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Secret Document Leaked: Chicago Plans to Close Nearly 100 Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 hour ago
The Chicago Tribune obtained a copy of a secret document describing the plan of Chicago Public Schools to close 95 schools, mostly in minority neighborhoods. The plan was dated September 10. This represents a dramatic elimination of public schools in Chicago. The city says it will slow down charter growth, at least this year, but [...]
The Baltimore Sun Joins the Honor Roll
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 19 hours ago
So many news media have thoughtlessly or knowingly jumped on the bandwagon of corporate reform that it comes as a shock to encounter one saying simple truths. Te Baltimore Sun wrote, in response to the massacre of innocent children and educators in Newtown, that it’s time to stop the vilification of our nation’s teachers and [...]
Kaya Henderson Abandons 20 More Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 20 hours ago
Kaya Henderson, chancellor of the DC public schools, intends to close another 20 public schools. DC is now the second largest urban district with the greatest proportion of its students in privately managed charter, after New Orleans. Unlike New Orleans, DC did not suffer a natural dupes aster. Instead, its leaders don’t know how to [...]
Katie Osgood Defends Karen Lewis
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 23 hours ago
Karen Lewis spoke up on my behalf when a TFA officer denounced my post “The Hero Teachers of Newtown”) as “reprehensible. Lewis then became the object of attacks from outraged bloggers and tweeters saying that she literally accused TFA of murder. Lewis said no such thing. This was a fine example of the dark art [...]
A Charter Teacher Explains What Happens with Longer School Day
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 23 hours ago
Corporate-style reformers believe that children will learn more and get higher test scores if they spend hours more in school preparing for the tests. They probably think that retail clerks will sell more if they have a 9-hour shift. But a newcomer to EduShyster’s burgeoning staff explains what happens when the extra time is added. [...]
How State Aid Is Rigged Against the Poorest Districts
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Bruce Baker has written an illuminating and disturbing post about how New York is underfunding its highest-need schools. Governor Cuomo likes to complain that the state spends far too much on education but sees little improvement. Baker demonstrates that the formula hurts the neediest students. The governor goes on to say that he will take [...]
Beware of Foundations Bearing “Gifts”
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Sarah Darer Littman has a good idea. She thinks that journalists in Connecticut should do investigative journalism and not just write what they find in the press release. Case in point: the recent gift of $5 million from the Gates foundation to Hartford schools. Littman calls the grant a Trojan horse because it commits the [...]
Jersey Jazzman on Reprehensibility
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
What does it men to be reprehensible? Jersey Jazzman explores the question here.
Anthony Cody on the Lessons of Newtown
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Anthony Cody, an experienced middle-school teacher in California, regularly blogs at Education Week. He has won national attention because he writes eloquently, seeks dialogue with those who disagree with him, displays the compassion and sensitivity of an educator, and writes from many years of experience. Please read his reflections on the heroism of the Newtown [...]
A Teacher’s Letter to America
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
A teacher notes that the tragedy in Newtown has allowed the nation to see who teachers are and what they do. She says, please don’t forget. Don’t let the teacher-bashers take control of our image to distort our reality. The author is Lisa Myers. She writes: Dear America, It feels strange to hear your voice [...]
Governor Perry: Won’t Back Down on Guns
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Governor Rick Perry of Texas told a gathering of Tea Party faithful that he felt bad about what happened in Connecticut but warned that people should not have a “knee-jerk reaction” by trying to restrict guns. he made clear that Texas had no intention on changing its gun laws, which allow a person with a [...]
Another Corporate Reform Group Sets Up Shop in Connecticut
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Connecticut was the scene this year of a bitter battle over legislation that was intended to diminish teachers’ tenure and to impose a punitive evaluation plan tied to test scores. In efforts to promote this legislation (SB 24), There was a great deal of hostile talk about greedy, lazy teachers, protected by their union and [...]
John Thompson: Maybe The Goal of Reformers IS Privatization
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
A few days ago, John Thompson posted a blog wondering if I was too hasty in spotting a privatization movement on the near horizon. The emergence of a secret memo in Tulsa has caused him to rethink his views.
