Bob Sidle in Florida: Bennett Resigns, Angrily
At his resignation press conference, Tony Bennett said the stories in the media about his actions in Indiana were “malicious and unfounded.” He said that Governor Rick Scott and powerbroker Jeb Bush wanted him to stay, but he didn’t want anything to distract from educating the kids of Florida. Bob Sidle, who reported the story in his blog, wondered why Bennett was so quick to resign: “Bennett’s qu
Three Dubious Uses of Technology in Education
I was invited to contribute an article of 500 words to a special issue of Scientific American. I assumed that most of the other articles would be unalloyed cheerleading for the wonders of technology. So I decided to talk about both the promise and the perils of technology. I have seen teachers doing amazing things with the Internet. I have gone to conferences where thousands of teachers were lear
Tony Bennett’s Wife Works for Charter Schools, USA
As state superintendent in Indiana, according to this news story, Tony Bennett sent a lot of business to Charter Schools USA. When Bennett moved to Florida, his wife got a job with Charter Schools, USA. Whether she was qualified is irrelevant. Public officials should not only avoid conflicts of interest but the appearance of a conflict of interest. If Florida has any ethical standards, this situat
E4E Gets $3 Million from Gates
A couple of years ago, I was on a panel discussion about school reform in NYC. To one side of me was a young man of maybe 23 or 24 who was remarkable. He knew everything. He had taught for 18 months and had learned everything there was to know about teaching and how to reform schools. I should have been impressed, but found his arrogance annoying. He was representing a group of other young teacher
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-1-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Tennessee Parents Create Facebook Page “Remove Kevin Huffman”A group of Tennessee moms created a brilliant Facebook page calling for the removal of Kevin Huffman, the state education commissioner. The site is vivid, graphic, and highly charged with the fury of really angry moms. One entry points out that Huffman likes to say that K