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An Open Letter to Governor Scott
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 11 minutes ago
The recent MetLife survey of the American teacher showed a high level of demoralization among the Marion’s teachers. For those wondering why, read on. John Louis Meeks Jr. Is a Florida social studies teacher. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He wrote an open letter to Governor Scott to protest the disrespect [...]
The Mysterious “Network Leaders” of Louisiana
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 hour ago
Louisiana teacher Mercedes Schneider has uncovered a curious puzzle. When five veteran administrators are hired by the state superintendent as “network leaders,” at high salaries, then disappear from view, where did they go? What do they do?
Why Steve Barr Did Not Get Venice High School
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 11 hours ago
I received an urgent message from a parent of a student at Venice High school in Los Angeles. She was desperate because had just learned that the privatization-friendly LA school board was about to vote on whether to give half of Venice High School to Steve Barr, eduentrepreneur (founder of Green Dot charters but now [...]
Rhee Buddies Still Run DC Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 13 hours ago
Most observers of the DC political scene think that Adrian Fenty lost to Vincent Gray because of the unpopularity and divisiveness of Michelle Rhee. A month after Gray wi, Rhee resigned and went on to create StudentsFirst, which has collected millions of dollars, mostly spent to elect Republicans in state legislatures. Rhee may be out [...]
Lansing Cuts Teachers of Arts, Music, Physical Ed on Elementary Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 13 hours ago
The school board in Lansing, Michigan, reached a deal with its teachers union to slash the budget. The district will eliminate teachers of the arts, music, and physical education in elementary schools. That is a cut of 87 teachers in a staff of 915. The teachers also accepted a pay freeze. What kind of state [...]
What Matters Most: Neighborhoods or Schools?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 15 hours ago
I have to take my hat off to Jersey Jazzman. He has endless patience to read the tendentious “studies” produced by corporate reformers with the intent of proving that poverty doesn’t matter. Here he takes on another one, asserting that “quality” teachers trump everything. There is a simple way to prove the proposition. Why not [...]
A Long Hot Summer in 2013?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 16 hours ago
Philadelphia journalist Will Bunch connects lots of dots: school closings in Philadelphia, the senseless killing of a black teen in Brooklyn, obscene income inequality, a new high in the stock market. When people are disrespected and unheard, they explode.
Will Cutting Recess Increase Test Scores?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 17 hours ago
Iowa officials are very proud of a school that increased test scores of low-income kids. One reason, officials say, was that the school eliminated morning recess. This teacher says the tradeoff is a bad deal. Was it to make time for more instruction or more test prep? Chris Liebig engaged in a Twitter debate with [...]
Kris Neilsen: First, Do No Harm
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 18 hours ago
Kris Neilsen wrote the most amazing post I have ever posted. It was called “N.C. Teacher: I Quit.” It went viral. On one day, it was opened over 66,000 times. It went around the world and was reprinted on many other blogs. Here is one of his latest posts. It is called “First, Do No [...]
Common Core and Child Development
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 18 hours ago
Whatever the strengths of the Common Core standards for the upper grades, they have received very negative reviews from educators experienced with very young children. This teacher explains why the Common Core standards are startlingly indifferent to basic principles of child development.
NYC Offers Tips About Test Anxiety
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 21 hours ago
NYC officials prepared a guide for parents to help their children survive the stress and trauma of the upcoming tests. Please read it. It sounds chilling. It says the state is about to subject your child to an ordeal. Here is how you should deal with it. What do you think? http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/745FABA2-C5B2-46AF-BD52-5687683F4D77/0/SupportingYourChild1pagerforParents22013FINALESEnglish.pd
Wharton Professor: The Skills Gap Is Bunk
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 22 hours ago
How many times have you heard Arne Duncan or some corporate easer complain that they have to outsource jos because Americans lack the skills that their industry needs? A new book by Wharton School of Professor Peter Capelli debunks th claim in his new book “Why Good People Can’t Get Jobs?” Andrea Gabor reviews the [...]
Chris Cerf Is Certain….and Wrong
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 23 hours ago
New Jersey’s Commissioner of Education Chris Cerf has the good fortune to be leader of a state with some of the best schools and school districts in the nation. New Jersey also has some districts with high concentrations of poverty and racial segregation, where test scores are very low. But New Jersey–inspired by the example [...]
