Huffman’s Willing Collaborators
This retired district superintendent says that State Commissioner Kevin Huffman has not been alone in his assault on public education on Tennessee. Aside from the support if an extremist governor, he has been able to count on the silence and complicity of the education establishment. He writes: “I wish I could share your optimism that a grassroots groundswell will turn the tide against the privat
The Ethics of Loss Aversion
I recently received an email from a parent in North Carolina who told me that the legislators there want to adopt merit pay for teachers. They are very impressed with the Chetty-Rockoff-Friedman study that claimed that a great teacher could have lifelong effects on students, like raising their lifetime earnings by about $500 a year. And they are impressed by the Roland Fryer study claiming that te
Are Children Products?
I wrote a post last night called “When Competition Is Pointless.” The very idea that a federal education program would be called “Race to the Top” is indicative of a religious belief that competition will provide a better education, even if it can (by definition) NOT produce equality of educational opportunity. We might well wonder when our federal goal changed from equality of opportunity to a “r
What if the International Tests Are Wrong?
The corporate reform assault on American public education rests in large part on the international test called PISA (Programme in International Student Assessment), where US students rank well behind other nations and have only middling performance. Of course, the critics who brandish these mediocre scores never admit that they are heavily influenced by the unusually high proportion of students li
Tennessee State Board Changes Licensing Rules on a Conference Call
As if to demonstrate their utter contempt for teachers, the Tennessee State Board of Education changed the licensure rules on a telephone conference call that was open to the public. The vote was 6-3. Some board members said the change should be delayed because the changes were not well understood by the board. Not all the board members agreed with voting to adopt a plan that had elements that con
A Hero Educator Who Heads a Private School in Manhattan
What does it take to be a hero educator? It takes brains, courage, integrity, and a deep understanding of education and children. Steve Nelson, headmaster of the Calhoun School in Manhattan, is a hero educator because he has all these qualities. He wrote a brilliant article about why the Common Core won’t work. He knows that David Coleman, the architect of the Common Core, now heads the College B
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 in what the state constitution says. Let it not be forgotten that the state has been in charge of the public
Holding Kevin Huffman Accountable
EduShyster here describes Kevin Huffman’s relentless campaign to demoralize the Tennessee teachers and make Tenessee the worst state to be a teacher. She suggests that the time is soon coming when Huffman will be held accountable. Not by the state board, which rubber stamps his bad ideas even when they aren’t informed of the details. No, he will face the accountability of angry parents, teachers,
A Passionate Plea from a Veteran Teacher in Tennessee
This is a great letter from a teacher to the state board of education on Tennessee: “Dr. Nixon, Speaking from 32 years of experience in education–both public and private–I beg you, implore you–yes, perhaps even grovel to you–to do your best to put to rest the issue of tying license renewal to student test scores. As I have never contacted the State Board of Education since I moved to Tennessee in
Diane in the Evening 8-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Chile: Vouchers and InequalityPlease read the series of blog posts by Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig of the University of Texas on the subject of Chile, vouchers, social segregation, and inequality.by dianerav / 12min LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog |
