Diane Ravitch's blog
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DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG
Why the Parent Trigger is an Empty Promise
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 12 minutes ago
The Annenberg Institute for School Reform has published an informative review of the controversy over the so-called parent trigger law. It explains the genesis of the idea, how it evolved, who is behind it, where it has been adopted, and why it offers meager prospects for either parent empowerment or school improvement. The brief includes [...]
A Parent at Eastside Memorial in Austin Tells What Happened
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 16 minutes ago
This just in, as I prepare to join a march and rally in Austin with “Save Texas Schools.” Be it noted that the superintendent in Austin, a high-performing district on NAEP, is an alum of the unaccredited Broad Superintendent Academy, which allegedly teaches management skills. The board majority shifted against her 5-4 after the last [...]
Indiana Senate Halts Implentation of Common Core
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 hours ago
The Indiana State Senate voted to halt implementation of the Common Core standards until there had been hearings across the state. The action was brought about by the fervent opposition of two angry moms.
Sign the National Resolution Against High-Stakes Testing
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 8 hours ago
Join thousands of others to say no to rewards and punishments tied to test scores: http://timeoutfromtesting.org/nationalresolution/
Rothstein: Cannot Close Achievement Gap without Ending Segregation
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 8 hours ago
Richard Rothstein spoke to the AASA and told them that “reformers” like Joel Klein were wrong in claiming that high expectations and better teachers would close the achievement gap. Here is a summary of his presentation: Rothstein: Segregation Practices Block Achievement Gains by Sasha Pudelski Richard Rothstein gave a powerful lecture Thursday at the Federal [...]
Why Send Teachers with Least Preparation to Neediest Districts?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 9 hours ago
Sarah Darer Littman writes regularly about education for Connecticut media. She recently took her daughter on a tour to select a college where she could get a strong bachelor’s degree and prepare for a career in teaching. Yes, there are still idealistic young people who see teaching as their vocation, their calling. Imagine her surprise [...]
New Jersey: Is It Necessary to Inform Urban Districts?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 10 hours ago
Mother Crusader reports on an anomalous situation in New Jersey. When the state wants to put charter schools in the suburbs, the state informs the district and parents have a chance to be heard. The suburbs are Governor Christie’s base. But when the state decides to put charters in an urban district, why bother soliciting [...]
A Beautiful Story About Sportsmanship in El Paso
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 10 hours ago
You have to see this wonderful video of a basketball game in Texas between two high school teams. It is about the kindness that adolescents can show for one another. It’s about a young man with a disability who loves basketball. It’s about the love that others showed to him.
Massachusetts Professors Oppose High-Stakes Testing
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 15 hours ago
Nearly 150 professors at universities in Massachusetts issued a statement in opposition to high-stakes testing. As the national movement against the misuse and abuse of standardized tests grows, the mainstream media is starting to take note and report on it. More than 800 school boards in Texas; prominent superintendents like Joshua Starr and Heath Morrison; [...]
Finland’s “Culture of Trust” and Our Culture of Testing
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 15 hours ago
As the Hechinger Report explains, Finland doesn’t give standardized tests, yet its students excel on the international standardized tests. Finland has this idea deeply grounded in its education system: it trusts its teachers to make their own tests and to decide how well students are doing. By contrast, we trust no one and test everyone. [...]
Cat Fight at Florida Charter School
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 18 hours ago
The board of the Imagine charter school in Sarasota decided to fire Imagine by a vote of 5-0 and take charge of managing the school, renamed Sarasota Prep. The board had been paying an annual management fee of $890,000 to the Imagine corporation, which is a for-profit charter chain. The CEO of the charter school, [...]
A “Push Poll” by University of Chicago and Tribune to Support Rahm Agenda
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 19 hours ago
Have you ever gotten one of those seemingly innocuous phone calls where the caller asks if you will participate in a survey? You know, market research or social science. Here is a fascinating account of a “push poll” that starts off innocuous and then turns into advocacy for Mayor Rahm Emanel’s agenda of privatization and [...]
