Diane Ravitch's blog
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DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG
Louisiana Judge Rules Voucher Program Unconstitutional
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 15 hours ago
A Louisiana judge ruled against the state’s new voucher program, agreeing with the plaintiffs that it violated the state constitution by diverting public funds to private schools. The state will appeal. The attorney for the Louisiana Federation of Teachers explains here why the teachers are suing to block Governor Jindal’s Act 2. It’s not because [...]
Chancellor Tisch, You Are Wrong!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 16 hours ago
Merryl Tisch, head of the Néw York State Board of Regents, says full speed ahead with the state educator evaluation plan. Bruce Baker of Rutgers says she is wrong, wrong, wrong.
Wireless Generation Wins Common Core Contract
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 18 hours ago
From NYC Parent blog (by Leonie Haimson): Wireless Generation, owned by Murdoch/run by Joel Klein, Wins the $4.9M Contract to develop the software that will be used to report & analyze results for the new #CommonCore Assessments – both the interim and “summative” exams being developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium for 25 states [...]
Ohio Assures Lower Ratings for Public Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 19 hours ago
Ohio legislators are pushing through a few tweaks to the state’s useless accountability system. Republicans are using their super majority to ignore Democratic dissents. Read through this description and see the game plan of labeling public schools as failing, giving them letter grades with no validity, cutting their budgets, and clearing the way for privatization.
Rick Hess’s Startling Analysis of Common Core
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 21 hours ago
Many of us had been under the impression that the goal of the Common Core standards was to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the nation’s schools. As someone who spent years advocating for national standards–but has been agnostic about the new Common Core standards–it was always my hope that improving education would [...]
A Student Activist Joins the Honor Roll
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 23 hours ago
Stephanie Rivera is a junior at Rutgers University preparing to become a teacher. Stephanie was one of the leading forces in creating Students United for Public Education, a new organization in which students are joining to stand up against the privatizers, profiteers and naysayers now besieging our public schools. She has her own blog, where [...]
Conservatives in Michigan Turn to Courts to Sustain Emergency Manager
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
As the assault on public education continues in Michigan, those of us who live outside the state need a guide to follow the maneuvers of the anti-public education forces. A reader in Michigan connected me to this site, Electablog, where I discovered the latest ploy Voters in Michigan repealed Public Act 4, which authorized the [...]
EduShyster Asks: Are Affluent White People Best of All?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
As only EduShyster could, she asks a rude question. Do affluent white people make the best teachers?
A New Public Education Advocacy Group in New Hampshire
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
A new group has been created to advocate on behalf of public education in New Hampshire. It is called Advancing New Hampshire Education. It was previously called “Defending New Hampshire Public Education” in response to sustained effort in the state legislature to harm and dismantle public education. But with the election of a new governor [...]
Live Debate about Michigan on Friday
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Listen on Friday to a live debate about the future of education in Michigan, featuring State Board member John Austin and Richard McLellan of the right wing Oxford Foundation.
What Does the NJ Charter Report Overlook?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Count on Jersey Jazzman to catch the flaw in the CREDO study of charters in his home state. It purports to study schools but in fact it compares matched students, not taking into account the peer effects. Like, if you go to a school that has weeded out or excluded the troublemakers, you learn more. [...]
J. Crew Raising $$$ for Rich Kids
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
J. Crew is raising money to help Teach for America, which has $300 million in assets and many high-level employees with six-figure salaries. Why don’t they use the proceeds to hire nurses and librarians for public schools in cities like Chicago, Philadelphia and Cleveland. Like, you know, poor kids?
Parsing the Florida “Miracle”
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Jeb Bush claims the mantle of King of Education Reform. He touts the Florida Miracle. His ingredients for success: testing, testing, testing, school report cards, privatization, charters, vouchers, and big investments in online learning. Here is one careful review of the Florida “miracle.” Here is yet anothergood analysis of the Florida Miracle. Bush is pushing [...]