Politicizing the Tragedy?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
I try to write clearly, because I understand that words matter. In the aftermath of the terrible tragedy at Newtown, I posted dozens of statements from readers expressing their sorrow and shock and sympathy. I wrote a tribute to the principal for her valor as an educator and a courageous person devoted to her students. [...]
New State Commissioner in Massachusetts
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Massachusetts’ Governor Deval Patrick has selected Matthew H. Malone as the new state superintendent of education. Malone has had an interesting past decade. He is a graduate of the unaccredited Broad Superintendents Academy, class of 2003, which is a worrisome sign as Broadies tend to be lightning rods and alienate the communities they are supposed [...]
Romney and Obama: Bad Schools Cause Gun Violence?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
During one of the Presidential debates, the candidates were asked about gun control. Then came the biggest non sequiturs of the season. Jersey Jazzman shows how they both twisted their answers into a criticism of the public schools without ever addressing the question. If young people don’t have good schools, don’t have opportunity, they are [...]
Inflated Claims of Charter Success in NYC
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
A regular reader in New York City is a data hound. He gets annoyed when he sees the media repeating things that are factually wrong. Recently he noticed the repetition of inflated claims of charter success. Here, he goes to the sources to set the record straight. A recent series of articles in the New [...]
A Teacher’s Critique of the Common Core Standards
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
From a reader: For me the problem is not the common core standards, it is the amount of detail in them. All of the Finnish National Standards for Math grades 1-9 fit on just 9 pages. In contrast, our K-8 Math Common Core Standards fit on 70 pages along with another 145 page appendix of [...]
Beware the Common Core Standards!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Kris Neilsen, a middle school teacher, was an early enthusiast for the Common Core Standards. He read them, explained them to parents at his schools, and was commended for his leadership. But he had a change of heart as he reflected on them. He is now an outspoken critic. He thinks the corporate reform movement [...]
A Pennsylvania Parent Reflects on Teacher Heroes
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Blogger Yinzercation is a parent of little children in Pennsylvania. She was reluctant to send them to school, but she did with assurances that they would be okay. And she thought about the teachers and principal in Newtown. She read that there was a plan in Newtown to cut the budget of the schools, possibly [...]
Tasteless: StudentsFirst Ad Attacks Teachers in NYC: UPDATE
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
While I was watching the television coverage of the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, an ad came on that was very upsetting. Sponsored by StudentsFirst ad, it was a typically deceptive TV ad depicting teachers and parents who demand that teachers be evaluated by test scores. It implies that teachers are slackers and need a swift [...]
Beautiful Statement by Connecticut’s Teacher of the Year
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
A reader (Linda from Connecticut) called my attention to this beautiful commentary by David Bosso, who is Connecticut’s teacher of the year for 2012. He explains his reaction to the tragic events at Newtown and how the brave actions of his colleagues helps the public understand the work of teachers. Every teacher in America is [...]
A Suggestion for a Meaningful Holiday Gift
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Make a contribution to the Brady Center, which works against guns and the NRA. Gun advocates think he answer is that everyone should pack a weapon. They want armed teachers and principals. Shoot outs in school. How about if no one had a gun except law officers? Give a gift to the Brady Center to [...]
A Member of NY Regents: Are We Asking the Right Questions?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
For the past year and more, the New York State Board of Regents has spent a huge proportion of its time designing and debating a test-based educator evaluation system. The system was developed by AIR (American Institutes for Research) and has been criticized as inaccurate by Bruce Baker, who says that even AIR recognizes how [...]
Letter to President Obama from Connecticut Founder Of Parents Across America
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Wendy Lecker, a parent activist in Stamford, Connecticut, has sent a powerful letter to President Obama. The link is here. The letter is here: Parents Across America grieves with the community of Newtown, Connecticut over the loss of their precious children and educators. The following letter, sent yesterday to President Obama from the founder of [...]