Ohio Charter Schools: A Bad Deal for Kids and Taxpayers
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
When Ohio first opened charter schools, advocates claimed they could “save poor kids from failing schools,” while costing less. They would be so effective that at-risk students would learn more, even close the achievement gap. And they would be so efficient that the state would pay less for education. Of course, it hasn’t worked out [...]
Stephen Krashen On Marc Tucker and the Common Core Standards
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Marc Tucker has written two posts on his blog saying that I am wrong not to support the Common Core standards. Stephen Krashen, the eminent literacy scholar, disagrees with Tucker. He posted this response on Tucker’s blog and shared it with me. Krashen writes: We need to distinguish discussion (1) of the content of the [...]
Karen Lewis on Chicago School Closings
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
The mass closing of public schools in Chicago should be the lead story on every news channel tonight. It is not. The fact is that a dozen years of No Child Left Behind and three-plus years of Race to the Top has persuaded the American public that closing schools is “reform.” It is not. It [...]
Outrage! School Closings in Chicago
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Guess whose schools were closed? The poorest, the neediest, the children of color. Now the charter operators will decide which ones they want. They will take the “strivers.” Who will take the others? Which children will be left behind in the era of No Child Left Behind? Which children come in last in Arne Duncan’s [...]
Kirp vs. Rhee on L.A. Election
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
In this pairing of opposites, David Kirp takes on the mythology of corporate reformers and says we should fix the schools we have, rather than close them. He boldly challenges the claims of Michelle Rhee and disparages the hapless Race to the Top On the same page, Michelle Rhee displays her inability to speak truth. [...]
Who Decided to Close 50 Public Schools in Chicago?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
The mass closure of 50 public schools is unprecedented. Who decided? This from a reader: I am appalled at the lack of objectivity, fairness and independence that was brought to the table by the Commission on School Utilization, which conducted the study of school utilization and found, of course, that schools were underutilized. The Chicago [...]
TFA: Follow the Money
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
To regular readers of this blog, the story is not new. Teach for America is one of the richest nonprofit organizations in the United States, yet it passes the begging bowl as if it desperately needs cash. TFA is a brand, a money machine. Its tax reports got out on the Internet, and now everyone [...]
Lancaster, Pa, Rejects Charter to Teach Business to K-4
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
The Lancaster school board unanimously rejected a charter for the Academy of Business and Entrepreneurship Charter School. The school wanted a charter for K-12 but intended to open only with K-4. The charter pons ores plan to appeal o a state board, which can overturn the local decision. Earlier articles noted that this charter is [...]
British Tech Expert: Thumbs Down to Amplify
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
The Brits have reason to be suspicious of Rupert Murdoch’s entry into the education business. They still have fresh memories of the murdered Millie Dowling, whose cell phone was hacked by Murdoch reporters, as well as the larger hacking scandal, which reached into government and Scotland Yard. This technology expert explains why he does not [...]
Are You As Smart as a 5th Grader in Virginia?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
A teacher in Virginia said this about her state’s standards: “I teach in Virginia where we do not use Common core. Our standards are actually harder than common core. “Here is the problem with both: these standards are not developmentally appropriate for children. I am teaching my LD (special ed.) students things like: order of [...]
Louisiana Proposes Pay for Performance for Gifted Students
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
State commissioner of Education John White has outdone himself this time. He puts forward one goofy plan after another, like sending children to schools that teach creationism and calling it “reform.” But now he has an even nuttier idea: He wants to tie the funding for the state’s gifted high school students to their test [...]
Indiana: Who Is Pushing for and against Common Core
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Indiana voters booted out State superintendent Tony Bennett because of a strange coalition: Democrats who disliked his all-out assault on teachers and public education, allied with Republicans who disliked his fierce advocacy for the Common Core. Now the struggle against the Common Core continues in that state, as advocates like the rightwing Stand for Children [...]
Tennessee Is Abandoning Public Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
A reader in Tennessee comments on the steady advance of privatization in that state, starting with Memphis, then moving to other urban areas. And when the Legislature passes a voucher bill, the stage will be set to decimate public education and leave it as a remnant of what was once known as the portal to [...]
Raleigh, NC, Editorial Opposes Anti-Teacher Proposal
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
North Carolina is one of the red states with a super-majority of Republicans in control of he legislature. So Republicans can do anything they want, as they control state government. The editorial today in the Raleigh News Observer defends teachers. The editorialist sharply rebukes Phil Berger’s punitive, mean-spirited education “reforms.” That’s welcome news. The editorialist [...]