Online Schools Spend Millions of Tax Dollars to Advertise
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
USA Today has done it again. Last year, an investigative team of reporters broke open the cheating scandal during Michelle Rhee’s tenure. Now, Greg Toppo reveals that the virtual charters are wasting millions of dollars on advertising to boost their enrollment and their coffers. He has identified about $100 million of lost taxpayer dollars. They [...]
DC Parent: End Mayoral Control, Fire Kaya Henderson
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
In Washington, D.C., where charter schools now enroll over 43% of the public school population, DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson recently announced her plan to close 20 more public schools at the same time that charter school operators were seeking fast-track approval for up to 10 new campuses. Peter MacPherson, the former president of the Capitol [...]
Kaya Henderson’s Plan to Close Public Schools, Open More Charters
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Valerie Strauss here writes about DC Chancellor Kaya Henderson’s plan to close more DC public schools and hand off more students to charter operators. Ironic that one of the possible charters is K12, the online for-profit charter corporation that has a 22% graduation rate in its Colorado Virtual Academy and may lose its charter in [...]
Funny Business in Massachusetts Charter Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
EduShyster invites tips, and she got a big one. An official at one charter school made a usurious loan to another charter school. When stuff like this happens, it reminds you that charter schools are not public schools. Public schools are regulated and supervised. They could never get away with stuff like this.
How Walmart Could Do Good Work
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
The Walton family has made billions of dollars as owners of Walmart. Some family members use this vast wealth to promote privatization of public education and union-busting in US schools. The Walton family could find better uses for its wealth This came in my email: If you already received this, sorry. As I’ve been reading [...]
Ohio Starts New Group to Support Public Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Citizens of Ohio have launched a new organization to support strong public schools. Is there an organization like this in your community or state? Please let me know. I will compile a list and circulate it to everyone. From Ohio comes this good news: Ohio’s Teachers, Parents, Superintendents, School Board members and Citizens have launched [...]
What Would Happen if Arne Became Secretary of State
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
You may recall that Thomas Friedman of the New York Times proposed that Arne Duncan should become Secretary of State and extend his Race to the Top internationally. Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters in New York City sees the implications: “Close &/or privatize embassies that are struggling in terms of diplomacy & conflict resolution?” [...]
All Those Errors!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Sorry about typos in last few posts. Typing in airport on cellphone. Auto correct took control. Then I was in air and just landed in NYC Sad funeral in Houston.
Podesta: how to help privatization movement
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
John Podesta, who heads the Center for American Progress and headed the 2008 Obama transition team, was a keynote speaker at Jeb Bush’s DC gala. He called on his fellow “reformers” to work in harmony with unions, even though nearly 90% of charter schools are non-union schools. “Reform” (I.e. privatization) “is not a foregone conclusion.” [...]
Judge Halts Voucher Program Temporarily
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
A Federal judge in Louisiana put a halt to the state voucher program and the new teacher hiring laws in one parish, saying they was likely to undercut the desegregation program. The State Department of Education will appeal. TFA Commissioner John White believes that choice and privatization matter more than desegregation.
Jeb Bush: Testing and Privatization Are the Right Path
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Jeb Bush recognized at his summit meeting that the policies he champions were soundly rebuffed by voters in Indiana (and did he mention Idaho?). But he assures his rightwing allies that testing, evaluating teachers by student scores, vouchers and charters are the right course, even if educators, parents, and other citizens don’t agree. He apparently [...]
What You Need to Know About Play
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
From a reader who is passionate about child’s play: Let’s talk to Arne about Play Science? We have schools in Asia setting up Play Science Institutes. They know that they need to innovate. The teacher is the one who can identify and scaffold upon the innate talents of the child. No computer program can see, [...]
Should Arne Be Our Next Secretary of State?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
This is not a joke. Tom Friedman of the New York Times thinks Arne Duncan should be the Secretary of State because he can do to the world what he has done to education. Wonder what a Race to the Top would look like internationally?