Michelle Rhee Comes Out Against Guns in Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Well, this is a relief: http://shar.es/hv1rZ This morning, StudentsFirst CEO Michelle Rhee drafted a memo to the organization’s senior staff — it was later sent internally to the entire StudentsFirst staff — regarding the organization’s opposition to any and all proposed laws that would allow guns in schools. That memo is printed below in its [...]
Karen Lewis Reacts to the Kerfuffle
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
As readers of the blog know, I posted a tribute yesterday to “The Hero Teachers of Newtown.” Soon after, the vice-president of Teach for America responded with outrage on Twitter and said that the post was “reprehensible” and should be retracted. I had no idea what he was offended by, but not long after I [...]
Breaking News: Governor Snyder Vetoes Bill to Allow Guns in Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan vetoed a bill that would have allowed guns in schools. His reason was that the bill did not have a provision allowing schools to opt out if they didn’t want guns in their buildings. Presumably the next legislature, if so inclined, could make that fix. Let’s hope not. Guns don’t [...]
Katie Osgood Comments on the Twitter Debate
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
There has been a raging Twitter debate about whether my post “Hero Teachers of Newtown” disrespected Teach for America (which was not mentioned in the post) and non-unionized teachers. Some claim that I “politicized” the tragedy by pointing out that all those who died were members of a teachers’ union and many had tenure. Let [...]
Why Austin ISD Dropped IDEA Charter
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
A parent in Austin sent the following account of events there, along with a link to the newspaper story. Dear Diane, I thought you might be interested in the vote of Austin ISD last night – not to renew the IDEA contract. It was standing room only – many of the students you met at [...]
The Privatizing of San Antonio Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
A big foundation in Texas is creating a $50 million fund to open 145 new charters for 80,000 children in San Antonio. The city already has one-quarter of its students in charters. One of the chains likeliest to grow there are Great Hearts, BASIS, KIPP, AND IDEA. It seems that the goal is to create [...]
Teachers Are First Responders
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Connecticut blogger and political consultant Jonathan Pelto points out that teachers are first responders. He commends teachers for their daily dedication. But he puts his reflections in the recent plague of teacher-bashing, which was in vogue until December 14. Pelto writes: “….we’ve seen a growing trend in which politicians have used teachers as pawns or [...]
Last night’s Twitter Kerfuffle
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Last night I posted a tribute to “The Hero Teachers of Newtown,” briefly describing each of them , noting that they were members of a union, they were career educators, and that the attacks on career educators and unions should stop. Shortly after, a TFA officer demanded on Twitter that I retract the post, calling [...]
In Defense of the Common Core Standards
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Roz Linder is tired of reading uninformed rants against the Common Core standards. She says most of the comments come from people who have never read them. she says that it would be a worthy exercise to read the Common Core standards as informational text before making unfounded claims about what they recommend. You can [...]
Junk Science in Florida
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
This year, Florida rolled out its shiny new teacher evaluation program. In Alachua County, a teacher of the year was rated unsatisfactory. Officials realized there many errors, and they revised the scoring. Now 99.5% of the county’s nearly 1,200 teachers are effective or highly effective. Only one teacher was found to be ineffective! All of [...]
Veteran Teacher in Pittsburgh: We Are the First First Responders
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
A veteran teacher in Pittsburgh explains what she does every day to serve and protect her students. She is a special education teacher. Looking at the courage of the Newtown teachers, she sees in them the ethos that career educators share: we protect our students. She writes: “Yet these same teachers are members of a [...]
NYC Value-Added Ratings Released, No Fanfare
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
The New York City teacher evaluations were released, and there was nearly no media coverage. Mayor Bloomberg noticed. Ad Peter Goodman points out on his blog, “The mayor didn’t like the original law, didn’t like the law which protected teachers from the public release of the scores and doesn’t like the requirement that the details [...]
The Most Common Spelling Error When Writing on a Computer Keyboard
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Anyone who writes on a computer–as almost everyone does these days–is subject to two kinds of dangers. One is auto-correct. This feature, which I frankly loathe, will take a minor spelling error made in haste and substitute completely different language that changes the meaning of what you wrote. The other is that if you make [...]
