Diane Ravitch's blog
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DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG
Shame on TIME for Supporting Rahm’s School Closures
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 37 minutes ago
TIME magazine put Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on its cover and praised him as a new kind of “pragmatic” Democrat, the kind that busts unions, ignores parents, and cultivates the approval of the business community. That is certainly a ne kind of Democrat. For a critique of TIME’s fawning coverage, read the article by Peter […]
Teacher: Why I Oppose Merit Pay
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 47 minutes ago
Merit pay is a zombie idea. It fails and fails and fails again, but legislators just want more of it. This teacher explains why he doesn’t want it. There are many reasons to oppose merit pay. 1. It doesn’t work. It failed just in the past few years in Nashville, where the bonus for higher […]
Dare They Send Their Child to the Neighborhood School?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 15 hours ago
Andy Hines, a writer and stay-at-home dad, describes his family’s debate about where to send their child to school. They live in San Diego, one of the nation’s best urban school districts, but most advantaged parents shun the neighborhood school. Instead they seek out magnet schools, charter schools, religious schools–anything but the neighborhood school. Michael […]
Should This Parent “Shut Up”?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 16 hours ago
This parent posted a comment expressing her outrage about tests that no child passed. She was told to “shut up.” Aside from the fact that this is rude language, it’s bad advice. Parents should speak up. They should organize. Alone, they are powerless. When they organize, like the parents in Texas who created Texans Advocating […]
Leading National Groups Support Common Core But Insist on Better Implementation
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 17 hours ago
A joint statement by the American Association of School Administrators, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National School Boards Association, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals expressed support for the Common Core standards, but called for more time to prepare teachers, students, and schools for the new standards. Their polling showed […]
Does Anyone Care?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 18 hours ago
Two mothers meet at a rally to protest the school closings in Chicago. One mother shows the other her cell phone. It has pictures of children on it. It is a Facebook page. The second mother explains, these children will be killed if they cross the line into another neighborhood. That’s my son’s picture. He […]
Kids Are Never Too Young to Learn to Make Money
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 19 hours ago
EduShyster reports here about a charter school in Utah where the goal of schooling is commerce. Starting in kindergarten, the curriculum is all about buying and selling: “HighMark administrators are quick to point out that the school is not a pint-sized business school. Instead, key business concepts and principles are integrated into every aspect of […]
NYC Parent Explains Why Parents Dislike Bloomberg’s “Reforms”
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 21 hours ago
This reader echoes a frequent complaint expressed by parents in New York City. Mayor Bloomberg’s choice program gives choice to schools, not students. Sometimes one wonders if he is literally aiming to drive middle-class parents out of the school system and into charters, which will rescue their children from schools that the Tweed gang neglected. […]
Gary Rubinstein on the Changing of the Guard at TFA
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 22 hours ago
Wendy Kopp stepped aside as CEO of Teach for America and will devote her time to leading the new international arm of TFA, an allied organization called Teach for All. Teach for All will bring the TFA model to nations around the world. Here, Gary Rubinstein checks out the personae of her successors. One he […]
It’s Time to Get Mad
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Adam Kirk Edgerton is mad. He is mad at President Obama because he acts like a Republican. Edgerton runs the Upward Bound program at Salem State University in Massachusetts. His students are losing their scholarships. Many students are losing scholarships. Edgerton writes: ” I woke up mad today because when it comes to education policy, […]
How Will inBloom Help Students and Schools?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
As everyone’s personal, confidential information joins that big data warehouse in the Cloud, what are the gains? What are the losses? A reader sends this comment: ********************************** According to professor Jason Frand of UCLA Anderson School of Management: http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/faculty/jason.frand/teacher/technologies/palace/datamining.htm “Data mining consists of five major elements: Extract, transform, and load transaction data onto the data […]
Where Is the Support for Our Children?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
This teacher describes how the testing mania–the evil spawn of No Child Left Behind–has consumed his school without changing the odds against the students. They are still behind and certain to remain far behind. He writes: I teach fourth grade in a Philadelphia public school. Though the school has made AYP for the past two […]
Why Is Philadelphia in Crisis?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Philadelphia is once again facing catastrophic budget cuts that threaten to gut public education. Who is killing Philadelphia’s schools, asks journalist Daniel Denvir. Here is the sordid story. The state has had control of the Philadelphia schools since 2002. It took control because of a budget deficit. The state School Reform Commission made the deficit […]
NC Teacher: How Our Legislature Is Driving Bad Policy
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 day ago
Could things get worse in North Carolina? Here, a teacher describes the bills that are moving towards passage, all of which will undermine public schools and transfer public funds to private corporations.
