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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Diane in the Evening 4-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:






You Have Only a Few Hours to Read This Shocking Exposé

When Yasha Levine wrote his extraordinary article about the parent trigger in Adelanto, he was struck by the failure of the media to do any investigative reporting. It seemed that everyone was cheering for the charter promoters.
He wrote this as a follow-up.
Its title: “Et Tu, NPR?”
His thesis: the a billionaires Boys Club has bought up the mainstream media, even NPR.


NYC Mayoral Forum, May 2

Come to PS 29 in NYC to hear the mayoral candidates:
Want to know where the Democratic primary candidates stand on education? Ask!
A forum on the future of public education
in NYC
with Democratic primary mayoral
candidates
Moderated by
Diane Ravitch
Thursday May 2nd
5:30-7:00 pm
PS 29 (425 Henry Street, Brooklyn)
What do 800,000+ New Yorkers have in common?
We are NYC public school parents.
And Parents Ask Questions.
Ask Your Question*
*Submit your question to
questions@parentvoicesny.org.
This event is being organized by ParentVoicesNY
Because we are the parents voting for our
kids’ future.


Mayor Bloomberg Tries Again to Buy the Los Angeles School Board

NYC Mayor Bloomberg just dropped $350,000 into the campaign to beat Monica Ratliff in a runoff for the LA school board.
A few weeks ago, Bloomberg gave $1million to the coalition of billionaires, who assembled a $4 million war chest, mostly to defeat Steve Zimmer.
Bloomberg’s million was enhanced by fat gifts from Rupert Murdoch, Michelle Rhee, Eli Broad, and the

John Thompson: Who Will the Billionaires Kick Down Next?

Veteran teacher John Thompson says that it is time for the billionaires to step back and recognize the damage that they are doing to American education. They assume that because they are so successful, they know it all.
Shocked to discover that poverty actually exists, they decided that the best way to save poor kids was to destroy the school system.
___________________
In this thoughtful and provocative essay, Thompson writes:
“So, with the best of intentions, these novices assumed the mantle of “accountability.” Market-driven “reformers” set out to destroy education schools, teachers’ due process, and local systems of governance. These 

Hilarious! Cursive Writing: Follow the Money

This is crazy, or is it?
We learned the other day that Texas Instruments is a big promoter of Algebra 2 as a graduation requirement in Texas. Why? Civic spirit, love of education, or the fact that TI supplies most of the graphing calculators needed for Algebra 2?
Now we learn from this report that a company selling cursive writing materials is a major proponent of a law requiring same in North Carolina.
Please do not misunderstand the issue here.
I believe that everyone should learn cursive writing, both to do it and to read it.
But I don’t believe that state legislatures should dictate 

NCLB: The Creation of a Mad Dr. Frankenstein?

If you want to know how No Child Left Behind has injured our society’s most vulnerable children, read this heart-breaking story about the sanctions imposed on the Rhode Island School for the Deaf.
Written by a recently retired teacher at the school, it describes how the standardized testing regime struck the children and the school like a sledgehammer, causing it to be labeled Persistently Low Performing.
The story begins:
“I recently participated in the inspiring and informative webinar “How to Organize a Grassroots Group” put on by the Network for Public Education and the Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education. I am a retired teacher of the deaf, having retired from the Rhode Island School for the Deaf in the fall of 2011 profoundly dismayed by the unreasonable sanctions placed on the school by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), headed by 


LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Paul Barton on Common Core Implementation by dianerav Paul Barton, an experienced analyst of trends in American education, has written this piece to emphasize the importance of appropriate implementation of the Common Core standards. He warns that testing should not begin until teachers are prepared, a curriculum is in place and has been taught, and teachers have the materials they need. A Critical Stage for the Common Core ​The much-anticipated Common Core Sta... more »