The Futility of Closing Schools in Chicago
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
The Chicago Public Schools will close about 50 elementary schools. This is the largest mass closure of public schools in U.S. history. The official announcement will be out imminently. Approximately 90% of the children who will lose their public school are African American. Ironically, the decision was made public soon after the release of a [...]
Open Letter from Parents to NYC Chancellor
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Parents in NYC called on Chancellor Dennis Walcott to pledge not to use this year’s tests to punish students, teachers, or schools. Change the Stakes (www.changethestakes.org), an activist group comprised of parents, teachers and teacher educators – argues that this year’s tests are so fundamentally flawed that the scores should not be used. Here’s our [...]
How to Beat VAM
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
A teacher writes: I went to a meeting today and had my eyes opened – WIDE. As a teacher at a ruraL schoo, we are a little behind on this VAM thing. Needless to say at district wide meetings I get to meet teachers from all over, some from much larger suburban districts. They already [...]
Gary Rubinstein: TFA Propaganda Videos
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
This is one of Gary Rubinstein’s most powerful posts. He analyzes a series of TFA videos that are shameless propaganda for the view that high expectations overcome poverty and that TFA has cracked the secret code of education. This sort of rhetoric reveals the basic sin of TFA. The organization encourages policymakers to believe that [...]
Ten Ways to Tell If You Are a Transphormer
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
EduShyster has developed a list of 10 signs of a real, true Transphormer. You know, the ones who are so motivated to arrange the lives of other people’s children that they can’t wait to get their parents’ okay. The ones who are so gripped by a sense of urgency that they feel called to close [...]
Is NECAP a Valid Test for Graduation?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
A reader sends this information about the Néw England assessment: In terms of cut scores, this data from New Hampshire puts things in perspective: 2010-2011 graduation rate: 86% (3rd in US) 2011 Science and Engineering Readiness Index (SERI) ranking: 4th in US 2011 NAEP Mathematics: 4th grade scale score state rank: 2nd 4th grade % [...]
How to Make Big Bucks as a Teacher
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Teachers at a charter school in Louisiana received eye-popping bonuses. One got a bonus of $43,000–more than 75% of her annual salary–for raising test scores by 88% in one year. Five teachers shared bonuses of $167,000, The money comes from a federal grant. One teacher saw a gain of nearly 200%, but she teaches kindergarten, [...]
Sgouros to Gist: If I Am Wrong, Tell Me Why
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
As we saw in the previous postTom Sgouros explained in detail why it was wrong for Rhode Island to use the NECAP as a graduation requirement. It was not designed for that purpose, and many students will fail who should have passed. State Commissioner of Education Deborah Gist said Sgouros was wrong because he is [...]
Why NECAP Should Not Be Used as a Graduation Test
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Tom Sgouros, an engineer, wrote an open letter to the chair of the Rhode Island Department of Education, explaining succinctly why NECAP should not be used as a graduation test. It was not designed for that purpose. It will fail students who deserve to pass. Anyone who reads and understands this letter will recognize that [...]
Fulton County, Georgia, Removes Line Separating Church and State
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
A Fulton County parent sent me this notice of a meeting today: the second annual Faith Summit “to forge partnerships between schools and the faith community. The free event is for leaders of local houses of worship to join school principals and district leaders in a collaborative discussion on practical ways to provide resources benefiting [...]
My Trip to North Carolina
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
I am speaking later today at UNC in Charlotte. I will be speaking at 7 pm at the Cone McKnight Auditorium – UNCC campus 320 East Ninth St Tomorrow in Raleigh. Details here.
Was There Cheating in DC?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
The National Research Council is conducting a five-year review of mayoral control and the D.C. Public schools. The committee created for this purpose will meet on March 22. There is an open session at 1 pm to discuss test security and the validity of test scores in D.C. This is a good opportunity to listen, [...]
It’s Not About the Test Scores at Harper High
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Do you want to know what’s really wrong with American education? It is not about test scores. In some schools, it is about survival. John Thompson writes about “This American Life’s” brilliant radio documentary, which describes a “turnaround” school in Chicago. It is called “Harper High School.” Written and reported by Alex Kotlowitz, Ira Glass [...]
Louisiana Bloggers and Researchers Join the Honor Roll
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Louisiana is the state most dedicated to wiping out public education and the teaching profession, under the leadership of Governor Bobby Jindal and state commissioner John White. Jindal and White are doing whatever they can to privatize public education with vouchers, charters, and a program to outsource as much as possible of the funding dedicated [...]