Who Are the “Chiefs for Change”?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Media accounts sometimes refer to the Chiefs for Change, a group of state superintendents. They are the state leaders most closely associated with Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Educational Excellence and with Jeb Bush’s views favoring high-stakes testing and privatization. Here is Mercedes Schneider’s analysis of the organization and its members.
Choice Zealots Take Control of Wealthy Douglas County, Colorado
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
There are times when reality is zanier than satire. Read about Douglas County, Colorado, where choice fanatics run the district. They want students and families to choose schools the way you choose a color for your car or a brand of cereal. In other words, they don’t believe in public education. They don’t believe in […]
Pennsylvania: Cyber Charters Are a Scam
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Pennsylvania is overrun with cyber charters. There are 16 of them competing for customers, sucking money out of real public schools, supplying a terrible education. Some are under investigation. The legislature protects them because of campaign contributions. Meanwhile public schools are suffering due to budget cuts while these sham schools make profits. They have extracted […]
New York Rally Against High-Stakes Testing on June 8
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Carol Burris of South Side High School in Rockville Center, New York, sent out the following notice: Thank you again for signing the petition against high stakes testing. It will be delivered on June 8 at the Rally for Public Education in Albany. The purpose of the rally (12:00-3:00) is to express opposition to high […]
Don’t You Wish You Were Invited to Mackinac Island?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Sorry, you were not invited. Neither was I. Mackinac Island is the exclusive resort where 1,500 business and government leaders met to ponder education. The guests of honor were Jeb Bush and Michelle Rhee. What, you thought they might want to hear from teachers, people who know something first hand about education? No, no way. […]
Jersey Jazzman on the Hess-Austin Kerfuffle: Haul Out the Fainting Couch
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Jersey Jazzman is fast on the draw. Here he dissects Rick Hess’s defense of Ben Austin. JJ wonders how Hess would feel if the parents of Newark and other cities in New Jersey–which have not had local control for two decades– were given a “parent trigger” to eliminate state control of their districts. Good question: […]
Voting Machines, Old and New
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
This is off-topic, since it is not about education. But, hey, it’s my blog and I am allowed now and then to think about other topics. I just read in the New York Times that New York City is planning to ditch its new electronic voting machines and go back to using the old lever-operated […]
Jeb Bush Slams Public Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Jeb Bush really truly doesn’t like public schools. He sees them as the essence of mediocrity, strangled by unions. What does he want? Charters, vouchers, virtual schools. Anything but public schools.
Gary Rubinstein: Watch Kevin Huffman Debate a Straw Man
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Gary Rubinstein came across an article in which Tennessee State Commissioner Kevin Huffman boasted about the merit pay scheme he was proposing and derided the leader of the Memphis teachers’ union for expressing caution about the program. Gary decided to take a closer look at the merit pay program and concluded that the union leader’s […]
Why High-Stakes Testing Is Useless For This Student
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
A teacher explains how useless high-stakes testing is for some students, and for this one student in particular: He writes: In response to a state standardized test question about analyzing the author’s use of hyperbole, a student of mine recently responded with one brief sentence: “I don’t know what analyze means.” This student (who receives […]
High-Stakes Testing: The Albatross of American Education
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Teacher Aaron Pribble wrote a critique of high-stakes testing for “Edutopia.” He explains how high-stakes testing warps teaching and distorts the educational process. When teachers get rewards and punishments tied to test scores it ruins education. He has a simple idea: Raise the standard for entry into teaching. Then give teachers the freedom to teach. […]
Monica Ratliff: A Challenge to the Status Quo
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Imagine this: a candidate for the school board who was constantly thinking of students, not hoping for a political stepping stone. Imagine this: a candidate who thinks of students–not in the abstract–but as real children with names and faces, children she knows. Imagine this: a candidate who doesn’t make absurd campaign promises because she understands […]
Who Are the Public School Haters?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
It is clear by now that there is a very small number of very wealthy people who just don’t like public education. They don’t like teachers who work in public schools and want to strip them of any and every right, privilege, and status. They want to treat them like fast-food workers or salesmen who […]
The Risks of Data-Driven Decision-Making
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
Our policymakers claim that their decisions are based on data. What our policymakers seldom admit is that numbers by themselves are not reality. They are representations of reality. To draw conclusions from numbers, you must be awfully sure that you are measuring what matters and that your measurements are accurate. In this post, the Red […]
Showdown in Chicago
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 days ago
The Chicago Public School board has made its decision, but the struggle is not over. Parents are suing the school district. The media sees the injustice of the massive shutdown of public schools and the shifting rationales for the draconian decision. Articles in the Chicago press lambaste the Mayor’s indifference to the well-being of children. […]
Jason Stanford: The Cheating Will Continue Until….
