Bravo, California!
The Los Angeles Times explains today that California has stubbornly resisted Arne Duncan’s demand that teachers be evaluated by junk science. Despite the fact that researchers overwhelmingly agree that “value-added assessment” is flawed and unstable, that it reflects whom you teach, and that good teachers may be rated ineffective, Duncan blithely insists that it is essential. Was Duncan successf
Cory Booker: Champion of Privatization
Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, is heavily favored to win the race to replace the late Senator Frank Lautenberg. Booker doesn’t like public education. He is an avid proponent of charters and vouchers. He is active in Democrats for Education Reform, the Wall Street hedge fund managers’ advocacy group for privatization. As Jersey Jazzman points out, there is a credible alternative: Rush Holt, a memb
Find Contact Info for Your Congressman
Here is the contact information for your Congressman or Congresswoman. http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/
Heilig: Feds Want to Reduce Collection of Data That Affect Civil Rights
This is an astonishing post by Julian Vasquez Heilig. He has a passion for equity, and he bridles when reformers lower the standards for becoming a teacher and claim they are doing it “for the kids.” He asks, Would you rather fly with an experienced pilot or fly with one who had only five weeks’ training? Or how about one with 30 hours of training? If the answer seems obvious, and if you prefer t
The Failure of Market-Based “Reform”
The Broader Bolder Approach to Education has steadfastly opposed the high-stakes testing and privatization “reforms” that have done so much to undermine public education. Now it has published a major analysis of the failure of these reforms. Here in clear, graphic images is a report card on districts like New York City and the District of Columbia. These are not models for other urban districts or
Call Your Representative Today! And Tomorrow Too!
Friends of Education! Congress debating the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which is the basic legal framework for federal aid to education. In 2001, in response to the proposal by the new President George W. Bush, Congress added high-stakes testing as a requirement for federal aid. Congress wrongly believed that high-stakes testing had produced a miracle in Texas. We have had a dozen yea
Diane in the Evening 7-14-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: The Zimmerman VerdictWhen I heard the news last night that the jury in Florida found George Zimmerman innocent of any crime and that he was free to walk away, I felt literally ill. As an American who respects the rule of law and the jury system, I felt disillusioned. This verdict seemed to manifestly unfair that I found it hard to