Anti-Teacher Legislation Introduced in North Carolina Legislature
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
No more career teachers in North Carolina. That’s the goal of legislation introduced by Phil Berger, the President Pro Tem of the State Senate in North Carolina. The experienced, high-performing teachers would get a four-year contract. Others would get shorter contracts. No tenure for any teachers. Lots of performance pay built in. Bonuses would be [...]
From Rhode Island: “I Failed the Test”
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
This comment from one of the professionals who took the test in Rhode Island, at the invitation of the Providence Student Union. He raises the question: When will those at the top be held accountable for failure of their policies? “I am one of those “irresponsible adults” who took the test…and failed, predictably enough. I [...]
Breaking News: Adults’ Test Scores Released in Providence!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
The results are in. Most of the adults who took the test would not be able to graduate. Are we a failed nation of illiterate professionals or are the tests unreasonable? Here’s a thought: Michelle Rhee, Bill Gates, and Arne Duncan should take the test. This is the press release from the Providence Student Union: [...]
No Surprise: Voucher Schools Teaching Creationism
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
I previously named Zack Kopplin to the honor roll for his outspoken opposition to schools teaching creationism. A native of Louisiana, Zack criticized Governor Bobby Jindal’s voucher plan for using public funds to send students to schools that teach creationism. Zack, a student at Rice University, recently appeared on the Bill Moyers show to talk [...]
More Cheering from Wall Street for School Closures
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Good news for Wall Street! More school closings! Does Wall Street think it would be a good idea to close down all public schools? Think of the savings to municipalities if we just stopped offering free public education! A reader writes: And Bloomberg reports this about Philadelphia school closures: Closing 12% of Philadelphia Schools Creates [...]
Report: Detroit’s New Emergency Manager Has Tax Liens on His Home
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Governor Rick Snyder selected an emergency manager to put Detroit’s financial house in order. The EM will have dictatorial authority and will displace all elected officials and have the power to break all contracts. A report in the Detroit News says the new emergency manager has his own financial problems: The paper discovered that: “State [...]
Wall Street Cheers Philly School Closures
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Joy Resmovits reports on Huffington Post that Moody’s rating service is happy about the school closures in Philadelphia. She writes;0: “School Closures: Good For Wall Street? Philadelphia recently voted to close 23 schools, and a Moody’s analyst thinks that the move, which frees up privately-run charter organizations to set up shop, is a good thing [...]
Who Is Right? Students or Adults?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
“And a little child should lead them.” The Providence Student Union had the audacity to ask successful adults to take the math section of the test that will determine whether they graduate from high school. Three dozen brave souls accepted their invitation to take a test made up of released items. The results will be [...]
Sirota: Getting Rich Off School Children
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
David Sirota of Denver has been trying for some while to send a wake up call to the American public: billionaires and entrepreneurs are scoping out the schools as an emerging market for their goods and services. What they call “reform” has nothing to do with education and everything o do with money, power, control, [...]
TeacherKen on Three Decades of Reform
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Kenneth Bernstein is an award-winning NBCT who recently retired as a teacher of government. He is now caring for his wife, who is recovering from a major illness. He usually blogs at the Daily Kos but has taken the time to share his insights here as a comment. Thank you, Ken. He writes: We have [...]
Schneider: NCTQ and the Corporate Reform Agenda
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
In recent weeks, Mercedes Schneider reviewed the members of the board of the National Council on Teacher Quality. She did so because NCTQ is now often perceived as a nonpartisan, independent evaluator of teacher education programs, teacher colleges, and teacher quality. It has been the recipient of grants from many foundations, including Gates. Its investigation [...]
What About the First Amendment?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
An earlier post reported that students in Warwick, Rhode Island, were being disciplined because of tweets they wrote about state commissioner Deborah Gist. Who was reading the tweets? Who has that job? A reader commented: “This is scarier than all the testing malarky… we need to guard the first amendment with all the zeal the [...]
Breaking News: Providence Officials Oppose Graduation Test
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
The Providence Student Union has taken a stand against the NECAP graduation test. Last Saturday, a few dozen local leaders took the test, any said it was too hard for them, and they are nervously waiting for their scores. When students take action, everything changes! Here is the news: “Providence City Council education committee opposes [...]