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Jason Stanford says that so long as there are high stakes attached to testing, there will be cheating. Arne Duncan says districts need more test security. A new report by the federal GAO documents instances of cheating in 33 states. When Duncan was asked about a moratorium on high stakes, he couldn’t give a straight […]
Minneapolis: A Profile in Courage
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
I received this email from a teacher who decided the only way to save public education was to run for mayor. He deserves our support. “I am a Minneapolis teacher running for Mayor of Minneapolis. I am bright but politically inexperienced. I wouldn’t have dared enter the race except that Minneapolis has Ranked Choice Voting […]
Tampio: Bill Gates Should Not Control Our Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Nicholas Tampio, who teaches at Fordham University, doesn’t understand why Bill Gates has been allowed to use his billions to gain control of American public education. Tampio says that innovation comes not from standardization but from diversity, from differing ideas and perspectives. He recalls when Gates used the power of his technology to replace WordPerfect […]
North Carolina Passes Voucher Bill
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
On a vote of 27-21, the North Carolina House Education Committee passed a voucher bill (called, euphemistically, “opportunity scholarships”). As the article linked above notes, private school vouchers will siphon a minimum of $100 million from the public schools over the next three years. In her summary, Lindsay Wagner of NC Policy Watch reports that […]
Florida: Once Again, Test Results Are Over-hyped
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Matthew Di Carlo takes a close look at the latest test scores released in Florida. His bottom line: don’t believe the press release. For one thing, the test specifications have changed, and the scores are not really comparable to prior years. Di Carlo points out: “Accordingly, the technical documentation for the FCAT notes (in bold-faced type) that […]
Was I Unfair to Ben Austin?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
You may recall the story about Irma Cobian, the elementary school principal who was forced out after Parent Revolution collected signatures from parents, employing the “parent trigger” law that it (Parent Revolution) had sponsored in 2010. The headline in the LA Times read: ”Popular Principal’s Dismissal Leaves a South L.A. School Divided.” The story began […]
Rhode Island: Teachers Oppose Gist, Business Leaders Support Her
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
This is the kind of result you expect to read in a red state. 85% of teachers voted to show their opposition to Commissioner Gist. The business community supports her. The students oppose her. Civil rights groups oppose her. How do you improve schools when the people who work in them don’t support or respect […]
Pelto: It Is Never Too Soon to Prepare Little Children for College
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
Jonathan Pelto here follows up on his report about the high rate of suspensions of children in kindergarten. The clincher is the closing lines, where the regional superintendent of Achievement First explains why so many children are suspended: “The most telling remark came from Marc Michaelson, who works as the regional superintendent for Achievement First, […]
Yertle the Turtle and the Common Core
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
This post reminds us that literature speaks to us about life in ways that informational text can never do. That is why a story like Yertle the Turtle resonates with us long after we first read it and long after the informational text has been forgotten. The post is about a kindergarten teacher. He is […]
Teaching in a World of Noise, Disruption, and Distraction
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 3 days ago
High school teacher Frank Breslin explains how the constant distractions of our society undermine students’ ability to concentrate or even pay attention to what happens in school. Breslin reminds me of Diana Senechal’s wonderful book “The Republic of Noise.” If you haven’t read it, you should. Breslin writes: “A factor over which teachers have no […]
Please Attend the Skinny Awards in NYC
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
If you are within driving distance of New York City, please come to the Skinny Awards. I will be there, along with many other friends of public education. The Skinny Awards are the opposite of the Broad Awards, which are given to urban districts and charter schools that raise test scores. The Skinny Awards recognize […]
How to Lower Standards for Teacher Preparation
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Anthony Cody reports on legislation prepared by Colorado Senator Michael Bennet that would decimate teacher professionalism. He wants federal funding for new teacher and principal academies that would lower standards for entry into education. There is the usual blather about “excellence,” “great teachers,” standards and accountability, but the heart of the legislation is what it […]
Lightning Struck Twice in L.A.