Charter Scandal In New Jersey
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 22 hours ago
The LEAP charter school in Camden, New Jersey, is now caught up in allegations of incompetence, cronyism, and abuse, reports Jersey Jazzman. The finances of the school are a mess, its academic performance is poor, yet State Commissioner of Education showers it with praise. It’s problems are long-standing, but the department close to ignore them. [...]
Oklahoma Chief Channels Jeb Bush
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 22 hours ago
Coach Bob Sikes in Florida knows how phony that state’s A-F grading system is. (This was confirmed recently by Matt Di Carlo of the Shanker Institute, who pointed out that the state changed the system to improve the results.) Now he finds that Oklahoma State Superintendent Janet Barresi is copying the Jeb Bush playbook. This [...]
Will This New Teacher Survive?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 22 hours ago
One of the great myths of the current corporate reform movement is that they want to elevate the teaching profession. They want to change it so that future teachers are drawn from the top third of their college graduating class. They advocate merit pay tied to test scores to create high-paying positions (always a small [...]
Naison: A Letter from a New Teacher
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 22 hours ago
Mark Naison received a letter from a first-year teacher who is working in a school that the New York City Department of Education is closing because of low test scores. How would you advise this teacher? This is the letter Naison received: “I wanted to touch base with you about the chaotic and seemingly fatal [...]
What the Best and Wisest Parent Wants for His Child……
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
John Dewey wrote this great sentiment over a century ago: “What the best and wisest parent wants for his child, that must we want for all the children of the community. Anything less is unlovely, and left unchecked, destroys our democracy.” I do not begrudge any parent their decision to send their child to a [...]
How Governor Kasich Lied to Poor Kids in Appalachia
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
At a legislative hearing in Ohio, a representative of a high-poverty district asked whether state funding might help provide a basic education for the kids he represents. Republican Representative Ryan Smith said: “Olentangy schools have German 1,2 and 3, Jewelry 1, Ceramics 1, Sculpture 1, Stage Craft 1, Concert Orchestra,” said Smith. ”These are things [...]
Two Determined Moms in Indiana Take On Common Core
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
These days, parents and educators often feel powerless in the face of the powerful forces that are steamrolling them. In Indiana, two moms started a campaign against he Common Core standards. They started with small groups, then organized large ones, and eventually made their voices heard in the state legislature. The battle is far from [...]
How One Man Makes a Difference
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Tim Slekar gave a powerful speech to a meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Watch it. If all of us spoke out, we could stop this train wreck that dares to call itself “reform.” A teacher who heard him wrote this letter: Dr. Slekar, You won’t believe what I just did! I stood before my school board [...]
Los Angeles United Way Allies with Corporate Reform
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
United Way of Los Angeles strongly supports the demolition of public education. (A reader pointed out that this stance is not typical of other United Way organizations. This post is about the United Way of Los Angeles.) In 2011, United Way-L.A. partnered with the National Council on Teacher Quality (see Mercedes Schneider’s series about NCTQ, [...]
Louisiana Shocker: Ties Between White, Murdoch, Gates
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
In response to litigation, the Louisiana Department of Education released a trove of emails that shows a department obsessed with public relations while flailing about to impose new rules nd programs. Worst of all is the deal that John White made to share confidential student data (including names and addresses, test scores and grades and [...]
Who Was Behind the Jeb Bush Twitter Kerfuffle?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Yesterday I opened my Twitter account to discover that Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education claimed that I likened school choice to the Nazi invasion of Poland. This was absurd, so I wrote a post about it. I find that the best way to respond to outrageous attacks is to put them into the [...]
Battle Creek Editorial: High-Stakes Testing Is Killing Our Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
This editorial in the Battle Creek Enquirer is exactly right. High-stakes testing is ruining education. Testing kids more and blaming their teachers doesn’t improve education. The editorial rightly points out that Michelle Rhee–the advocate for high-stakes testing and every punitive measure she can dream up–is no model for Michigan. Her teacher evaluation system in DC [...]