2,000,000+ Page Views!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Thank you, readers of this blog. Last week, this blog has passed the mark for 2,000,000 page views. I started it on April 26, 2012. It reached one million hits in mid-September. And reached a new milestone a few days ago. The number of page views, however, is far less significant than the fact that [...]
StudentsFirst Silent on Michigan Bill to Allow Guns in Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
StudentsFirst has decided to remain neutral on a bill just passed by the Michigan legislature to allow concealed guns in schools. Most of the candidates supported by StudentsFirst in the recent election voted for the legislation. “Asked about its stance, StudentsFirst spokeswoman Ileana Wachtel said, ‘StudentsFirst believes that schools have to be a safe haven [...]
The Hero Teachers of Newtown
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
This much is clear: the teachers and staff at the Sandy Hook Elementary School reacted with astonishing courage to the unthinkable, the terrifying intrusion of a man intent on murdering them and their students. With no thought of their own safety, they defended their children.. Everyone of them is a hero, those who died and [...]
Most Absurd Comment on the Massacre
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Mike Huckabee said that the murderous spree at Sandy Hook Elementary School happened because we have “systematically removed God” from the schools. So, let me get this right: If the children had been praying every day in school, the killer would never have entered the building? I don’t follow the logic. Public figures should get [...]
UPDATE: Michigan GOP Wants Concealed Guns in Schools and Churches
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Eclectablog reports that the lame duck legislature in Michigan was set to pass a bill legalizing people to carry concealed weapons in schools, churches and elsewhere. But the shooting in Connecticut brought a pause. Apparently some of the gun zealots think that if principals and teachers were armed, they could have had a firefight in [...]
Linda Darling-Hammond Chosen to Lead Key Panel in California
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Linda Darling-Hammond of Stanford University has been appointed chair of California’s Teacher Credentialing Commission. Darling-Hammond is one of the nation’s leading scholars on the subject of the teaching profession and an outspoken critic of using test scores to evaluate teachers. I know Linda very well. This is great news for educators in California. California is [...]
A Brief Conversation with John Thompson
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
John Thompson wonders if I overstate my concern about the current direction of the education reform movement. He is not convinced that the end game is privatization. Perhaps I sat through too many closed-door meetings of conservative think tanks to think otherwise. As I read and listen to the leading lights of the movement (Jeb [...]
Dawn Hochsprung: A Hero of Public Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Dawn Hochsprung was beloved by her family, her staff and her students. Now she is beloved by the nation and beyond. Here is an interview with her husband and five of her six daughters. She gave her life to save others. She loved teaching and learning and wanted her students to love learning. She kept [...]
Does the Average TFA Teacher Stay for 8 Years?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Wendy Kopp stated in a recent interview that the average TFA corps member remains in the classroom for eight years. This caused quite a blowback because most independent surveys say that about 85% of TFA are gone at the end of three years. Gary Rubinstein was a member of the first corps of TFA who [...]
Common Core Tests Likely to Cause Passing Rates to Plummet
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
New York officials are warning parents and the public to be prepared for a big drop in the proportion of students who are proficient on new tests aligned with the Common Core. The English language arts tests contain vocabulary that most children are not likely to know and the math tests contain concepts that may not [...]
IDEA Charters Make Claims That Are “Demonstrably False”
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Tonight the Austin school board will deliberate the future of the IDEA charter school chain. The chain claims to offer a “rigorous” college preparatory program. It claims that 100% of its graduates enter four-year colleges and universities and that 92% are either still in college or have graduated. As researcher Ed Fuller shows, none of [...]
More Good News from Latest International Tests
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
GF Brandenburg, retired math teacher, analyzed the latest international reading test, and it is chock full of good news. Good news that it is for American children, parents, teachers, principals, administrators and school board members. Not so good news for all the prophets of gloom and doom who have been prophesying the imminent collapse of [...]
Districts: Send Teachers to the Funerals in Newtown
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
When a police officer or firefighter dies in the line of duty, colleagues turn out in the hundreds or thousands to attend their funeral or present an honor guard. Could every school district within 250 miles of Newtown do the same for the fallen teachers and principal and staff? Could teachers fly in from Chicago [...]
