EduShyster Explains the New York Times’ Infatuation with “Excellence”
Want to know why the New York Times writes puff piece after puff piece about Teach for America and miraculous charter schools where everyone succeeds? EduShyster explains it all for you. Excellence loves excellence.
An Excerpt of “Reign of Error” in Salon and a Vitriolic Attack in the NY Post
Salon printed today a lengthy excerpt from “Reign of Error.” Enjoy. On the other hand, Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post printed a very strongly worded attack on me personally and on the book, calling its arguments “ridiculous.” Blogger Perdido Street School describes the article in the New York Post in this way: The writer “accuses Ravitch of making stuff up, ignoring scientific evidence, being a ha
Teacher Education in Finland
Finland is generally recognized as one of the world’s highest performing nations. Over the past decade, Finnish students have been high performers on the international PISA exams. In Finnish schools, students never take a standardized test. How is their progress assessed? By their teachers. Finnish educators say that the key to their success is the high quality of their teachers. Not just a star h
Los Angeles: Deasy’s Top Deputy Quits
Jaime Aquino, the deputy superintendent for instruction in LAUSD, unexpectedly quit his $250,000 a year post, although he plans to stay until the end of the year. The story is that he was disheartened by the change in the board, in which progressive members took control away from the corporate reform bloc controlled by Eli Broad. Board members expressed dismay about his departure and praised him f
Los Angeles: Will There Be an Investigation of the Misuse of Bond Funds?
This article asks: “LAUSD iPad Deal: iPaid Too Much?” Is it legal to use voter-approved construction bonds with a 25-year or 30-year paydown period to buy devices that will be obsolete in 3-4 years? Isn’t this a misdirection and misuse of what was approved by the voters? Were voters misled? Would they have approved a $1 billion tax to pay for iPads? Surely there must be a city or state official wi
Diane in the Evening 9-14-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Sharon Higgins: What STEM Crisis?Sharon R. Higgins, an Oakland parent and blogger, questions whether there is a STEM cris and offers documentation for her views. She writes: The STEM alarm is definitely a manufactured crisis. 1. “As the push to train more young people in STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — careers ga
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 9-7-13 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGTODAYArt Teacher: Just Say “No” to Teaching to the TestA retired teacher is happy that parents are opting their children out of state testing She writes: “I am a former elementary art teacher and I am thrilled parents are taking matters into their own hands. The testing culture is madness. I had to sit in too many staff m