Students in R.I. Punished for Their Tweets
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
The ACLU is protesting disciplinary actions taken against high school students in Warwick, Rhode Island. The students tweeted something negative about State Superintendent Deborah Gist. Whatever they tweeted was not reported in this story. The story said: “Several students called Gist names on Twitter following a story in the Journal in which about 35 adults [...]
Sacramento Will Close Schools Serving Neediest Students
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
I am late posting about the school closings in Sacramento, but better late than never. In Sacramento, the Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP) and the Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education are working together to protest the closing of seven elementary schools. The closing of these schools will have a disparate impact on children of color [...]
Carol Burris: Why I Oppose the Common Core Standards
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Carol Burris, the principal of South Side High School in Rockville Center, New York, was an early proponent of the Common Core standards. She wrote a book about how to implement them to benefit students. But as the standards are turning into reality, what she imagined is going sour. She recently wrote two articles (here [...]
A Student Wants to Know….Can You Answer?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
A recent post reported that Rupert Murdoch’s Amplify business won a contract to develop the formative assessments for one of the two federally-funded consortia preparing tests for the Common Core standards. Joel Klein is head of Amplify. As in any conversation among knowledgeable adults, we often don’t explain every word to outsiders. Do you object [...]
The Best Model Law for Student Privacy
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Sheila Kaplan of Education Néw York is a specialist in student privacy issues. She recommends this model law to protect children from marketing of their personal data.
Has the Train Left the Station?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Supporters of corporate reform have several phrases they favor to persuade skeptics that resistance is futile. One is to say that “the train has left the station.” In other words, you have no choice. (Even though they prattle on about why kids need choice and how choice is the civil rights issue of the decade, [...]
What You Have Been Waiting For: The Cla$$room of the Future
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
EduShyster has captured in one small post the essence of the classroom of the future. Here it is. We will go where no nation in the world has ever dared to go: Schools where happy teachers (all of them Excellent) have classes of 100 or more students, each one enjoying a customized, personalized education on [...]
How Rhee and Allies Failed in DC
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
A blogger took a close look at the latest report from DC on proficiency rates. As Matt Di Carlo and others have repeatedly shown, proficiency rates are notoriously easy to manipulate by moving the cut scores and other tricks. But in DC, one fact is undeniable : the rates went up in Affluentt districts and [...]
Model Legislation to Protect Student Privacy
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
If you live in NewYork, contact your elected state officials. If you don’t, find a state legislator to introduce similar legislation. Our children’s personal data must not be released to inBloom (Gates and Murdoch) to give or sell to marketing corporations. Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters reports: Great news! on Wednesday, Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell [...]
Why Obama Does Not Understand VAM
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Obama’s former budget director Peter Orszag recently wrote an article claiming that teachers should be judged by the test scores of their students. He read about the Raj Chetty study and the Gates MET study, and that was good enough for him. From what he writes, it is clear that he knows nothing of the [...]
Jeb Bush Will Bring Tale of “Florida Miracle” to Maine
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
On March 22, Governor Paul LePage will host an event for Jeb Bush and his merry team of market-model crusaders in Augusta, Maine. Bush will present the full range of ALEC-inspired “reforms” guaranteed to bring privatization and for-profit entrepreneurs to Maine, while demoralizing Maine’s teachers and principals. How clever to present the rightwing agenda as [...]
Broad Foundation Bails Out State’s Emergency District
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Michigan created an “Educational Achievement Authority” in which it clustered the state’s lowest performing schools. Of course, it is corporate reform-speak to identify the schools with the lowest test scores and say they are part of an “achievement” district. But, hey, it is only words. Seems the EAA needed an infusion of cash, so the [...]
How CTU Confronted Antagonists in the Democratic Party
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
This is a stunning analysis of the relationship between labor unions and the Democratic Party. It is a must-read. Many in education have been baffled by the bipartisan consensus around Republican ideology. Micah Uetricht is not baffled. He says without hedging that “Democrats have swallowed the Right’s free market orthodoxy whole. Much of the party [...]
Jersey Jazzman Wonders About Rahm’s Brain
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
As Jersey Jazzman reports, on some days Rahm Emanuel blames poor test scores on children’s home environment. On other days, he blames it on teachers. What is he thinking? Here is what Chicago is thinking: Rahm’s approval rating is down to 33%. He is polling about the same as Bobby Jindal and Rick Scott. Could [...]
