Election Updates
The election yesterday produced mixed results for supporters of public education. We won some, we lost some. This is big progress. A few years ago, it appeared that the corporate reform crowd would have a free hand and would be able to buy school board seats wherever they chose. As usual, a number of contests were showered with big money from corporate reformers. The Network for Public Education e
The de Blasio Mandate for Education
The de Blasio Mandate for Education The election of Bill de Blasio represents a major national setback for the agenda shared not only by Mayor Bloomberg, but by George W. Bush, Michelle Rhee, Arne Duncan, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal, ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange), the Koch brothers and many others. What they had in common was that they had the gall to call themselves “reforme
Indiana: GOP Plan to Privatizatize Public Schools Revealed
There is a pattern on the rug. First, you silence the teachers’ unions. Then, you strip teachers of tenure, ie, any job protection, to keep them fearful. Along the way, you keep saying that the public schools are broken, failing, obsolete. Keep demonizing teachers. Destroy public confidence in public schools. That clears the way to hand public money to private corporations. That opens the doo
Bill Gates’ Utopian Vision for Your Child
Bill Gates has plans for your child. He wants to know everything he can about your child so he can customize and personalize the deliverables. A teacher in California told me that his principal enthusiastically signed up for the Gates plan. Here is the survey that every teacher was asked to complete. Where do you think this is going? Is this utopia or dystopia? **********************HERE IS THE
Seth Sandronsky Reviews “Reign of Error”
Seth Sandronsky is a Sacramento-based writer whose work has appeared in many journals. Here he reviews “Reign of Error.” He writes: “With verve, she demystifies the corporate reform language, with its heavy reliance upon shibboleths about test scores (domestic and global), achievement gaps, high school and college graduation rates. Ravitch deconstructs the reformers’ education solutions such as
St.Tammany Parish in Louisiana Drops Out of CCSS
St. Tammany Parish is one of the state of Louisiana’s high-performing districts. Its board passed a far-reaching resolution declaring that it was dropping out of the Common Core standards and would not administer the PARCC assessments. Its resolution explained why it was not willing to participate in this disruption to its schools: It objects to federal control of its curriculum; The CCSS were wri
A True Story Told as a Fairy Tale
A principal in New York City wrote this story, borrowing from the story of the wolf and the Three Little Pigs. The wolf wants to eat the pigs. Who will save them? The moral of the story: The only way to defeat evil is to speak truth to power. Read on: On Wednesday afternoon a principal stricken with worry about her increasing complicity in miseducative school deform policy stops by the New Yor
Why Are Swedish Schools Falling Behind?
Among the nations of Europe, Sweden has taken the lead in imposing choice, competition, and high-stakes testing. Sweden has vouchers, so students can take their public money to any public or private school they want. Sweden also adopted a national curriculum. The result: a falling quality of education, lower results on international tests, and increased social stratification. This is an example of
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-5-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Douglas County: Is This the Future of Public Education?Today, voters in Douglas County, Colorado, will decide the future of public education for the children of their county. In response to an earlier post about the election battle for control of the schools in Douglas County, where the school board is eager to privatize the school