Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch




Vasquez Heilig: Arne’s Top 10 Gaffes
Julian Vasquez Heilig has helpfully assembled Arne Duncan’s ten most outrageous mis-statements. His sneering comment about “white suburban moms” was the latest, but far from the worst of what happens when Arne doesn’t stick to a script.


A Superintendent Writes a Letter to Secretary Duncan About Those “Moms”
Following State Commissioner John King’s “listening tour” and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s insulting remarks about “white suburban moms,” Long Island Superintendent Joseph Rella wrote the following letter to Duncan: “Who You Callin’ a White Suburban Mother??? The Commissioner’s “Listening Tour,” launched after open, public meetings did not produce the results he desired, was replaced by “O


Common Core Is Big Business!
No wonder the big corporations and tech companies are so enthusiastic about Common Core. The education industry is an emerging market! Look at this Oregon-based company’s website, and you will see the possibilities. It will be supplying cloud-based resources for New York and other states. And what a team! Fabulous corporate experience. Wow! No wonder these business guys look down on teachers. You

EduShyster on John Arnold’s Hurt Feelings
EduShyster here recounts the sad tale of billionaire John Arnold, who apparently did not like my apology to him for a factual inaccuracy in an earlier post. I made a factual error in a post on October 10. I said that he left Enron with $3 billion. That was an honest error on my part. I wrongly assumed that is where he became a billionaire. But he made his billions after he left Enron. Imagine th
Another Hedge Fund Billionaire Who Wants to “Save” the Public Schools
Paul Tudor Jones was featured in an article in Forbes magazine. Raised in Tennessee, he is now worth $3+ billion and has decided that his new mission in life is to save the public schools. He has decided to start his mission in New York City. He has so many misconceptions about public education that I hardly know where to begin. Please, dear readers, is there one of you who will send Mr. Jones a c
Fordham Institute: Ohio Charters Fare Poorly on NAEP
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute is a conservative think tank based jointly in DC and Dayton, Ohio. I was a founding board member and served on its board for many years until 2009, when I decided I could no longer support its central focus on school choice and testing. I had tried to resign earlier, but was persuaded by personal friendships to remain as an internal dissident. One of the qualities I
Alert: White Suburban Moms Declared a Terrorist Threat!
Thanks to the warning issued by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, white suburban moms have been declared a terrorist threat, according to satirist Students Last. “Citing national security concerns, “white suburban moms” have been classified as a terrorist group. Time to get a belly laugh from the national madness! http://studentslast.blogspot.com/2013/11/white-suburban-moms-not-very-bright.htm
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-18-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Everything You Wanted to Know about inBloom But Didn’t Know How to AskThis is from Leonie Haimson, who has been the national leader in the fight to derail the collection of confidential student data via inBloom, the Gates and Carnegie-funded program. Read this: http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2013/11/nyseds-new-scary-dat