York County, Pa., Wants to Copy New Orleans
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
A report by the York County Community Foundation proposes that the answer to the county’s educational needs is an all-charter school system. York county schools have below average performance and many students are impoverished. The study group cited the inflated claims of New Orleans charter boosters and decided that York county could achieve great things [...]
Be a Hero: Speak Up for Garfield High Teachers
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Tomorrow February 22 is the day the superintendent of the Seattle schools will decide whether to punish the teachers at Garfield High who refused to administer the MAP test. They are conscientious objectors. They are defending their students against malpractice. They have bravely defied orders to do what they know is wrong. Today is a [...]
Federal Commission on Equity Dismisses Bush-Obama Reforms
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
In a stunning surprise, the federal Commission on Equity and Excellence dismissed the reforms of the Bush-Obama era and called for a fresh approach. What is remarkable about the commission report is that the members were appointed by Secretary Duncan. Its members include a solid bloc of corporate reformers, but clearly they did not prevail. [...]
NY Times: Online Colleges Are a Sham
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
The New York Times’ lead editorial on February 19 was a slashing critique of online colleges. The editorial ripped apart the hype and spin about these colleges. Their attrition rates are 90%. And, “courses delivered solely online may be fine for highly skilled, highly motivated people, but they are inappropriate for struggling students who make [...]
Privatizers Now Targeting Pittsburgh Public Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Yinzercation, one of the best blogs in Pennsylvania, has an alarming post. The Pittsburgh Public Schools have given a $2.4 million contract to two consulting companies to deal with the district’s equity and financial issues. Some of this was underwritten by the Gates Foundation, as well as local foundations (Gates gave Pittsburgh a large grant [...]
If You Believe in Tinkerbell, Clap Your Hands
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Steve Strieker, a veteran teacher in Janesville, Wisconsin, has written a fable about the Free Market Fairy. The Free Market Fairy solves all education problems. When the Free Market Fairy sprinkles its magic across the community, the problems of poverty and segregation disappear. If you believe in the Free Market Fairy, don’t pay attention to [...]
Conservative Think Tank: Why Standardized Tests Are Great
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Kathleen Porter-Magee of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute explains here why the anti-testing movement is wrong. She describes what she calls four “myths.” Myth #1: teachers should be allowed to teach what they want, or “let teachers teach.” This is a very bad idea, she says, because teachers will have low expectations if you [...]
Schneider: Evaluating the Evaluators
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
This is the 17th in Mercedes Schneider’s reviews of the board of the National Council on Tracher Quality. In this post, Schneider posts grades for all the board members. She includes links to the earlier posts. She has undertaken this mission because the NCTQ has assumed the role as the arbiter of the quality of [...]
Is This What Democracy Looks Like?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
In Los Angeles, Robert Skeels is running against Monica Garcia, the school board president. Garcia and two other candidates (including Kate Anderson, who is opposing Steve Zimmer), have received $1 million from NYC mayor Bloomberg, $1.5 million from Eli Broad and friends, and $250,000 from Michelle Rhee’s group. Here is what Skeels says, responding to [...]
A Florida High School Student Speaks Truth to Power
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
What lessons do we teach young people about government when they see the lies told about their schools and their teachers by public officials? Are we teaching them that elected officials can say anything at all, with no regard for truth or reality? This is a letter from a high school student in Florida. Please [...]
Good News: Indiana Senate Panel Scraps School Grading System
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
The Republican controlled Senate Education Committee voted unanimously to abandon Tony Bennett’s prized A-F grading system for schools. Researchers have found that such grading systems are unreliable and unfair. Undoubtedly Republican legislators heard from principals and teachers in their own districts. Superintendent Glenda Ritz will get a chance to remake the state’s way of evaluating [...]
Breaking News: Rhee’s StudentsFirst Dumps $250,000 into Los Angeles School Board Race
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Three candidates who support Superintendent John Deasy received a gift of $250,000 from M. Rhee today. This is added to the $1 million supplied by Mayor Bloomberg, and the $1.5 million raised by Eli Broad and his friends (including Joel Klein). Clearly there is an all-out effort to make sure that corporate reform policies favored [...]
