Reader: Did Tony Bennett Follow Michelle Rhee’s Footsteps
A reader, who requested anonymity, posted the following comment: “How closely did Bennett follow in Michelle Rhee’s footsteps.” One of the first things that happened during Rhee’s reign of terror in D.C. was that she announced that there was a multi-million dollar shortfall in the education budget. Shortly thereafter, she fired 241 D.C.P.S teachers, citing the need to make huge budget cuts. After
Stand on Children Dumps $500,000 into Boston Mayor’s Race
The corporate reform group, Stand on Children, dumped $500,000 into the Boston’s Mayor Race, and selected their candidate, City Councilor John R. Connolly. It is prepared to spend even more, dwarfing the spending of other candidates. This follows the pattern of the infusion of large outside money by corporate reformers in races in Louisiana, Colorado, California, and elsewhere. After reviewing a l
Lance Hill: Néw Orleans Lags Nation in Job Growth
Lance Hill of Néw Orleans, who has a long history in the civil rights movement, notes that Governor Bobby Jindal has been routing the “comeback” of Néw Orleans, giving credit in part to its privatized schools. Lance points out that Forbes ranks Néw Orleans as 198th of 200 US cities in job growth. No miracle there .
Give Rhee Credit for Higher Teacher Pay
The Washington Post reports that teachers in DC public schools have higher salaries than teachers in DC charter schools. Charter schools can set their own compensation levels. Some have opted for reduced class size, or other amenities. The higher salaries result from the 2010 contract negotiated by then-Chancellor Michelle Rhee. The Post notes: “The school system’s high salaries came with forme
Who Is Held Accountable in North Carolina?
A teacher explains what accountability means in North Carolina: I argue that the validity of these test scores and results are dismal because the test itself does NOT hold students accountable (at least in my state of NC). The entire basis of the test is invalid before the students even took the test. The only person that gets any consequence from poor test scores are teachers. No student is held
Paul Thomas Fact-Checks Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush has developed a narrative that is by now familiar: our schools are failing; the nation is in danger because of our failing schools; competition, high-stakes testing, and accountability will spur innovation and achievement; we need choice, charters, vouchers, merit pay, an end to job security for teachers; tying teacher pay to student test scores. No one in the mainstream media bothers to
Should the U.S. Government Monitor People Like Me?
I recently learned that the Obama administration “monitored” me. Two years ago, blogger Mike Klonsky tweeted that the U.S. Department of Education had a secret task force to watch me. He was ridiculed by Secretary Duncan’s press secretary in response. But now the Assistant Secretary for Communications acknowledges that he monitored me and others. It’s no secret that I never thought much of the O
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-20-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Philadelphia: Shame on Governor Corbett!The public schools of Philadelphia are being slowly, surely strangled by Governor Tom Corbett and the Legislature of Pennsylvania. Or, maybe, not so slowly. The state has a constitutional responsibility to maintain a public school system in every district but the state leaders don’t believe i