Gary Rubinstein Asks: Is Poverty Destiny?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Gary Rubinstein ponders the familiar phrases “poverty is not destiny” and “poverty is not an excuse.” He understands that many poor students succeed in school, but most don’t. The typical claim of the “reform” movement is that every student, regardless of poverty, would perform at high levels of proficiency if their teacher has high expectations [...]
John Kuhn Explains Why the Status Quo is Wrong
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
John Kuhn is superintendent of a small school district in Texas. But his voice is mighty and powerful. Those who have heard him wish he were Commissioner of Education for the state of Texas or in another position where everyone would learn from his wisdom. Kuhn was the first person to be named to the [...]
What You Should Know About School Closings in Chicago
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Mayor Rahm Emanuel in Chicago plans to close as many as 100 public schools because they are under enrolled. But he also plans to open dozens of new charter schools. It is the dynamic of privatization: as public school close, privately managed charters open, accelerating the destruction of neighborhoods and public education. The charters, of [...]
New Report on New Jersey Charter Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Bruce Baker here analyzes the new CREDO report on charter schools in New Jersey. Charters in Newark outperform district schools, and Baker explains the secrets of their success. Outside of Newark, charters were no different from public schools.
Mississippi Bests Florida
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
For years we have heard about the Florida miracle, supposedly the result of Jeb Bush’s tough accountability measures. But whoa! The latest federal data show that Mississippi has a higher graduation rate than Florida. Is there a Mississippi miracle?
What Happened to Public Education in 2012 Elections
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Joanne Barkan has written an excellent summary of how public education fared in the recent elections. Barkan knows how to follow the money. Her article “Got Dough?” showed the influence of the billionaires on education policy. She begins her analysis of the 2012 elections with this overview of Barack Obama’s embrace of GOP education dogma: [...]
Pennsylvania Cyber Charter won’t Answer Questions
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
The largest of Pennsylvania’s virtual charter schools is under investigation for its handling of public money. It’s offices were raided by the FBI earlier this year. It fired its top executives. The investigation continues. Apparently the money rolled in so fast and furiously that the charter came up with ingenious ways to spend it, like [...]
Is This the Right Model for School Reform?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Herbert Michael writes that the recently approved Newark teachers’ contract accepts the corporate reformers’ ideas but that it uses the wrong model. Why not change urban schools to look like the schools where the leaders of the corporate reform movement send their own children? He says: “Despite the specious claims made by corporate financed education [...]
Ms. Katie Looks into the Heart of the Elites
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Katie Osgood reviews Chris Hayes’ new book “Twilight of the Elites” and ponders how the elites–the so-called best and the brightest–are now running education policy. Their ideas fail and fail but they boldly push ahead, utterly unfixed by the damage they inflict on others. They enjoy money, power, prestige, unlike those poor teachers and children [...]
The New Yorker Profile
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
In its issue of November 19, The New Yorker published a lengthy profile of my efforts to change national education policy: to halt the galloping privatization, the demonization of teachers and the misuse of testing to advance the two previously mentioned topics. Let me begin by saying that I was immensely grateful that this distinguished [...]
Jersey Jazzman on Nick Kristof
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Are you confused when you read Nick Kristof? You are not alone. Jersey Jazzman is puzzled too. Kristof makes sense when he writes about almost anything about education.. But when he talks about American education, he becomes incoherent. For example, he is ga-ga about charters yet seems to know nothing about them. He must have [...]
More Evidence That VAM Is Junk Science
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
New York is very proud of its new Educator Effectiveness Evaluation model, which claims to measure which teachers and principals are effective, relying in part on the increase (or not) of test scores of students. Bruce Baker of Rutgers demonstrates that the model is biased and inaccurate. It favors classes and schools that start off [...]
Right-Wing School Reform Conference
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
In case you have time on November 28, you might want to listen in to the summit convened by Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education. It will be live streamed at www.ExcelinEd.org/Everywhere. Jeb Bush is now a key figure in the reform movement. He is a strong supporter of charters and vouchers. He wants [...]