A Debate About Little Children and the Common Core
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
A few days ago, my six-year-old grandson, who attends first grade in a public school in New York City, called to ask a question. He said, “Ama, I am doing a data analysis. I need to ask you a question.” I said, “You are doing a WHAT?” He repeated, “I am doing a data analysis.” [...]
Breakthrough! Teacher Develops Metric for Love
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Steve Strieker is a teacher in Janesville, Wisconsin, who knows how important data are. So he developed a survey metric that accurately and succinctly records the amount of love his family members have for one another. Some showed improvement. Others didn’t. We can learn from his important research. Surely there must be a foundation that [...]
The Corporate Takeover of Indianapolis Public Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
A reader sent the following information about the planned destruction of public education in Indianapolis: Unfortunately the Neighborhoods of Educational Opportunity/Indianapolis Mayor’s Office plan (NEO) presentation which has been made public is just the tip of the iceberg. There is a well documented, more detailed plan that select groups (The Mind Trust, Stand for Children, [...]
What Will Happen to Eastside Memorial High School?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
When I was in Austin last September to speak to the Texas Association of School Administrators and the Texas School Boards Association, I scheduled a visit to Eastside Memorial High School. There I spoke to a rally of hundreds of parents, students, and teachers who were determined to save their school, which had recently been [...]
Can’t Keep Any Secrets
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
I revealed the title of my new book yesterday and said the subtitle was a secret. Then a reader commented that he found the book on a website, so my secret is out. The full title of the book is Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger for America’s Public [...]
How Charters Went from Portfolios to Parasites
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
If I had to choose one post each day that was a must-read, this would be it. Bruce Baker of Rutgers has followed the evolution of the charter movement. He initially thought they might be a source of innovation, as their advocates promised. But over time, he has observed a systematic pattern of cream skimming, [...]
Ohio: Charter Schools Cost Twice As Much As Public Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Innovation Ohio is a nonpartisan think tank that studies public policy in the state. Its reports are carefully researched and documented. Its latest study finds that charter schools, a favorite “reform” of Governor John Kasich and the Republican-dominated legislature, cost taxpayers twice as much as public schools and hurt the public schools that enroll the [...]
Jeb Bush Hits a New Low
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
I read on Twitter just now that I compared “school choice” to a Nazi invasion. “Excellence in Ed @ExcelinEd . @DianeRavitch likens school choice to Nazi invasion. Yes. You read that correctly. http://bit.ly/Y7svLC“ To say the least, I was taken aback because I had never written or implied any such thing. But consider the source. It comes [...]
An Outrage in Sacramento
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
The Sacramento school board is rushing to shut down 11 elementary schools. That’s 20 percent of the elementary schools run by the Sacramento City Unified School District. The process has been indefensible. Board members and the Superintendent have short-circuited the usual decision making process on school closure in order to jam these through. The California [...]
Jay Mathews: Why Did Two Inspector Generals Ignore Cheating in DC?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Jay Mathews wrote a great column on the failure of two inspector generals to probe the DC cheating scandal. Michelle Rhee is traversing the nation, selling her big “success” story in DC, but the cheating scandal continues to fester. The testing company reported a remarkable number of wrong-to-right erasures in a large number of schools. [...]
Mercedes Schneider on the NCTQ Board
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
This is the sixteenth installment of Mercedes Schneider’s analysis of the board of the National Council on Teacher Quality. Mercedes is a teacher in Louisiana who holds a Ph.D. in statistics and research methods. As a teacher, she wanted to know about the organization that is now evaluating teacher preparation programs around the nation. Tomorrow [...]
Nashville Leaders Fight GOP Plan to Kill Local Control
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Republican leaders in the Tennessee legislature are pushing ALEC model legislation to strip the Metro Nashville school board of its power to authorize charters. This is intended to punish Nashville for refusing to support Arizona-based Great Hearts Academy, a corporate chain that wants to open in an affluent white neighborhood. Memphis is also included in [...]