A New Teacher Reacts to the Massacre
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
>I am a brand new teacher, four months of the job at this point. I like all first year teachers am still trying to figure things out and won’t fully do that for a few years. I did a four year undergraduate degree in which I spent time in a classroom since my sophmore year, [...]
Teaching Is Life Work, Not a Stepping Stone
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Dear Diane, It has been wonderful reading all those reflections from your readers. Thank you so much for offering such a space for social dialogue. In “America’s Teachers: Heroes or Greedy Moochers at the Public Trough?” (http://www.nationofchange.org/america-s-teachers-heroes-or-greedy-moochers-public-trough-1355674260), Dave Lindorff quotes a man demonizing public school teachers “in an attitude all too typical of many Americans’ [...]
Reflections from Readers, 40
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Aside from an overly permissive gun culture and underfunded mental healthcare system, I can’t help but wonder if this climate of teacher-bashing and public school bashing in which many of our political leaders partake regularly, is to some degree a variable in the aggression, hatred and violence that have been directed at our schools’ students [...]
Reflections from Readers, 39
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Diane, I didn’t know any of the victims personally, and I feel sick to my stomach thinking about the tragedy at Sandy Hook. I can’t even begin to imagine what the families are going through. So many people are offering a definitive prescription, a monolithic cure-all that will magically stop this violence and make our [...]
Reflections from Readers, 38
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Unfortunately some children are born broken. At this time that appears to be the case with the shooter. We see children like him every day. They come in the doors at five years old and we know. We do our best but most can never be fixed. We support them and nurture them and hope [...]
He “Barely Said a Word”
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
David A. Gamberg, the superintendent of schools in Southold, New York, wrote these reflections. Adam Lanza had high test scores, presumably the kind of student that would help a teacher be rated as “effective,” but so what? Something was missing. A heart? A soul? Gamberg understands that the values of our society are warping our [...]
Reflections from Readers, 37
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
I am an educator of 25 years. We had just practiced a lockdown at our Michigan School ironically at the same time this was taking place…9:30am. It sickens me that this happened at a school that had a system in place. The young man who did this had mental illness. Why then would a mother [...]
Reflections from Readers, 36
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
The statement by the Connecticut governor, though well-intended, indicates part of the problem we are dealing with: “Evil visited this community.” Such a viewpoint externalizes the problem, when we need to be looking in the mirror. The “evil” comes from within our culture, and will not be solved by better security. As several commenters above [...]
Reflections from Readers, 35
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
……..every now and again, as I walk in to school from the parking lot, I wonder if today could be the day some deranged soul might do something like this at my school………the thought passes quickly and the days begin and we go through our paces,,,,,,,,,,,,,then, something like THIS happens at someone elses school……………..I really [...]
Thoughts on Humanity
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Our policymakers have lost sight of what schools do. They have forgotten what teachers do. They don’t remember what children need. Peg Robertson does Tell them..
Reflections from Readers, 34
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
I am so deeply appreciative of the above postings. In different ways many of them underscore the importance of “connections.” But connecting takes time and effort and patience and sometimes, even wisdom. So please remember what a blessing “Diane Ravitch’s blog — A site to discuss better education for all” has been and continues to [...]
Reflections from Readers, 33
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Reading the New York Times article about Adam Lanza, the alleged Sandy-Hook killer, I’m in pain at how cut off from the humanity this boy was. Possible Asperger’s syndrome, no picture in a high-school year book, child of a dissolving marriage, living in a suburban box of a home. One quote by a former high-school [...]
Reflections from Readers, 32
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Perhaps the best and easiest forum for connection will become social media? Your monologue winds through your thinking until you get it just right at the end…what the world needs more of is… love. Pure and simple. Human connection. I agree that the reform pundits wish to focus on the bottom line at becoming #1 [...]
In High School, We Are Prepared, But Babies…..?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Diane, I feel broken. Ms. Soto, the heroic teacher from Sandy Hook, was exactly my age. People in their late 20′s don’t have to consider their own mortality on a regular basis, and this has me quite shook up. I keep pondering whether I’d be as brave as she was, or if I would think [...]