Students Organize to Support Public Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Attention!! A group of college students has organized a new organization to support public schools, teachers and unions, to oppose privatization and to demand elimination of high stakes testing. They will work together to strengthen free,open, democratic and equitable public schools. I have signed as a supporter. Please join them. Show your support.
Sad News from Louisiana
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
On Thanksgiving Day, I posted a tribute to the teachers of the year in Acadia Parish in Louisiana. With Governor Bobby Jindal in charge and with a compliant state board and a compliant TFA state commissioner, Louisiana is ground zero for the privatization of public education in America. Jindal has control of the state board [...]
Test Mania Tortures Tots in. New York City
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
If you believe, as I do, that standardized testing is now being misused and overused, you will be shocked to read about New York City’s latest plan to ration admission to programs for gifted 4-year-olds. If you wanted to satirize the misuse of testing, you would come up with a plan like the one in [...]
If Mr. Rogers Were Secretary of Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
A reader sent this comment in response to an earlier post about Mr. Rogers, the kind and gentle man who had his own television show for children for many years: I have to believe if Mr. Rogers were in charge of education, Race To The Top would work like this: “There was a story going [...]
Following the Voucher Money in Pennsylvania
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Investigative journalists are beginning to follow the money trail that leads to privatization of public education. Chris Potter of the Pittsburgh City Paper recently published an excellent examination of the lavish spending by a small group of interlocking organizations promoting privatization in Pennsylvania. Some of these organizations popped up overnight to dispense large sums of [...]
How The Bloomberg administration Killed a Good School
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Murray Bergtraum High School is literally within view of City Hall in New York City. Just cross a busy intersection and there it is. It used to be a good school with a good reputation. Sitting in the center of New York City’s financial and governmental activity, it prepared young people for business careers. No [...]
Obama Administration and For-Profit Schooling
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
If you have been wondering what the Obama administration thinks about the role of for-profit schooling, tune in to C-SPAN today at 10 am for a panel discussion. It will be held at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in DC that is enthusiast about free-market reforms. An ominous sign, if you are [...]
Does Pearson Own American Education? UPDATE!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Pearson is clearly a major force in American education. It is the dominant provider of testing and textbooks. It owns the GED. It owns Connections Academy, which runs for-profit virtual schools. It owns a teacher evaluation program being marketed to states and districts. It partners with the agates Foundation to develop online curriculum for the [...]
Parent Asks for Your Help Writing a Petition
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
A parent in Massachusetts asked for help writing a petition. Can you help? She wrote: “I would like to petition to emphasize that the focus on charter schools is draining money, resources, and motivated students and their families from the traditional public school system. Instead of helping ALL students in public schools, focusing on starting [...]
Profiteering in the Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
A friend shared an invitation that came to his email. The for-profit sector is not only lurking, it is invading. Just think: while teachers and principals work 11hours a day, taking home salaries that barely cover the mortgage and living expenses, an equity investor will make millions from their labor. Save the date! On January [...]
A Plague of Junk Food in the Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Marc Epstein, a veteran New York City teacher, describes a common phenomenon: the proliferation of junk food, which contributes to child obesity. He recalls his own student days, when teachers absolutely prohibited chewing gum and snacks in the classroom. In today’s schools, junk food is everywhere. It’s bad for students, bad for discipline, and indicative [...]
What the Best and Wisest Parent Wants for His Child…
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
John Dewey said it more than a century ago, and it is still true: What the best and wisest parent wants for his child is what we should want for all the children of the community. Anything less is unlovely and, unchecked, destroys our democracy. (Forgive the paraphrase, but that is close to exactly right [...]
Please Sign to Oppose Suspension of Democracy in Michigan
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
From a reader in Michigan: A Message to all Supporters of Democracy The people of 77 the 83 counties in Michigan voted successfully to repeal Michigan’s Emergency Manager Law. Governor Rick Snyder and the extremist-controlled Michigan legislature are now attempting to circumvent the will of the people by passing new legislation that is every bit [...]