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
The Red Queen in LA offers a brief tutorial on the meaning of the astonishing electoral victory of Monica Ratliff—and before that, the remarkable upset win of Steve Zimmer. Both ran against a barrage of out-of-state millions. Zimmer had the support of UTLA, Ratliff did not. No one thought that either had a chance. Ratliff […]
Katie Lapham’s Data Analysis: 26% of Her Time Not Teaching
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
In a guest post for Anthony Cody, Katie Lapham calculated that 26% of her school year is spent NOT teaching. Data inquiry, data analysis, professional development, etc. took time away from teaching. If you teach, what proportion of your time is spent not teaching? How much time is devoted to test prep, testing, and data […]
Bridgeport Parents Respond to Charter CEO Attack
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
Bridgeport parent leaders responded forcefully to an attack on their schools by Jennifer Alexander, the leader of ConnCAN. Alexander claimed that charters in Connecticut outperform public schools and that 65,000 students are trapped in failing public schools. She certainly knows the corporate reform script. The parent leaders wrote: “As Bridgeport public school parents and elected […]
TFA Cleans Up in North Carolina, Where Privatizers Run Legislature
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
As an earlier post showed, Governor Mark Dayton of Minnesota vetoed $1.5 million earmark for Teach for America, noting that the organization has $300 million in assets and thus no reason to be charging the state for its bright but poorly prepared recruits. But TFA scored big in North Carolina, where the reactionary legislature handed […]
EduShyster: Wall St Is Only Thinking About the Kids
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 days ago
What happened when the head of the biggest charter chain in Illinois had a frank conversation with Wall Street investors? EduShyster listened in. This is what she learned.
Good News: Texas Legislature Reduces Number of Tests to Graduate; Bad News: More Privatization
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
The good work of many parent organizations and local school boards achieved a positive result yesterday when the Legislature passed a bill reducing the number of tests needed to graduate high school from 15 to five. Public sentiment was strongly opposed to the massive testing regime that had grown out of control and beyond reason. […]
Khan Academy Receives $2.2 Million to Develop Common Core Lessons
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
The Khan Academy received a grant of $2.2 million from the Leona and Harry Helmsley Trust to create math lessons aligned to the Common Core. Harry Helmsley was a real estate baron in New York City. When he died, his wife Leona inherited his huge estate. She was convicted of tax evasion and went to […]
Gov. Dayton Joins the Honor Roll
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Governor Mark Dayton vetoed an earmark (set-aside) of $1.5 million for Teach for America. The governor quite reasonably noted that TFA is a wealthy organization with $350 million in assets and saw no reason the state should pay to rent more of them. He suggested a competitive bidding process. Here is his veto message. For […]
Duncan: In Chicago, I Cut Testing by 50%
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy at a meeting with students in Hartford, Connecticut. The main topic was school security, but at one point a student asked what could be done to cut back on excessive testing. This was the exchange: “Student Justin Vega said he feels as if all the […]
Jersey Jazzman Shows the Love for the Indomitable Karen Lewis
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Jersey Jazzman loves Karen Lewis. Me too. (Note the picture at the end of his post.) She is a larger than life figure who is not only unbossed and unbought, but unbeaten. (I am paraphrasing Shirley Chisholm here, the first black woman to run for President). Karen explains the importance of collaborating with parents and […]
The Day They Closed My School
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
From a reader: “I live in Chicago, and one of the 50 neighborhood schools slated to close is an excellent school named Miriam Canter Middle School. I like to think I came into the process with an open mind– I’m not averse to school closing, if necessary–but I was so disgusted with the town hall […]
Why Does a Low-Income School in Tampa Beg for Books?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Here is a low-income school in Tampa that put out a public appeal for books. It needs $3,000 for books. The superintendent makes $263,000 a year.