Jindal and Scott in Trouble with Voters
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Bobby Jindal’s poll numbers have dropped sharply. In 2010, he had favorability ratings of 58%. His positive rating is now down to 34%, making him one of the most unpopular governors in the U.S. In Florida, Governor Rick Scott’s approval ratings are down to 33%. This is good news. Voters are paying attention. The people [...]
This Is What School Reform Does Not Look Like
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Once again, New York City’s Panel on Educational Policy (formerly known as the Board of Education) rubber-stamped the closing of 22 schools. After nearly a dozen years of mayoral control, the authorities showed how hollow “reform” is. The closings never end. Success is nowhere in sight. The representatives from Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens propped [...]
Providence: When Adults Take the Test
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
The Providence Student Union thought it was wrong that a single high-stakes exam should determine whether they graduate. To prove their point, they invited legislators, educators, and community leaders to take the test. The test was made up of released items. The results will be released later this week. Hats off to the brave adults [...]
Rupert Murdoch Wins Contract to Develop Common Core Tests
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Amplify, the company owned by Rupert Murdoch, won a $12.5 million contract to develop formative assessments for Common Core tests. The award was made by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, one of two groups funded by the Obama administration to create national tests, administered online. Joel Klein runs Murdoch’s Amplify division. When Murdoch purchased Wireless [...]
Mike Deshotels: Another Account of Showdown in Baton Rouge
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Mike Deshotels writes a terrific blog about education in Louisiana. He attended my debate with Chas Roemer, and here is his account. He also writes about the teacher town hall, where I urged teachers to become politically active. He urged teachers to join the Network for Public Education. They should also join the “Defenders of [...]
Infected by GERM, Britain Looks to Bain for Education Ideas
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
We are not alone. We are not the only great nation doing truly absurd things to our education system to advance the interests of private enterprise, under the guise of “reform.” Great Britain’s Minister of Education Michael Gove has invited Bain & Company of the U.S. to advise him on how to make cuts to [...]
Yong Zhao Offers Advice on How to Beat China
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Yong Zhao knows that American policymakers are obsessed with getting higher test scores. Not their own test scores, of course, because they don’t take the tests, but the scores of America’s children. They want higher scores than those of China. Actually, we don’t know what China’s scores are, because the national scores have never been [...]
Is This the ALEC Group for Testing Common Core?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
The PARCC assessment group includes all or almost every member of Jeb Bush’s Chiefs for Change. What is strange is to see the commissioners of Massachusetts and New York aligned with the state commissioners of the states most closely aligned with the ALEC agenda of high-stakes testing and privatization.
Data-Driven Teacher: I Will Not Quit
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
A letter from a NYC teacher: I am a Nationally Board Certified Teacher (2003, 2013) teaching in NYC. Two years ago, I was intimidated to leave my first NYC school due to test scores on the grade 8 ELA exam. My students passed but didn’t make enough progress. This school was an “A” school in [...]
Louisiana Blogger Wants Chas Roemer to Answer His Question
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Forgive me if I seem to be focusing quite a lot of space on Louisiana, but please understand that the state is now a Petri dish for privatization of public education on a massive scale. To keep costs down, the state is doing its best to drive out experienced teachers and replace them with TFA. [...]
Mayor Bloomberg’s Chaos Theory
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
This article in the New York Times describes how one large high school now houses nine small schools. Some succeed, some fail, some statistics are better, some are worse or no different. Some statistics are undoubtedly inflated by credit recovery and other tricks to game the system. One thing is clear: a building that once [...]
TFA Alum: Is It Time for TFA to Fold?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Matt Barnum, a TFA alum (2010), asks whether TFA has run its course. Now a law student, he is glad that he joined TFA, and he thinks it had a very important original mission. But now that districts are hiring TFA youngsters to replace experienced teachers, he is worried about the role that TFA is [...]
Help Save Washington Irving HS
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Help stop co-location of rich charter school in free public space. Join others to demand improvement, not privatization. CONCERNED PARENTS CONCERNED STUDENTS CONCERNED TEACHERS CONCERNED ABOUT THE CO-LOCATION OF A NEW SUCCESS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL AT THE WASHINGTON IRVING HS CAMPUS? WANT TO HEAR ABOUT A POSSIBLE LEGAL CHALLENGE TO THE PLAN? MEET WITH ATTORNEYS [...]
