Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, June 1, 2013

NYC Public School Parents: video: Diane Ravitch vs. Michelle Rhee

NYC Public School Parents: video: Diane Ravitch vs. Michelle Rhee:


Warning to parents and CECs considering DOE's proposals to dezone your district schools



At the end of the school year and towards the end of the Bloomberg reign,  DoE has been hurriedly
Hazel Dukes of the NAACP, who spoke up against dezoning District 5
proposing to dezone D
istricts 4, 5, 6 (twice), 7 (unzoned into two large preference zones this year), 12, 13, 14, 16, 17 and 23 (unzoned for MS this year).  In order to achieve this, theCommunity Education Councils in these districts have to approve.   
What does dezoning mean?  Eliminating the right of any child to attend a school near his home and implementing a system of “choice,” where parents would list preferences, and their child could be assigned by lottery to any school in the district.
Given parents’ understandable dissatisfaction with perpetual budget cuts, rising class sizes, the increased emphasis on test prep, the loss of art, music and after school programs, and deteriorating conditions at many neighborhood schools, such a system might seem at first glance appealing.  But dezoning will do nothing do improve the quality of education.  By forcing kids to attend schools far 



video: Diane Ravitch vs. Michelle Rhee

Great video with edited excerpts from a panel discussion at Martha’s Vineyard in 2011, with Diane Ravitch and Michelle Rhee.  Diane is at her best (though she is always terrific.)  For more on this forum and how Rhee has refused to debate her directly,  see Diane's comments here;  here is a video of the whole event.


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