children are pumping huge amounts of money into state legislative races for candidates who support vouchers and charters. Tennessee Federation for Children is affiliated with the pro-voucher organization called American Federation for Children, run by billionaire Betsy DeVos of Michigan. AFS honored Michelle Rhee and Wisconsin [...]
TFA: The Goal is Power
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Jersey Jazzman points out what has become apparent: Teach for America is not really about teaching. It is about training the leaders who will take power in the education system. Some work for Senators and members of Congress. Some are embedded in state and city school systems at the highest levels. Some have ascended to [...]
A Teacher Grades the Houston Independent School District
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
This teacher in Houston reviews what is happening in HISD schools. Anyone know the HISD superintendent Terry Grier? The teacher’s evaluation: Another transplanted North Carolina education experience. I teach in Texas in the largest school district that has inherited one of North Carolina’s education mediums, T. Grier. In his ready, shoot, aim masterplan, all teachers [...]
Wisconsin Raises Standards, Voucher Schools and MPS Schools Plummet
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Wisconsin decided to raise the passing mark on its tests, and the results were not pretty in Milwaukee. 90% of students in voucher schools were found not to be “proficient” in math or reading. In the Milwaukee public schools, 85% were not proficient in reading and 80% were not proficient in math. Governor Scott Walker [...]
More Evidence: Value-Added Assessment Is Junk Science
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Linda Darling-Hammond and Edward Haertel of Stanford University explain why value-added assessment doesn’t work and how inaccurate it is. Will John Deasy listen? Will the Gates Foundation listen? Will the Los Angeles Times, which published their article, stop seeking names to publish inaccurate data about teacher “effectiveness”?
Public Funds Used in Bridgeport to Push Mayor’s Campaign to Abolish Voting Rights
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Jonathan Pelto has the story and the numbers. Hospitals, public utilities and other public entities have given large sums to the mayor’s campaign to persuade voters to give up their right to elect their school board. Unbelievable.
Fixing Public Education in Indiana
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
This passionate teacher in Indiana has the solution to improving education in Indiana: 1. Incentivize teachers by allowing the academic freedom to teach 2. End poverty 3. Vote for Glenda Ritz to replace Tony Bennett
Voters in Pennsylvania: Support Public Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Education Voters Action of Pennsylvania interviewed candidates and endorsed those who support public schools. Don’t be fooled. Vote for those who support democratically governed public schools.
California Court Orders Shadowy Group to List Donors
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
In an important decision, a California judge ordered a group called “Americans for Responsible Leadership” to release the names of its donors. The Arizona-based group has poured $11 million into two California ballot issues. The group is pushing voters in California to defeat a tax increase that would benefit the schools of California. The other [...]
An Urgent Message for Voters Who Support Public Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
There are critical elections taking place on Tuesday throughout the country that parents, education advocates, and others who care about preserving and strengthening our public schools need to take notice of and cast their ballot appropriately. Out-of-state money from billionaires and astroturf groups like Students First are flowing into state races, like this one in [...]
Boldest Candidacy of the Season
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
TFA alum moves to Minneapolis in May. Decides to run for school board to share his youth and spirit of innovation. Raises seven times as much as experienced teacher from out-of-state friends. Money can’t buy you love but can it buy a school board seat? Are the voters fooled? We will see soon enough.
Outside Cash Flooding into New Orleans School Board Race
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
This is becoming a familiar story: billionaires and millionaires are choosing a school board member in New Orleans. One of the city’s leading charter advocates, Sarah Newell Usdin, is the recipient of more than $110,000, way more than her opponents. Usdin was executive director of New Schools for New Orleans, which received nearly $30 million [...]
Big $$$ Swamps Oakland School Board Race
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
School board elections in Oakland, California, are usually low-budget races, as they are in most places. But this year, a PAC has amassed $185,000 to elect its slate of candidates. The California Charter School Association put up $49,995 and two wealthy individuals added nearly $100,000 more for the slate. Also on the ballot is a [...]
Big Out-of-State $$$ Floods Local Race in New Jersey: Why?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Big political contributions have poured into a local school board race in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Donors in California andColorado are supporting a slate of school board candidates in that small New Jersey district. As Jersey Jazzman explains here, the school board in Perth Amboy has been trying to oust the district’s divisive superintendent. Acting [...]
Why So Many Young White Females?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
EduShyster has noticed an ominous trend: as reform advances, as charter schools open, the number of black teachers and veteran teachers shrinks dramatically. In Chicago, since “reform” started in 1995, the proportion of black teachers has dropped from 45% to 19%. In Boston, the numbers in the new charters are shocking. But, as our friend [...]
Why Robert Skeels Should Be Elected to LAUSD Board
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
A retired educator in Los Angeles writes: Los Angeles is the only city in the big 3(New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago) that is not run by a mayor. It almost happened and is still a threat. Several years ago, when Mayor Villaraigosa did not get control of the schools, he threw money and support [...]
Recipe for Privatization of Public Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
A reader from Washington State sends this comment: Here is a satirical “Recipe for How To Change The Nation’s Schools.” I am a 33 year classroom teaching veteran currently working on the campaign to stop the charter school initiative in WA state. It doesn’t look good as Bill Gates and friends spend $9 million on [...]
Vote For Robert Skeels for LAUSD Board
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
I am happy to endorse the candidacy of Robert D. Skeels for LAUSD school board. He attended UCLA, is a veteran of the US Navy, and a staunch supporter of public education. He passionately defends the right of every child to a high-quality education. His knowledge, experience and perspective would add a greatly needed new [...]
Breaking News: Indiana DOE Stonewalls FOIA about Big $$$
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
In the Public Interest, a nonpartisan public policy group in DC, filed a Freedom of Information Act request for communications between Tony Bennett, the far-right Indiana State Superintendent of Education in Indiana, and certain individuals–specifically Jeb Bush and Joel Klein. The question of interest is whether certain parties with a financial interest might be influencing [...]