Turning Gym Class into Test Prep
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Remember the obesity crisis? Guess not. In the mad obsession to raise test scores and to outcompete the world, physical education classes are being turned into opportunities to teach reading, math, geography, and almost anything that might be on the test. The story reads: On a recent afternoon, the third graders in Sharon Patelsky’s class [...]
Information About Save Texas Schools Rally
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Click here to learn details about rally on February 23 in Austin. Last year, the rally drew 13,000 people. I am looking forward to joining with my fellow Texans on behalf of the schools that educated me from kindergarten through twelfth grades.
Susan Ohanian Takes Down the Common Core State (sic) Standards
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Susan Ohanian hates the Common Core standards. She hates the way they were created and marketed. She thinks they are a great con job. She fears what this mad rush to standardization will do to children. She would oppose them, she says, even if all the recommended readings were her choices. Ohanian lives in Vermont, [...]
What About the Good Charters? UPDATE
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Jeb Bush’s organization tweeted on the morning of February 20 that I “liken school choice to Nazi invasion.” Whoever posted that tweet under the name of Jeb Bush’s organization either maliciously ignored the fact that the first sentence of the post says that the post was written by a parent, or was confused by the formatting. [...]
Renewed Battle Over Parent Trigger In Florida
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
“Parent trigger” is a zombie policy. It has never transformed a single school. It has no evidence. It is a slogan pretending to be a policy. It is the quintessence of a corporate power grab. In the wake of the Newtown massacre, no decent person should utter the words “parent trigger.” But in Florida, Coach [...]
Los Angeles School Board Race: Follow the Money
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
This just arrived in my email box: LAUSD: Follow The Money by Joseph K Mensaje se repite en Español) I have to do this my way. You tell me what you know, and I’ll confirm. I’ll keep you in the right direction if I can, but that’s all. Just… follow the money. -Deep Throat, “All [...]
Here Is the Link for Save Texas Schools Rally This Saturday
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
I will be there. So will John Kuhn and many more. Join with thousands of Texas parents and educators to demand a restoration of the budget cuts. Save Texas public schools: http://savetxschools.org/
Turmoil in Muskegon Heights Charter Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
When the school district of impoverished Muskegon Heights went broke, Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan felt no obligation to save public education. He appointed an emergency manager to privatize the whole district. The district was handed over to a for-profit operator, Mosaica, which promptly fired all the teachers. It hired a new staff and started [...]
HELP! Privatizers Target Fort Wayne
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
A member of the Fort Wayne, Indiana, school board writes: They are coming after Fort Wayne next. Please, all come to the faux public hearing on Carpe Diem application on Tuesday, 26th at 5:30, Taylor campus. I need a couple hundred.
A Teacher Educator on the Board of NCTQ
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Mercedes Schneider adds another installment to her study of the board of NCTQ?
Breaking News: The Title of My New Book
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
My editor at Knopf is one of the best-known figures in the publishing world. Knopf is the most distinguished publisher in the U.S. They will be publishing my new book in the fall. It will explain everything you wanted to know about the corporate reform movement. Here is the news. The title is: Reign of [...]
Parent Leaders in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Oppose Gulen Charter School
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Two parent leaders in Lancaster, Pennsylvania–John MGrann and Dennis Deslippe–are organizing opposition to a Gulen charter in their community. The Gulen charters are the largest charter chain in the nation. They are associated with a reclusive Turkish imam who lives in the Poconos but has a powerful political movement in Turkey. This is their petition: [...]
Activists in Four States Organize to Support Public Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
If you are in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, or Illinois–or anywhere else–please join with parents, students, and educators to support public schools. These states have been targets for rightwing demands for privatization. Enough is enough. Time to organize and mobilize to fend off the attacks on teachers, principals, and public schools. Time For Action Update: Parents [...]
Save Texas Schools Rally This Saturday!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
I will be in Austin this Saturday to support the children and educators of Texas. Please join me! Final Countdown Save Texas Schools March & Rally This Saturday! Dear Save Texas Schools Supporter, WE NEED YOU to join thousands from across Texas calling for an end to under-funding and over-testing our children! This is a [...]
