Why Does U.S. Continue to Spend More on Affluent Children?
An excellent and unexpected article appeared in the business section of the New York Times on November 5, written by Eduardo Porter. Despite bipartisan rhetoric about “closing the achievement gap,” and giving every child an equal change “regardless of zip code,” the evidence suggests that this is empty blather. What really matters is which schools get the best funding. Porter writes:” The United S
EduShyster: Getting Big $$$ on the Charter Gravy Train
EduShyster, tongue firmly planted in cheek, defends the huge salaries collected by charter operators in New York City. That’s the price of excellence, she says. She links to an article by Rachel Monahan of the New York Daily News, who listed 16 charter executives who make more money to run a small charter school or a small charter chain than the chancellor of the City of New York. Missing from Mon
Princeton: Do Suburban Charters Increase Segregation?
Bruce Baker of Rutgers has found many examples of urban charter schools that cherrypick their students, leaving out the students who are costliest to educate and boasting of their success when they enroll notably more advantaged students than the local public schools. He decided to do a similar check on the Princeton Charter School, located in an affluent township with many excellent private schoo
Los Angeles Baffled About How to Pay for iPads in Future
Los Angeles negotiated a sweet deal for Apple, promising to buy an iPad for every student at a cost that will eventually total at least $1 billion. Forget the fact that the iPads are financed in large part by borrowing money from a 25-year construction bond issue, and that many schools will not get the repairs and upgrades they need. Forget the fact that the iPads are loaded with Pearson content t
Principal Rob Miller: Remembering Steve
Not long ago, I honored Rob Miller, principal of Jenks Middle School in Oklahoma, for refusing to bow down to the Oklahoma Department of Education. A large number of parents at Rob’s school opted out of the state test, and the state accused the principal of egging them on. They ransacked his emails in search of incriminating evidence but never found any. I admired Rob Miller because he wouldn’t le
A Columnist at the Toledo Blade Supports Public Education
At any previous time in American history, I can’t imagine writing a column with this title. Almost every American understood that public education is one of the most important democratic institutions in our society. There were a few curmudgeons here and there who didn’t want to pay to educate other people’s children, but their numbers were always small, and their complaints were dismissed as idle
District in New York Votes to Opt Out of Race to Top
At the recommendation of its superintendent, Dr. William M. Donohue, the board of education of the Byram Hills School District in New York unanimously passed a resolution to withdraw from the state’s Race to the Top. Dr. Donohue demonstrated his willingness to think independently, to express his candid views without fear, and to act in the best interest of the students who are in his care. He dese
How NPE Candidates Fared
The Network for Public Education endorsed candidates who strongly support public education, oppose school closings, excessive testing, and privatization. Most of our candidates were underdogs, overwhelmingly outspent. Only Darcie Cimarusti ran unopposed. We are proud of all the candidates who stood up for kids against big corporate money and power. We congratulate them for their courage and tenaci
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-6-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: 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, h