Paul Thomas Reviews “Reign of Error”
Paul Thomas reviews “Reign of Error” in the context of what he calls Ravitch 1.0, Ravitch 2.0, and now Ravitch 3.0. He connects it to earlier works: “The first twenty chapters of Reign continues a tradition of other important, but too often ignored by politicians and the media, works confronting the false narratives perpetuated about U.S. public education—The Manufactured Crisis: Myths, Fraud, An
Nicholas Tampio Reviews “Reign of Error”
NicholasTampio, a political science professor at Fordham University, asks: “How did parents lose the right to educate our own children or, at least, have a meaningful role to play in our school districts? How can we reclaim this right? “Enter Diane Ravitch, America’s foremost historian and theorist of education policy. In her new book, Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and th
Jason Stanford: When California and Texas Agree But Arne Duncan Says No
Jason Stanford has written a brilliant analysis of the efforts by state officials in Texas and California to cut back on unnecessary testing, and of Secretary Duncan’s rejection of both requests. Just in terms of federalism, this situation shows how Washington has now taken control out of the hands of the states, which can no longer decide what is best for their students, even though they put up 9
Class Size in L.A.: Out of Control?
A comment on the blog: I’m an LAUSD middle school art teacher with class sizes reduced to 31, 32, 39, 44, 45 and 48. That averages almost 40/class. AVERAGE doesn’t make sense! With 48 students in a 50 minute class I have no time to actually help students. More students means more time on attendance, more time passing out and collecting supplies (for which I have no budget.) My class of 45 has a sp
K12 Gets Hefty Profit to Run Newark Virtual Charter School
Thank goodness for reporters like Jessica Califati of the Star-Ledger in New Jersey! In this report, she shows how the for-profit K12 corporation has a sweet deal running the Newark Prep Charter School. With only 150 students, the school is paying K12 nearly $500,000 in taxpayer dollars for its services. The deal is very favorable to K12. If the school wants to cancel the contract, it must give 1
Ralph Ratto Reviews “Reign of Error”
Ralph Ratto teaches elementary school. In this review of “Reign of Error,” he writes: “Ravitch provides the proof, that our schools are not failing, the achievement gap is closing, we are not falling behind other nations, high school and graduation rates are at all time highs, poverty is being ignored, test scores are not the way to evaluate teachers, merit pay is a failure, and the importance of
What Will It Mean If Four TFA Alums Are Elected to Atlanta School Board?
I posted before that four TFA alums are running for the Atlanta school board. This seems to be the TFA long-term plan, as Wendy Kopp has often stated: to build a cadre of leaders with a strong network of funders across the nation. We know what this has meant in Louisiana, the District of Columbia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, where TFA-trained leaders have fought for privatization, high-stakes
Richard Rothstein Corrects Joel Klein’s Erroneous Claims About American Education
In an article in the New York Times magazine, Joel Klein asserted that his company’s products were needed because spending on education had doubled in recent decades had doubled but achievement remained flat. This assertion was wrong but went unchallenged. In this article, Richard Rothstein of the Economic Policy Institute sets the record straight.
EduSanity Writes Secretary Duncan: Please Read “Reign of Error”
The blogger EduSanity has written an open letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, urging him to read “Reign of Error.” In the interests of finding common ground, as Sam Chsltain has urged, Secretary Duncan should take a few hours and learn what is in my book. We know very well what Secretary Duncan says and believes. It is reported regularly in the national media. True dialogue requires a
Mother Crusader Reviews “Reign of Error”
Darcie Cimarusti, aka Mother Crusader, reviewed “Reign of Error” for public radio WHYY. She explains how she got involved in the battle to save her community public schools: It wasn’t long ago that I had never heard of Diane Ravitch. I had kids in New Jersey public schools, a teacher husband, and even worked a brief stint in the for-profit education world as the Director of two different Sylvan
David B. Cohen Reviews “Reign of Error”
David B. Cohen is a high school teacher in Palo Alto and a leader of “Accomplished California Teachers.” He describes his reactions to the book and concludes: “In exposing the hoaxes and offering solutions, Diane Ravitch’s Reign of Error is on solid ground, cogent and well-supported, exposing widely divergent views of how to secure a viable future for kids and schools. For the past decade or more
Peg Robertson Reviews “Reign of Error”
Peg Robertson is a busy teacher, mom of two active boys, and a leader of the national Opt Out movement. Yet she made time to read Reign of Error. She reports that she appreciates that it is written without academic jargon. The chapters are short. The points are well documented. Every teacher and parent will find useful information to help support their public school. She writes: “As an activist I
Today Is the Day: “Reign of Error” Is Available!
Maybe you have not been anticipating this day as much as I have. But I can tell you as an author that waiting for “pub date” is excruciating. It seems like forever between the time you make the final edit and the actual appearance of the book. I finished about June 1. And now, three and a half months later, it is here. Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and The Danger to Americ
Lessons from Pittsburgh
I had a wonderful inaugural event in my book tour in Pittsburgh. It was organized by parent activist Jessie Ramey, who writes the blog Yinzercation, and union activist Kipp Dawson. It was co-sponsored by seven local universities, the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, and a galaxy of educational justice groups, including GPS (Great Pittsburgh Schools). The audience included many elected officials
Diane in the Evening 9-16-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Why Are the 1% Getting Richer?As states cut the budget for public schools, lay off teachers, increase class sizes, fire librarians and social workers, guidance counselors and teacher aides, we hear the same refrain: Sorry, the money’s all gone. But is it? Read this article and you will find where the money went.by dianerav / 1min m