Corporate Greed Targets Public Schools in Philadelphia
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Abetted by the example of Race to the Top, as well as encouragement from the Gates Foundation, the William Penn Foundation, and the rightwing Corbett administration in Harrisburg, the state-appointed School Reform Commission in Philadelphia is poised to close an unprecedented number of Philadelphia public schools. The schools are under enrolled, says the commission, but [...]
When “Reality” Shows Lie
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
A reader commented on Oprah’s television mockumentary about the “miracle” of charter schools in New Orleans. By the state’s own data, New Orleans ranks 70th of 70 districts. By the admission of the pro-charter Cowen Institute at Tulane, two-thirds of the charters are “failing” schools. But the myth lives on. Another zombie idea. Now we [...]
How Tony Bennett Won While Losing
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Dan Carpenter explains here how defeated superintendent Tony Bennett plans to keep control of Indiana even though he is now state superintendent in Florida. Those corporate reformers love to mess up schools and communities with their big ideas. They don’t like democracy.
How Charter Schools Exclude the Kids They Don’t Want
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Stephanie B. Simon, investigative reporter for Reuters, has written a stunning exposé of the many ways that charter exclude kids who might drag down their test scores. Getting admitted to a charter school, she writes, can be a “grueling experience.” Examples: “Students may be asked to submit a 15-page typed research paper, an original short [...]
How Mayor Vincent Gray Is Failing DC Students
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
During Michelle Rhee’s book tour, the nation will hear a lot of claims about the dramatic changes she imposed on the D.C. schools, which qualifies her to export her ideas to the rest of the nation. What should other states and cities seek to copy? D.C. Schools continue to be among the lowest performing in [...]
Inside the Interlocking Directorate of Corporate Reform
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
In this installment of her investigative analysis of the National Council on Teacher Quality, Mercedes Schneider reviews the career of Deborah McGriff. This provides a fascinating insight into the tangled web of the corporate reform movement.
Bedford School District Votes to Oppose Overuse of Testing
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
The school board of the Bedford Central School District in Westchester County, New York, voted a resolution against the over-use and misuse of standardized testing. Will the Bedford resolution incite other districts to reject the heavy-handed mandates from Albany and Washington? The board’s resolution criticized both the state and federal governments for its mandates and [...]
Indianapolis: Farewell to Public Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
I received a desperate message on Facebook from Tarrey Banks, the founder of The Project School in Indianapolis. TPS is a charter school started with a grant from the Walton Foundation. Greg Ballard, the mayor of Indianapolis, is the authorizer. TPS has low test scores, after four years, and the mayor has decided to close [...]
Chicago Will Close Many, Many Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Chicago Public Schools announced a list of 129 schools that may be closed. This is what reform looks like. You cure the disease by killing the patient. You bomb the village and reduce it to rubble to “save” it. Shame on Rahm Emanuel. This is a message from a CPS parent group: Raise Your Hand [...]
Ken Previti: Brevard County Schools Did Not Have to Close
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Ken Previti writes this comment about the three public schools closed in Brevard County over the objections of the parents. The best solution: Elect a new school board. Run for school board. Organize and mobilize. One harsh fact needs to be remembered about school closings, teacher evaluations and school ranking by student test scores. The [...]
What a Good Public School District Looks Like
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Jere Hochman, superintendent of the Bedford, New York, public schools wrote the following for his colleagues among NewYork superintendents: “If you want to see Superman solve the problem of the day with the fix of the day, go to the movies or buy a comic book. If you want to see a student motivated intrinsically [...]
This Is the Look You Get When……..
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Treehorn Express in Australia posted this. NYC Educator reposted so you could see it too. Look here.
Reader Asks: Is This the True Goal of “Reform”?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
A reader posts the following comment. Thought you might be interested in Gates latest “Request for Proposal: Literacy Courseware Challenge.” More teacher-less, computerized learning to support his Common Core [National] Standards. “Adaptive digital learning tools” are his robo-teachers, because apparently the standards [read: curriculum, no matter how many people say that the CC are not [...]
