BATS to Michelle Rhee: You Are Not Leading a Civil Rights Movement
I received the following letter from two BAT teachers who heard that Michelle Rhee is planning to speak in Birmingham and intends to portray herself as “a civil rights leader” in the tradition of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is well-known that Dr. King worked closely with labor unions–not against them–to improve the lot of working men and women. It may have been forgotten by now that when Dr. King w
Chancellor Tisch Promises Higher Test Scores Next Year
The head of Néw York state’s Board of Regents Merryl Tisch says everyone should calm down about the collapse of test scores across the state. Next year, she promised, the scores will go up. You can count on that, because the state commissioner can lower the cut score if he wants to avoid another embarrassment like this year. What you can also count on, sadly, is the humiliation that 70% of the chi
Education Bloggers Are the Best!
Ken Previti was puzzled that the U.S. Department of Education paid someone to “monitor” what I wrote. Here is his response to the latest effort to discredit my criticism of corporate reform. Why should the government monitor critics? How does it feel to know that the U.S. government is watching you and monitoring what you write? At the time, I heard rumors about it, but I didn’t believe it. Now I
Petition: It Is Time for Commissioner John King to Go!
This petition was written by supporters of public education in New York State called the Coalition for Justice in Education. They object to King’s insistence on high-stakes standardized testing, especially the Common Core testing that recently led to a collapse of student scores across the state. They seek a commissioner who cares about public education, cares about the quality of education–not ju
Indiana Governor Pence Defiles Democracy: LINK ADDED
Last fall, educator Glenda Ritz trounced Indiana state superintendent Tiny Bennett, who outspent her 10-1. Ritz collected more votes than newly elected Governor Mike Pence. Ritz is a Democrat, meaning that Pence and the legislature want to nullify her election. Controlling the state board of education was not enough. Pence announced today the creation of a new state agency–the Center for Educat
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-23-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: A Hero Superintendent in Long Island Says: “To Hell with These Scores. They Do Not Matter”William Johnson is the superintendent of public schools in Rockville Centre, Long Island, New York. He is an experienced educator. He can tell the difference between education and miseducation. For his willingness to speak truth to power, to d