My Debate in Louisiana
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Last Thursday I flew to Louisiana for a lunch debate with Chas Roemer, who is chairman of the state board of education. Before the debate, I read online about his strong support for vouchers, charters, evaluation of teachers by test scores. Knowing this, I used my time to demonstrate the poor results of what I [...]
Book Banning in Chicago
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Since I wrote a book a decade ago called “The Language Police,” I can’t pretend to be shocked that a book was pulled, removed, or censored by the Chicago Public Schools. Jersey Jazxman sums up the controversy here. It is no consolation, perhaps, to know that school boards–state and local–have been censoring books for many [...]
The First Newsletter from Network for Public Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
The first newsletter from the Network for Public Education is out! We aim to to knit together the hundreds of district and state organizations that are supporting their community schools. Please read and get involved! Diane
Bill Gates “Loans” $10 Million to Central Falls, RI
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
This is an odd story Bill Gates is “loaning” $10 million to Central Falls, Rhode Island, to expand and repair “high-performing” public and charter schools. If you recall, Central Falls is the tiny district where the district superintendent announced her intention to fire the entire staff of the high school. The state superintendent said it [...]
Who Is the Most Incoherent Ex-Governor in America?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Jersey Jazzman knows. Read here.
Paul Thomas: Ravitch Right, Tucker Wrong
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Paul Thomas rejects Marc Tucker’s critique of my view on the Common Core. I agree with Paul. So there.
New Florida Law=$$ for For-Profit Charters
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Coach Bob Sikes reports: “Floridians have not witnessed such an avalanche of legislation intended to shift tax payer dollars which once went to public schools to the education for profit industry.” Charter industry supporters said they wanted to “ease the financial burden on charter schools.” State funding will be very generous to for-profit charter corporations. [...]
Louisiana Teacher: “I Quit!”
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Abby Breaux, a 25-year veteran teacher in Louisiana, wrote an open letter to the state board of education to explain why she was quitting. It is a powerful letter that demonstrates the complete disconnect between the people on the state board who make the rules and the teachers in the classroom who must live with [...]
Marc Tucker Says I Am Wrong About Common Core
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Marc Tucker says I am wrong for saying I cannot support the Common Core. Unlike me, he says they need no field testing, no trial. He doesn’t worry–as I do–that they are developmentally inappropriate for the early grades. He doesn’t worry–as I do–that the rigor-rigor-rigor that is so widely hailed might widen the achievement gap [...]
A Teacher Asks: What Is the Goal of Common Core?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
A comment from a teacher. She writes: I work with gifted students in an affluent district and I’m quite concerned with Common Core. Diane’s article points out some very serious flaws in how this is being foisted on states and thus, schools, teachers and the children in them. The students I work with will likely [...]
Why This Reader Loves Bruce Baker
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Brian Ford writes to express his admiration for Bruce Baker’s work. Baker is at Rutgers in New Jersey. He has published many valuable statistical analyses of school finance, charter schools, and the teaching profession. He is especially good at debunking inflated claims. Brian Ford writes: I always liked Bruce Baker, but now he is a [...]
Yes, It Is OK to Teach Literature in English Class!
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Kay McSpadden, a high school English teacher in York, S.C., was told by school officials that English classes would have to stop teaching literature due to the new Common Core standards. She knows that isn’t true, and David Coleman (“the architect of the Common Core standards”) has said it isn’t true. But the word reaching [...]
Florida Teacher: A Fruitless Pursuit of My VAM Rating
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Please read the link in this comment. Kafkateach has been trying, again and again, to find out what her VAM score for 2011-2012 was. No one will tell her. No one knows. It is being calculated. It is being recalculated. If it takes two years to find out what your evaluation score is, what value [...]
What Is the Evidence for Common Core?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
When No Child Left Behind was passed, the law contained dozens of references to evidence-based policy or practice. But NCLB itself was not based on evidence. It was based on a political campaign claim about a “miracle” in Texas. The miracle was spin and hype. It didn’t happen. After ten years of NCLB, the nation [...]
Teacher: Kopp Can’t Connect the Dots
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
A teacher in California heard Tavis Smiley and Cornel West interview Wendy Kopp, Jonathan Kozol, and me–in separate interviews–and this was her reaction. She wrote a post called “TFA can’t connect the dots.” Here is a link to the interview with Kopp. A link to the interview with me. A link to the interview with [...]
How Many Reformers Does It Take to Fix a School?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
John J. Vial has written a hilarious spoof of school reform. You will enjoy reading it