New Blog Will “Follow the Money”
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
I just heard from a new blogger who has spent years quietly investigating the money trail behind the privatization movement. He has decided to be silent no more. Read his new blog. It is called “Charter School Finance Footnoted.” Its subtitle is: ”Public funds lining private pockets.” And he adds, as a descriptor: “Keeping an [...]
Support Glenda Ritz
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Glenda Ritz walloped uber-reformer Tony Bennett in the race for State Superintendent of Indiana schools. Now the Indiana state board of education is trying to strip her of all powers, thus nullifying her election and the will of the voters. The board wants to protect Bennett’s efforts to privatize public education and to lower standards [...]
Former Texas State Commissioner Blasts Pressure to Adopt Common Core
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Robert Scott, who recently stepped down as State Commissioner of Education in Texas, told Georgia legislators that he was pressured to adopt the Common Core standards before they were written. He said, in the video that appears in the linked article: “My experience with the Common Core actually started when I was asked to sign [...]
Mercedes Schneider: More on the NCTQ board
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
The National Council on Teacher Quality holds an important position in the public arena, passing judgment on the quality of teacher education programs across the nation. Mercedes Schneider, who holds a Ph.D. In statistics and research methods, is reviewing the board of NCTQ to determine its qualification to do its job. Among its members are [...]
A Request for Help: Can You Design a Website?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Do you want to help support those who are supporting public education against the corporate onslaught? A new group is forming to lead the resistance and is looking for a website designer. Needless to say, it has no money. If you have the skills, here is a chance to volunteer. Please contact Anthony Cody at [...]
How to Stop Destructive Legislation
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
A reader in Florida gives the answer to this important question: how do we stop the tidal wave of bad legislation? The problem is with whom we send to represent us in Tallahassee! There is no longer a Teapublican supermajority to bulldoze terrible legislation through the Florida House and Senate. The FEA, wuth the help [...]
Return of The Zombie Film “Won’t Back Down”
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
The anti-teacher, anti-public school movie “Won’t Back Down” was released into 2,500 movie theaters (owned by its producer Walden Media) and died a quick and ignominious death. Despite massive advance publicity at NBC’s “Education Nation” and a CBS promotion, despite Michelle Rhee hosting screenings at both national political conventions, despite attention on the “Ellen” show, [...]
Incoherent L.A. Times Editorial Okays Sale of School Board
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
If you can make sense of this editorial in the Los Angeles Times, you are a whole lot smarter than me. It speaks disparagingly of the board president, then endorses her. It chastises the school board for failing to exercise oversight of the city’s booming charter sector, but then rejects Steve Zimmer, the only school [...]
If You Watch Oprah’s Show About New Orleans…..
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
A teacher in New Orleans writes: Oprah’s documentary series about John McDonogh High School in New Orleans was moved to tonight @ 8p Central Time, in order to follow Beyonce’s show. Please comment on Oprah’s page, if you find that her show does not accurately tell the whole story, and if your perspective on the [...]
Mother Crusader Finds Another Smelly Charter Deal in New Jersey
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Mother Crusader has done another smashing job of research, showing how one smart person can accomplish the job of an investigative reporter. Charter advocates like to say they are responding to popular demand for choice, but in Paterson, New Jersey, there was no popular demand. A charter with no roots in the community and no [...]
Brevard County Closes Schools, Despite Parents’ Tears
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
The school board in Brevard County, Florida, voted to close three popular schools, to save money. Parents protested, along with local elected officials, but the board spared only one school. The chair of the board acknowledged that they were compelled to close good schools. “Tears streaming down her face, Gardendale Elementary Parent Karen Proctor said [...]
How to Tell if Your Local Charter School Is Avaricious
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
This post was written by Mark Naison and Bruce Bernstein. Naison is a professor at Fordham University and Bernstein is a community activist, with a background in business and software. How to Know If Your Local Charter School Sucks By Mark Naison and Bruce Bernstein We will not categorically write off charter schools because there [...]
