Today’s Homework: Dr. Diane Ravitch
Do you know the name “Diane Ravitch”? Do you know who she is?
Before becoming involved with education politics some nine months ago, I most certainly did not. Callow ignorance notwithstanding, she is hardly a political lightweight. A PhD from Columbia University, she served as Assistant Secretary of Education between 1991-3 under Lamar Alexander in the Bush I white house, has been appointed to several national educational panels over the years and remains yet a Research Professor of Education at NYU and a historian of education.
If you follow education politics closely you likely know all of this and as well, have your own strong opinion about the iconic Dr. Ravitch: she is a polarizing figure. To some she is something of a guru, to others, a turncoat and a fly in the ointment. She is a strong, partisan voice across the Education Reform Divide.
Didn’t know there was such a schism? Haven’t heard of her? As concerned,