Reflections from Readers, 31
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
There is a deep calling in educators to place the lives of their students before their own lives. It is in our DNA and, in times like these, we see this spirit of sacrifice in a totally different light. But it is in each one of us that teaches. Teaching is a noble profession and [...]
Reflections from Readers, 30
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
From a principal: In a school year I typically have about 6-8 of my elementary students who spend time in mental health treatment facilities. These children are 9-12 years old. One left my school in an ambulance this week. We do our best with these disturbed children, but I feel like it’s a bandaid on [...]
Reflections from Readers, 29
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Diane, if you read this, may I suggest you check out this YouTube rendition of Cheryl Wheeler’s song, “If It Were Up to Me” from her album, “Sylvia Hotel” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op7agdIFOGY . Every time one of these mass shootings occurs, one of my first thoughts is Wheeler’s song, which should be the anthem of gun [...]
Anthony Cody: “Look for the Helpers”
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Anthony Cody struggles to make sense of the tragedy, as do we all. Anthony quotes Fred Rogers, who remembered his mother’s advice: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To [...]
Reflections from Readers, 28
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
“Where was security at the school? How did he ‘execute’ so many? Do we need armed guards and metal detectors always?” He shot his way in, apparently. I’m not sure what one can do about that other than harden the school like a military installation, but I don’t think that’s what we want schools to [...]
Reflections from Readers, 27
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
http://www.angelamaiers.com/2012/12/there-is-no-lesson-plan-for-tragedy-teachers-you-know-what-to-do.html There is no lesson plan for tragedy Diane, I wanted to share this post from @AngelaMaiers Teachers need to be proud of who we are and what we do for our students. Stand tall!
Banning Our Weapons of Mass Murder
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
This reader agrees that it can be done: Why do we need semi-automatic guns? I grew up on a farm surrounded by guns. Any hunter who cannot hit a running jackrabbit, or coyote, with a single shot 22 is not much of a hunter. Hunting is not a justification! Look at the statistics! This is [...]
Reflections from Readers, 26
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Another sad, sad day in our country. It is time to mourn for the families of this school and community. But it is also time for our elected officials and citizens to enact serious gun control and to support an adequate mental health system, beginning with counselors and psychologists in our schools.
Harrowing, Detailed Account of What Happened on 12/14
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
When the first news of the school shootings in Connecticut was reported, there were many inaccuracies, which is inevitable. One source said 20 were dead, another said “nearly 30.” Some said the shooter’s mother was a teacher at the school (not true), then said she was a substitute teacher (also not true). The name of [...]
Reflections from Readers, 25
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
I don’t have Twitter but I read your blog faithfully. I am crying right now–grief stricken over what happened and I can add nothing to what you and others have said. I am from Michigan–a retired public school teacher who is lucky enough to have many students who have stayed in touch with me 30 [...]
Hug a Teacher Tomorrow
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
A retired teacher in Louisiana saw this on Facebook and sent it to me. She did notknow who wrote it. I thought it was beautiful. I separated the lines without changing a word and it read like a poem. It has been tweeted and retweeted more than 200 times. To parents who are not educators, [...]
Reflections from Readers, 24
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
I certainly don’t want to oversimplify, but I think it has a lot to do with “rugged invididualism”. There’s such a sense in this country that we are in it alone, every man for himself, we’re solely responsible for our own success or failure, even our own life or death, etc. Somehow most other countries [...]
Reflections from Readers, 23
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Thank you for this beautiful and important post. I would only say that mourning takes a different shape and time for each person. There is a reason for timed, structured mourning–memorials, funerals, moments of silence, acts of commemoration–yet none of these can direct a person’s private sadness. For me, this is a day of mourning, [...]
Reflections from Readers, 22
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
One of our parent volunteers sent our principal an email thanking us all for conducting code red drills. We had another drill yesterday. I cannot fathom what would drive someone to murder his mother, and try to destroy what she cared about, and I am saddened that code red drills are necessary, but I am [...]