Why They Can’t Find Skilled Workers
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Pease read Paul Krugman on the Fake Skills Shortage. Every time you hear Arne Duncan or someone from the US Chamber of Commerce or the Business Roundtable complain that they can’t find skilled workers, think of this article and remember. The big corporations outsource jobs to where the wages are lowest. They send the jobs [...]
When David Crushed Goliath
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Here is one very impressive piece of news from the elections. In Santa Clara County, school board member Anna Song ran for re-election and was opposed by a massive amount of money from charter supporters. Song had dared to vote against a proposal to authorize 20 new Rocketship charters in her district. She was one [...]
Walmart and the School Reform Movement
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
EduShyster celebrated Black Friday not by shopping but by thinking about ways that Walmart could really make a difference in the lives of children. For example, it could provide their parents a living wage and decent benefits or allow them to join a union. Instead, the Walton family is a big funder of charters and [...]
Justice Sotomayor on Sesame Street Explains that Teaching Is a Career
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Thanks to Jersey Jazzman for discovering this gem from Sesame Street. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor explains to fuzzy character Abby Cadabby that there are good careers for girls like her. Like teaching. To have a career, you have to have training. By “training,” she didn’t mean five weeks of training. She was referring to [...]
Charter Schools Where Insiders Flourish
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
As part of its wide-ranging investigation into the financial practices of the state’s booming charter sector, the Arizona Republic identified numerous instances where board members and family members were self-dealing. Here are a few prime examples. Of those highlighted here, this is the most startling: $42.3 million for curriculum Primavera Technical Learning Center City:Chandler | Grades: [...]
Checker Finn Opposes the “For-Profit Model in Education”
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Back when I was a conservative, I was a founding member of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, which is now the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. TBF was a continuation of work that Checker Finn and I started in the early 1980s as the Educational Excellence Network. We advocated for liberal education and for higher standards [...]
Student in San Antonio Objects to Electronic Tag
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
A high school in San Antonio initiated a bizarre requirement this fall. Every student is expected to wear an electronic badge, presumably so the district knows how many students are in school and can track their movement. When a student objected on religious grounds to wearing the tag , the district suspended her. She is [...]
A Wonderful Article About Destructive Reforms
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
The New York Times has a terrific article today by Michael Brick about the destructive policies that are called “reforms.” This is the first time in my memory that an article in the newspaper of record–albeit an opinion piece–has acknowledged that both political parties share the same demented and punitive approach and that their ideas [...]
What Happened to Local Control in Nashville?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Amy Frogge is a recently elected member of the Metro Nashville school board. She overcame a heavily funded opponent. She was named to our honor roll because she ran for school board to speak for parents and students. A lawyer, she takes her civic duty seriously. She believes in democracy, where the people closest to [...]
Karen Lewis Explains School Reform to the Chicago City Club
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Karen Lewis bravely led the teachers’ strike in Chicago. This was not an action that she or the members of the Chicago Teachers Union took lightly. They deliberated, they debated and in the end, 90% of the members (and 98% of those who voted) supported the strike. Given their near unanimity, no one could make [...]
US DOE: Pennsylvania Can’t Inflate Charter Scores
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
The U.S. Department of Education ruled invalid Pennsylvania’s effort to inflate the scores of charter schools by treating them as local school districts. Here is a description of what state education secretary Ron Tomalis tried to do. The state’s charter-friendly education department had decided to treat charters as districts for purposes of NCLB scores, which [...]
Thanks to These Teachers!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
A teacher and parent remembers the teachers who made a difference, the ones whose work is still remembered many years later: Thank you to the science teacher who let my son hand in elaborate hand-drawn cartoons explaining scientific processes. And to the history teacher whose project options allowed for students to act out interviews with [...]