Teacher: What Happens in an IDEA Charter High School
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
In response to an earlier post about the IDEA charter chain, which won a $29 million Race to the Top grant just months ago, a teacher writes: I taught at an IDEA secondary school during the school year 2011-2012. When I began, one of the phrases scarred in teachers’ and students’ minds is “No Excuses”. […]
Haimson Rebuts Bloomberg, Walcott
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 5 days ago
Leonie Haimson is Néw York City’s one-person Truth Squad. While Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott was telling anyone who would listen about the stellar education record of the Bloomberg years, Haimson marshaled data to demonstrate that New York City made less academic progress on the federal tests than any city other than Cleveland. She lacerated the […]
Helmsley Estate: Dogs For Excellence
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Leona Helmsley, the legendary “queen of mean,” wanted to leave her fortune to dogs. She didn’t care much for people. She left $12 million for the care of her beloved dog Trouble. Her estate is valued in the billions. She cut her grandchildren out of her will. Her Meanness—or rather the executors of her estate–are […]
Ten Things Charter Schools Won’t Tell You
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
This is a marvelous summary of the hidden secrets of charter success. And the best part is that it appears in a financial journal, not in the newsletter of the Network for Public Education or on this blog.
A True Act of Courage and Integrity
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
I earlier posted about the 21 teachers who resigned their positions at Weigand Elementary School to protest the ouster of their principal Irma Cobian. That was 21 out of a teaching staff of 22. Not one of them knows if he or she will have a job next year. Theirs was an act of courage […]
Parent Activist Says He Was Offered Money to Promote Trigger Law
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
A parent who supported Parent Revolution’s efforts to turn his school into a charter says the organization promised to pay him. He says he and other parent activists were sent around the country to promote the movie “Won’t Back Down,” which flopped at the box office. One parent leader in Adelanto was hired to work […]
Wondering About Ben Austin
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Earlier today, I posted an article that appeared in the Los Angeles Times about Parent Revolution forcing the ouster of an excellent principal, Irma Cobian. I keep thinking about it. I think about the way her staff admired and respected her, how 21 of 22 teachers requested a transfer when she was targeted by the phony Parent […]
Were You Invited to This Cool Party?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
No? Neither was I. This was a soirée for the super-rich who support Eva Moskowitz’s charter schools. Those are the miracle schools that claim their students outperform the students in affluent Scarsdale. Hedge fund manager Daniel S. Loeb was the honoree. He was surrounded by other hedge fund managers. They think they are Robin Hoods. […]
Ranking the Nation’s Most Expensive High Schools
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Americans love to rank, rate, and grade everything. A reader suggested this ranking of America’s private schools. It doesn’t consider how many students took AP courses, how many got a certain score on the SAT, or how many graduated. Very likely, none of these schools would release that data. Instead, they are ranked from 1-50 […]
Parent Revolution Forces Out Excellent Principal
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
The billionaire-funded Parent Revolution flexed its muscle and got enough parent signatures to force the resignation of a highly effective principal. Please read the story. This is the principal who was ousted by Parent Revolution: “Third-grade teacher Kate Lewis said Irma Cobian is the best principal she’s had in nine years at Weigand Avenue Elementary […]
What Does Rahm Believe?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
This journalist found himself in the men’s room with Mayor Emanuel, then listened to him give a speech about how his policies are improving the lives of Chicago’s poorest children. This is what he thinks he is doing by closing dozens of neighborhood schools. Against the will of their parents, he is tearing apart their […]
Teacher: Walk in My Shoes Before You Criticize
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Whenever an article appears about schools or teaching, the comments that follow are often rants against both. Whence comes this rage? Why do so many people blame their teachers for whatever ails them? It doesn’t help that Race to the Top pushes the idea that teachers–not students–are the sole source of students’ test scores. If […]
Norm Scott: Obama’s Dilemma