Reflections from Readers, 21
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Guns aside, have any other teachers thought, what you you do if this happened in your classroom? I can’t be the only one that has thought about that, given recent events in America. What would I do? Would I have the compassion and courage and composure that these teachers displayed? Would I be able to [...]
In Texas: Schools with No Security
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
A reader in Austin, Texas, writes: Here in Texas, almost every school has unsightly, cheap, moldy portable buildings. Because of our portables, my school has six exterior doors open during the school day! That means anyone from off the streets could walk into our school. Sure, we have security in place at the front office, [...]
Reflections from Readers, 20
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
From a principal: Diane I agree with all of the above and I would add more.. We need to think about untreated mental illness…. My colleagues and I encounter more students with serious mental illness each year. We need help dealing with violent students.The courts do not help and often parents are helpless. These young [...]
A Heroic Educator at Sandy Hook
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
According to the Facebook entry at the end of this post, 27-year-old teacher Victoria Soto hid her students in closets and cabinets; she told the killer the children were in the gym. Her first thought was to protect her children. He killed her. The Wall Street Journal said this about her on a blog: First-grade [...]
Reflections from Readers, 19
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
I teach in Connecticut, in another small rural district. We used to have doors that only locked on the outside, so during intruder drills we actually had to open our doors, go out in the hallway, and then lock them. Not a very effective way of protecting students. Eventually the locks were replaced so that [...]
Reflections from Readers, 18
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
The article in the Times said that Dawn believed children should be critical thinkers. She also kept her teachers informed on education policies coming out of Washington. It is no surprise that she followed your blog. It’s unfortunate it took this tragedy to let people know that she did not like Duncan’s policies. I am [...]
Reflections from Readers, 17
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
I’ve been shaken to the core thinking about those precious innocents and their last moments while teachers struggled to protect them with their last breath. In the name of these sweet children, we must address the serious issues that face this nation. Yesterday, I posted on Twitter ~ In the name of these innocent children.. [...]
How to Make Sure That Massacres Never Happen Again
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Yes, there is an answer, an almost fool-proof way to make sure that mentally ill people never again have the means to slaughter other people. Yes, there is a way to end gun violence. Here it is. Frankly I am sick of hearing about how much people love their weapons. Adam Lanza’s mother loved her [...]
Reflections from Readers, 16
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
I taught with Dawn many years ago in a self contained behavioral program. She was an excellent educator, a devoted mother, a proud grandmother, and a beautiful human being who reached out to help everyone she met. Our hearts are broken; we are devastated. God bless the dedicated educators and the innocent, gentle babies.
Reflections from Readers, 14
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
People don’t usually think of teachers as first responders, but that is exactly what they are. Whether it is physical assault, social aggression, emotional trauma or cognitive battering, educators are there to protect and defend our nation’s children each day. Many thanks to the Sandy Hook administrators, faculty and staff who so clearly demonstrated how [...]
Reflections from Readers, 13
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
I am really proud of the teachers at that school. Parents and authorities are saying that their quick thinking and bravery saved other students who may have been killed as well.
Reflections from Readers, 12
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
I really am amazed how inadequate our support systems are, especially for our “troubled” students. The guidance counselor would “fit my students” into their schedule. Sometimes that was just a few times a month. And these are children who needed professional help. We can spend money on tests, but people like Bloomberg are threatening to [...]
Reflections from Readers, 11
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Here is Dawn dressed up as the Sandy Hook Book Fairy reading to the kids. Let’s believe they are all reading together in heaven, safe and protected. https://mobile.twitter.com/DHochsprung/status/269538800085118977/photo/1
Reflections from Readers, 10
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
From a teacher: I am sickened over this, as a mom, as an educator. How often do we see young children in our classrooms who need serious help and can’t find the resources to help them because of severe budget cuts? My school shares a guidance counselor with 2 other schools. She is awesome and [...]
Reflections from Readers, 9
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
From a reader: Unfortunately, nothing is going to change within our society due to this terrible tragedy. The people of power control our society and have no need to change the class system that benefits them in all ways. It is not just about gun control, it is really about the maintenance of the societal [...]