Thanks to The Valiant Teachers of the Year in Acadia Parish
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Just a few days ago, the Acadia Parish school board in Louisiana honored its teachers of the year. Each of its 27 schools selects a teacher of the year. Then, the district selects 3 teachers among the 27 as district winners: the Elementary T.O.Y, a Middle school T.O.Y., and a High school T.O.Y. to represent [...]
Be Sure to Thank Your Favorite Teacher
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Happy Thanksgiving to all. I love this. It came from a post on August 28. It was inspired by an article written in the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette by a copy editor. He wrote about his grandmother, who taught Neil Armstrong. Neil Armstrong never forgot her. Even when he became world-famous, he remembered his favorite teacher. [...]
I Give Thanks to You
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
On this day, I pause to thank you, the readers of this blog. I thank you because you care about children and the future of education. I thank you because you understand that the way we educate our children today shapes the society we will live in for decades to come. I thank you because [...]
When Gary Rubinstein Visited KIPP
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Gary Rubinstein was among the nation’s earliest Teach for Merica teachers. Unlike most TFA, however, he became a career teacher. He now teaches at Stuyvesant High School in New York City. This is a very interesting report on a visit he paid to a KIPP school. Be sure to read te comments.
When Happy Talk Is Mandated
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
A reader in Texas responds to a post about the Dallas superintendent, who has sent out directions to schools to express themselves only in positive terms: This blog reminds me: we got a new superintendent in our district where I was the deputy superintendent. His FIRST act was to send out a memo to all [...]
Wake Up! Crisis in Michigan
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Marcie Lipsitt writes from Michigan that the public must wake up to what their governor and legislature are doing to destroy public education: Finally the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News are reporting on Governor Rick “Nerd” (a disgrace to Dr. Seuss) Snyder and the Republican-led legislature’s plan to destroy public education in Michigan and [...]
In Which I Agree with Andy Smarick
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Andy Smarick believes that public schools can’t be fixed or turned around. He thinks that the only way to solve their problems is to close them down and replace them with privately managed charters. Andy served on the board of a KIPP school, so he is confident that KIPP can do what no public school [...]
Michigan Parents Push Back Against Business Model
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
As I travel the country, I am often astonished to see how discouraged educators and parents are by the unproven schemes foisted on their schools by politicians. The worst of these schemes come from radical politicians who think that government should get out of the business of providing public education. They want education to be [...]
Dallas Administrator to Teachers: Tell Me How Happy You Are!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
The new leadership of the Dallas Independent School District loves positive thinking. On this blog, we earlier reported that the superintendent, a graduate of the unaccredited Broad Superintendents Avademy, had hired a public relations team to write power words and power phrases for the staff. If asked what they thought of the new administration, the [...]
Georgia DOE Blasts Cyber Academy, Threatens to Revoke Charter
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
The Georgia Department of Education issued a scathing report about the Georgia Cyber Academy for its handling of students with disabilities. The state DOE warned that the online charter school might lose its charter. The Georgia Cyber Academy is owned by for-profit K12. K12′s stock price dropped recently after news of the poor performance of [...]
More Charters Headed for Washington, D.C.
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Washington, D.C. Is about to get a bunch of additional charters. Nexus Academy, part of Pearson’s Connections Academy, wants to open a school. So does K12, which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Its stock price dropped this week after news broke about the abysmal performance of the Colorado Virtual Academy. Rocketship is [...]
Expose of Charter Corruption in The New Republic
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Timothy Noah, a senior editor of The New Republic, has written a stunning expose of charter school corruption. He begins with Arizona, where the laws are so lax that self-dealing by charter executives is the rule, not the exception. Noah points out that 90 percent of charter operators are exempt from state laws requiring competitive [...]
Please Vote: Was Portland, Oregon, Right to Pass Up Race to the Top?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
A reader sent us a link to a poll in the Portland Oregonian. The question is whether the Portland Public Schools were right to pass up applying to get the federal funding. Good for Portland! Maybe the school system figured out that the money is not discretionary and that the mandates that come with RTTT [...]