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Norm Scott, retired NYC teacher posted this on his website, Ed Notes Online: We have Al Qaeda on the run but right now the biggest threat to our agenda is Karen Lewis and the Chicago Teachers Union,” said an Obama spokesperson. “Our pal Rahm Emanuel has been forced to close 50 schools in retaliation for […]
Tisch and King to Randi: No Moratorium on Common Core Testing
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
Commissioner John King asked business leaders to help push Common Core implementation, despite the fact that teachers say they are not prepared. This is a flat-out rejection of Randi Weingarten’s request for a moratorium on linking test results to consequences. Randi told city and state leaders that curriculum and professional development should precede testing. This […]
A UTLA Member Speaks Out About His Union’s Hypocrisy
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
This comment came from a member of UTLA: “I think we all can celebrate. that Monica Ratliff won that election. The efforts of many UTLA members helped in that effort, and may have played a major role in her election. “It is interesting though, to look at the article at utla.net about Monica’s victory–http://www.utla.net/ratliff “Here […]
CEO of Netflix a Leader of Corporate Reform Movement
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 6 days ago
If you follow the money, you notice that Reed Hastings of Netflix is a major funder of corporate reform. He contributes to the campaigns of pro-privatization candidates across the nation. His Wikipedia bio says: “Hastings is active in educational philanthropy and politics and one of the issues Hastings most strongly advocates is charter schools, publicly […]
Why Did David Letterman Invite Only TFA for Teacher Appreciation Week?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
This teacher noticed with chagrin that David Letterman invited ten Teach for America teachers to deliver his top ten reasons for Teacher Appreciation week. Somewhat in Letterman’s defense, I have to say that the top ten reasons, which were mostly sardonic and cynical, did not reflect much credit on teachers or on the kids who […]
Anthony Cody: Who Supports Mayoral Control?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Anthony Cody describes the campaign to put mayors in charge of school districts and the reasons behind it. The biggest supporter of mayoral control is Arne Duncan. When mayoral control was up for renewal in Néw York City, he weighed in to support it. He lobbied against any effort to give the mayor’s appointees set […]
Will Obama and Duncan Condemn School Closings in Chicago?
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Chicago Public Schools voted to close down dozens of public schools. As many as 40,000 children are losing their schools, many of who are children with disabilities. The vast majority of the children are African American. Will the President and Secretary of Education speak out against this willful destruction of public schools and communities? This […]
The Scoop on Chicago Privatization
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Just saw this amazing interview and could not resist posting it in full: ******************* An Interview with Paul Horton : What Goes on in Chicago—Should be exposed to the world? [Paul Horton is a History teacher at the University of Chicago Laboratory High School] Posted by Michael Shaughnessy EducationViews Senior Columnist on May 18, 2013 […]
Norm Scott: Obama’s Dilemma
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
Norm Scott, retired NYC teacher posted this on his website, Ed Notes Online: We have Al Qaeda on the run but right now the biggest threat to our agenda is Karen Lewis and the Chicago Teachers Union,” said an Obama spokesperson. “Our pal Rahm Emanuel has been forced to close 50 schools in retaliation for […]
North Carolina Newspaper Puts Public Schools First
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
The Wilmington, North Carolina, Star-News published an editorial recognizing the danger of taking money away from public schools and giving it to charters, vouchers, and private vendors. The editorial begins: “Private schools and charter schools may satisfy individual parents, but they will not improve the public schools. They take not only money out of the […]
Why It Is Hard to Boycott Walmart
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
I never want to shop at Walmart. I hate to see even a penny of my money going to support the Walton family crusade to privatize American education. However, I am in Watkins Glen in upstate Néw York, a beautiful town on Lake Seneca. I am here awaiting the birth of my fourth grandson. I […]
Chicago: Time for a Néw Mayor
dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 1 week ago
George Buzzetti writes: “Chicago, you must set the agenda not Emmanuel and his destruction crew. You must take back control of Chicago and the School Board. There is nothing like a politician who gets the public mad as hell at them for change. In L.A. Monica Ratliff was elected with only $44,000 against more than […]