Reflections from Readers, 8
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
From a reader: Really? This is “education’s fault?” This is the “liberal’s” fault? This is the fault of all of us allowing society to lose its moral compass starting with the family structure. It is about our widening class system and people not caring about one another. This is not about what education does not [...]
Reflections from Readers, 7
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
A reader comments: Schools are buckling under, often contradictory, legislation created in response to challenges and tragedies. The problem is not that there aren’t enough metal detectors or mandatory lockdown drills. The problem also isn’t video games or films. The problem is that the mentally ill have easier access to handguns than to psych services.
Reflections from Readers, 6
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
From a teacher: As these horrific events were unfolding, I spent the day teaching kindergarten and first grade music classes. We sang, we played games, we laughed together. The horror of this tragedy is that it could have happened anywhere in America. Our schools connect us, they nurture our children, they define our communities. So [...]
Good Teachers Are Good People
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Jersey Jazzman salutes the heroic teachers of Sandy Hook Elementary School. He bashes the teacher-bashers because they are bullies. Would they have the courage to protect a room full of innocent babies?
Reflections from Readers, 5
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
From a reader: “I ask why and how our society has become so desensitized to violence and at the same time so addicted to it.” We’re addicted to violence because that is what our country glorifies. See Diane’s experience at the movies for example. Many here won’t like what I am going to say but [...]
Blogger: Exploiting a Tragedy
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
The South Bronx blogger is a teacher in one of New York City’s poorest neighborhoods. He is outraged that StudentsFirst issued a self-aggrandizing statement about the Connecticut massacre that ignored the heroism of the staff (whose tenure and benefits StudentsFirst tried to diminish in the last session of the legislature) and referred to 20 precious [...]
Reflections from Readers, 4
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
From a teacher in Wisconsin: I can’t stop crying. In 1994 my associate principal was shot at my school here in Wisconsin. I have had counseling through the years but when something like this happens I am right back to 1994. I remain in teaching because I love working with my students but how can [...]
Reflections from Readers, 3
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
From a retired principal: I am a retired principal of an elementary school. I don’t have any answers either but, as most educators know, cuts in social workers, limited powers of educators who know there are kids who need mental health services but are constrained by “rules” that dictate which kids get help and which [...]
Reflections from Readers, 2
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
From a teacher: Confused, As a teacher in Connecticut, near Sandy Hook, I saw the look on my fellow colleagues faces that we no longer could say that something like this could never happen here. I teach in an amazing suburban school district, like Newtown, and it was clear that our high school was in [...]
Reflections from Readers, 1
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
From Jere Hochman, superintendent of schools in Bedford, New York: Daily, your followers find wisdom, insight, and courage in your posts – an ally in taking on one educational cause or another. Today, we find comfort – and an ally in taking on causes of life and death proportion. And – to Lisa (above) – [...]
Reflections from Readers, 22
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
From a principal: In a school year I typically have about 6-8 of my elementary students who spend time in mental health treatment facilities. These children are 9-12 years old. One left my school in an ambulance this week. We do our best with these disturbed children, but I feel like it’s a bandaid on [...]
Today We Mourn
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
I had half a dozen interesting posts ready to go out today, but I decided it was inappropriate to return to business as usual after the tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. I postponed them. So you won’t be getting another post today. This is a time to mourn, to reflect, to be still. [...]
Thoughts After Sandy Hook
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
I couldn’t bear watching the news anymore. I went to see “Lincoln” at the neighborhood multiplex. Sat through about six previews of coming attractions. Every one of them featured guns and violence. One was about 1930s gangs. Lots of shooting and killing. I kept wondering why Hollywood glamorizes violence. Why are guns such a symbol [...]
School Shooting in Connecticut
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
I am in shock. Just heard the news of a mass murder of elementary school children in Newtown, Connecticut. CNN says “close to 20″ were killed. News reports on AOL says it is 27, including at least 18 children and the principal. They say the killer wore a bullet-proof vest and brought guns to the [...]