This TFA Teacher Is Wise
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Emma Lind is in her fourth year of teaching. She entered teaching through Teach for America and started teaching in the Mississippi Delta. She now teaches in an inner-city school in Brooklyn. In this article, she warns Harvard seniors not to apply. She discovered the job of teaching is much harder than her TFA recruiters [...]
This Columbia Student Will Not Join TFA
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
This is an interesting article by a Columbia student, explaining why he will not join TFA. It is especially interesting because he is a former president of his campus Students for Educational Reform, the nicely-funded baby brother (or sister) of the Wall Street guys’ DFER. Whenever he gets a letter pleading with him to apply [...]
Zimmer Camp Reacts to Bloomberg Gift of $1 Million to His Opponent
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
As readers of this blog know, Steve Zimmer is a former TFA who became a career teacher in the Los Angeles public schools. He has served one term on the L.A. school board. He had the temerity to suggest that the school districts, which now has hundreds of charters, develop an accountability and oversight plan [...]
Mercedes Schneider on the Board of NCTQ and Corporate Reform
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Mercedes Schneider continues her review of the board of the National Council on Teacher Quality. NCTQ is working with U.S. News to review the quality of the nation’s education schools and colleges. This is the latest in her series.
Indiana: Politicians and Landlord Welcome New Charter School
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Ball State University terminated three low-performing charter schools, but not to worry. More are on the way. Despite the lack of demand, the state board of education invited charter school Carpe Diem to come to Fort Wayne. As veteran Fort Wayne journalist Karen Francisco put it, “Indiana supporters of corporate education reform are determined to [...]
Charter Leader Resigns in Chicago
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
The UNO charter schools are well connected. Juan Rangel, the head of the Chicago charter corporation, was a co-chair of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s campaign. He is a major figure in The city’s Hispanic community.The legislature gave UNO $98 million to build three charter schools. Unfortunately, charter schools are so deregulated that problems arise, like lack [...]
Florida Pays Crooks and Liars to Tutor Kids
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Florida hands out millions of dollars to ex-convicts, profiteers, and crooks to tutor poor kids. People who would never be hired to teach in a public school because of their criminal history are paid as much as $60 an hour to tutor needy students. The program has no accountability or quality. The next time you [...]
Zombie Ideas in Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
I have written on many occasions that merit pay is an idea that never works and never dies. It has been tried for over a century, and failed again and again. Yet it comes back. I didn’t realize it, but merit pay is a zombie idea. There are many more zombie ideas, like the well-known [...]
Goldenberg: Why You Should Oppose the Common Core
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
As readers know, I am agnostic about the Common Core standards. I want to see how they work in reality before supporting or opposing them. I know the case for both views. However, I am troubled by the rush to force compliance without trial. I am concerned about shoddy implementation without preparation or resources. I [...]
Should a Child with Autism Be Compelled to Take the Tests?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
A reader wrote to ask for advice. The situation she describes is outrageous. Does anyone know of a group that can help her fight this and protect her child? I am a special education teacher and mother of a 3rd grader with Autism. I am trying to excercise my parental right to opt my son [...]
When Big Money Started in L.A. School Board Races
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
This interesting article traces the rise of big spending in Los Angeles school board races. In 1978, a candidate was elected after spending only $56,000. This year’s election will break all records. The big spending began with Mayor Richard Riordan, who decided he needed to shake things up. He and his fellow zillionaire Eli Broad [...]
Ten Excellent Ideas for President Obama
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Jere Hochman, superintendent of the Bedford Central School District in New York, has some excellent ideas for President Obama. Ten of them, to be exact. He believes in putting first things first, in thinking clearly about what the federal role is and doing that role well. He believes in career professionals. He believes that the [...]
Tim Slekar: Rhee’s Biggest Lie
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Tim Slekar is a tireless advocate for public education and teachers. He was upset that Michelle Rhee got a chance to sell her book on the Jon Stewart show, because Jon is one of the best friends of public schools and teachers on national television. Tim knew that Rhee would use the opportunity to say [...]