How “Reform” Is Ruining Education and Killing Schoools
A comment from a reader who has seen the results of No Child Left Behind: “1) The system is broken from top to bottom. The vast majority of people making these decisions have not set foot into a classroom since they graduated from college. 2) An administrator makes any where from double to four times as much money as the teachers who work 50+ hours a week teaching, prepping, and grading. 3) Commo
Join NC’s Moral Monday Protest Against Assault on Public Schools
Supporters of public schools in Virginia will be car-pooling to join the weekly protest at the North Carolina state Capitol called Moral Monday. If you can be there to support public schools, to oppose budget cuts and privatization, please join them. This comes from Rachel Levy in Virginia: “There is going to be a big Moral Monday event in support of public education & in protest of education
In Defense of Alabama’s Plan 2020
I wrote a blog critical of the race-based, ethnicity-based, income-based targets for student achievement in Alabama’s Plan 2020, which many other states have adopted. I received the following critique from Melissa Shields, who teaches in Alabama: As a nationally board certified teacher in Alabama of more than 20 years, I have long admired Dr. Diane Ravitch and read her blog regularly. She often sa
Arthur Goldstein: Is Gotham Schools Psychic?
Arthur Goldstein, one of Néw York City’s best bloggers, is angry at the online publication “Gotham Schools.” Goldstein says GS has been too quick to publish the Deep Thinking of Campbell Brown, the former CNN newsreader. Brown believes the teaching corps of NYC is teeming with sexual predators, and she has launched a campaign to find and fire these hidden offenders. She is pushing for new legislat
Marco Rubio Opposes Common Core, Breaks with Jeb Bush
The biggest fight over the Common Core is within conservative ranks. On one side, supporting Common Core, is Jeb Bush, Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee, and big business (last February, 72 major corporations put out a full-page ad supporting the Common Core as necessary for the future of our economy). On the other is Tea Party activists and other small-government conservatives who worry about federal con
What About Those Lazy Teachers?
A reader wrote to complain that many teachers have an easy job, don’t work hard, and are paid too much for the little they do. This teacher responds: “I am one of those assistants in that classroom, a special education classroom. I would like to see you do it. I want you to change a teenager’s diaper while keeping them from tearing up the changing area and watch two other children and keep them sa
A Florida Parent Listens to Ben Austin About Parent Revolution
This is a hilarious description of a conference call in which Ben Austin of Parent Revolution joined with Congressman George Miller of California to discuss the value of parents seizing control of their schools. Rita Solnet, the Florida parent activist who joined the conference call, quickly learned that parents were not allowed to ask questions, only journalists. She heard Ben Austin claim that
When Is a Conflict of Interest NOT a Conflict of Interest?
The title of this post is not a trick question. When the state of Louisiana is involved, and when the conflict of interest concerns Teach for America, there is NO conflict of interest. Kira Orange-Jones, the executive director of TFA in New Orleans, was elected to the state board of education with the help of contributions from wealthy donors across the nation. Questions were raised by critics abo
Diane in the Evening 7-26-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: How Arizona Discriminates Against Public SchoolsA comment from a reader in Arizona: “I live in Arizona, am freshly retired from the US military, and have no children. Even from this vantage point, it doesn’t take much effort to see that Arizona’s under paid, hard working (at multiple jobs), parents are too busy trying to survive to
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 7-27-13 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGTODAYWhat About Those Lazy Teachers?A reader wrote to complain that many teachers have an easy job, don’t work hard, and are paid too much for the little they do. This teacher responds: “I am one of those assistants in that classroom, a special education classroom. I would like to see you do it. I want you to change a tee