Damon Takes the Stage, but Ravitch Wins the Applause
Matt Damon with Diane Ravitch
When the actor Matt Damon stood before a capacity crowd inside the Cal State Northridge student union last night, he smiled sheepishly and said he wasn’t surprised to see so many star-struck supporters in attendance. After all, he said, he was introducing the education historian and anti-corporate reform activist Diane Ravitch.
Ravitch was appearing as part of a nationwide tour to promote her new book, The Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools, and was welcomed to the campus for the school’s Education on the Edge speaking series. She spoke the night before at Occidental College.
In this appearance, she blended wit and sarcasm to attack the pillars of the reform movement, using the simple refrain, “This is a hoax.” She drew strong support from
Brown signs bill delaying exams despite Duncan’s threat With threats of federal repercussions waylaid by the government shutdown, Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed a bill that suspends most standardized tests and replaces them with a no-stakes field test aligned to the new Common Core standards. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan previously threatened to withhold some federal funding if th
Valley Charter Operators, Guilty of Fraud, Seeking New Trial
Eugene Selivanov and his wife, Tatyana Berkovich, will be back in an Los Angeles County Superior Court tomorrow, asking the judge to grant them a new trial in a case that the California Charter Schools Association says affects other charters within the LA Unified school district. The two were found guilty in April of misappropriating more than $200,000 in public funds, embezzlement and other charg
