Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, August 4, 2013

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-4-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

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Teacher: Too Many Ignorant Know-It-Alls
This teacher is tired of getting instructions from inexperienced policymakers and politicians. He writes: “Really! We always seem to pay the price for self proclaimed “know-it-alls” when it comes to Schools. Why is it those who have never stepped foot in a school since the day they (dropped out) or graduated seem to think they can do better than those who have invested in a higher education as wel

Conservative Columnist Slams Tony Bennett, Jeb Bush
Michelle Malkin is known for her strong conservative opinions, strongly expressed. In this article in the National Review, titled “Jeb’s Education Racket,” Malkin eviscerates Tony Bennett and Jeb Bush. She writes: [Bennett's] disgraceful grade-fixing scandal is the perfect symbol of all that’s wrong with the federal education schemes peddled by Bennett and his mentor, former GOP governor Jeb Bush:

Your Gift for This Sunday
Frank Breslin, retired teacher of German, Latin, and social studies in New Jersey, shared this treat with me. I now give it to you for a few minutes of unalloyed beauty.

Is Corporate Reform Crumbling?
The corporate reform movement is built on a series of suppositions, hunches, and unfortunately, fraud. The innocent reformers impose their will on teachers who know more than they do and say it’s “for the kids.” But others are in it for money, control, and power. The problem for the reform movement is that they ARE the status quo. They rail against it, but in doing so they have to pretend that No

Your School Library: A Profit Center
A retired librarian spots a scam: Reference: here is another blog that is relevant to the discussion. “Apple’s iPad Textbooks Cost 5x More Than Print” By Lee Wilson —————————————- Comment: I have watched the dismantling of the public library in my district. The newest “schemes” provide some kind of digital “books” that are only licensed for so many readers; once you go over that limit the fees are
Should MOOCs Replace Professors?
Jonathan Chait writes in New York magazine that President Obama is taking the risk of alienating his fervent supporters in higher education by his advocacy of online learning to cut costs. The traditional Democratic response to expanding access to higher education is to increase tuition subsidies for needy students. The President came out against that idea, and said that costs must be contained by
Does It Help to “Throw Money” at Schools?
I occasionally get a comment on the blog that says something like this: “Throwing money at schools doesn’t work. We already spend too much. …” The other day, I responded to a comment of this sort by pointing out that the people who say this have no issue “throwing money” at the schools their own children attend. Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, the city and state will no longer “throw money” at the pub
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-3-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Reader: How Will Privatization Improve Education?This comment was posted by a reader: A HUMBLE OPINION ON THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD How will privatization of our school system over the presently run public school system be certain to have any effect on education let alone making education improve by having students achieve better g