Diane Ravitch's blog
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG
DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG
Bad News from Me | Diane Ravitch's blog
Steve Koss: More Suggestions for Mayor de Blasio
Why Are We Obsessed with Test Scores?
Nevada Teacher: No One Asked Me about Common Core
Marc Epstein: The Task Before Mayor de Blasio
Steve Koss: More Suggestions for Mayor de Blasio
Steve Koss is a New Yorker, a math teacher, and an active contributor to the groups battling corporate reform for the past decade. He has some ideas to add to those I suggested to the Mayor-elect: Diane, Agree with your first five recommendations/mandates. Here’s five more of mine. Sixth, Mayor-elect deBlasio must oversee radical revision if not elimination of the school-grading system which ha
Sign the Get Well Card for Diane Ravitch - The Action Network
Sign the Get Well Card for Diane Ravitch - The Action Network: Sign the Get Well Card for Diane RavitchSign the get well card and tell Diane to get well soon. We know she will continue to fight for our students and schools and we are with her all the way!Sign the Get Well Card for Diane Ravitch - The Action Network:
Why Are We Obsessed with Test Scores?
A regular reader who calls him- or herself “Democracy” wrote the following in response to my post about the hype and spin surrounding NAEP scores: “Diane Ravitch writes this: “Anyone who takes them [NAEP scores} seriously is either a sports writer covering education or someone who thinks that education can be reduced to the scores on standardized tests.” I don’t disagree. But there are, obviously
Nevada Teacher: No One Asked Me about Common Core
From Angie Sullivan, a teacher in Nevada: I’m a union girl. But I know that my union is huge and has become part of the privatizing problem – looking for money from big business and supporting politicians who take it too. So I lobby them too. Common Core is not supported by this member. With everything going on in my state of Nevada – NEA spends money and gives us a grant to impleme
Marc Epstein: The Task Before Mayor de Blasio
Marc Epstein is a veteran New York City teacher who holds a Ph.D. in Japanese naval history. He was dean of students at Jamaica High School, now closed and replaced by multiple small schools. Epstein has written extensively for Huffington Post and other outlets. Here he shares his reflections on the past dozen years of changes under Mayor Bloomberg and the changes that face the new Mayor Bill de B
How Many Children Will We Sacrifice Before We Wake Up?
The following comment came in response to a post about what is happening to early childhood education, about the federal government’s demand that children in kindergarten be tested to see if they are on track to be college-and-career ready in compliance with the Common Core: Dear All, I just read this op ed and ALL the comments! With all we know (research-based, data rich science) about child de
The. Most. Brilliant. Review. of. “Reign. of. Error.” Ever.
I just finished reading the review of Reign of Error in Commonweal, a magazine edited by independent lay Catholics, and I am speechless (almost). Written by Jackson Lears, a cultural historian at Rutgers University, the review brilliantly explains the underlying effort to transform public education through “creative disruption” and turn it into a commodity. Why have our society’s leaders fallen in
YESTERDAY
NAEP Nonsense: Don’t Believe the Hype
The latest NAEP reports on reading and math have been heralded as evidence for the success of the “reforms” that involve test prep, testing, punishing teachers if scores don’t go up, rewarding them if they do, closing schools, and other versions of the carrot and stick method of school reform. Here is my one-word comment: Balderdash! There are just as many states using the same misguided strategi
San Antonio Goes for Charters for Affluent
San Antonio has committed to a dramatic expansion of charters, the emerging growth industry of our time. San Antonio has welcomed BASIS and Great Hearts Academy, which are known for their appeal to affluent white students. Rocketship will serve the low-income Hispanic students by keeping them in front of a computer a large part of the day. Remember that Supreme Court decision in 1954–what was it
The Secrets of Arizona’s Most Successful Charter Schools
Amanda U. Potterton, a doctoral student at Arizona State University, analyzed the success stories of two of Arizona’s most celebrated charter chains: BASIS and Great Hearts Academies. The myth of charter miracles is built on stories generated by chains like these two. This myth has been celebrated repeatedly by President Obama and Secretary Duncan. Therefore this analysis is of more than local in
Jersey Jazzman: Student Growth Objectives are Phony
Jersey Jazzman hopes someone will ask Commissioner Chris Cerf to explain “student growth objectives,” when he speaks to NJEA As JJ points out,the research on this method of teacher evaluation is fundamentally flawed. What’s the rush? Why not take the time to get it right, rather than plunge ahead with Junk Science?
Illinois Gov. Quinn taps education reformer Paul Vallas for running mate
Connecticut blogger Jonathan Pelto has breaking news that Bridgeport’s embattled superintendent of schools, Paul Vallas, is leaving Bridgeport to become Illinois Governor Quinn’s running mate. Newsflash: Illinois Gov. Quinn taps Paul Vallas for running mate “Gov. Pat Quinn apparently has made an unexpected choice for his running mate for lieutenant governor: Paul Vallas, the former Chicago Public
NC Teachers: Tell Your Stories
North Carolina Watch wants to hear from teachers. “Happy Friday to all, I am writing to let you all know that NC Policy Watch just unveiled a new feature on our website, called Your Soapbox, that is seeking to collect North Carolina’s teachers’ stories. We are doing this because North Carolina’s teachers have watched the state fall from 25th to 46th in the nation in teacher pay since 2008. In July
Do New York Officials Understand NAEP Scores?
This reader points out that the leaders of New York State so not understand NAEP achievement levels. They are not grade levels. “Proficiency” on NAEP means superior academic performance. Please, someone, explain the levels to them : “John King and Merryl Tisch continue to mislead the public or demonstrate a total lack of understanding for NAEP scores. Today, Chancellor Merryl Tisch and Commission
Why You Should Join the BATS
From Mark NAISON, co-founder of the Badass Teachers Association: ” “This is Crazy” When policy makers are morally bankrupt, they are forced to rely on bribery and intimidation and the assertion of raw power. This is what we face in Education. Teachers are assailed from multiple directions by public officials who who project a “My Way or the Highway Mentality” while bombarding them with curricula,
Gary Rubinstein Deconstructs D.C. Gains on NAEP
The NAEP report card for 2013 is out, and “reformers” were quick to declare vindication for their mean-spirited approach of “test and punish.” Gary Rubenstein examined the report to see what the claims meant and who made gains. D.C. made the most gains but remains the lowest ranking “state” in the nation. Tennessee made big gains and is pushing to meet the national average. Indiana too saw test sc
Is This What Excellence Looks Like?
Bruce Baker here tells the story of New Jersey’s most awesome charter school. This is the one that beats the odds. This is the one where everyone passes the tests. This school is driven by data, and the teachers teach like champions. This is the one with a 100% graduation rate. The school–North Star Academy–is so awesome that it will soon open its own teacher training institution, to create more a
NOV 07
Bad News from Me
Dear Friends, I wanted to share some not very good news about my health. This week, my hyperactivity and age caught up with me. It turns out I am not Wonder Woman but mortal me. I have been in a hospital for two days in Brooklyn, where they determined I have blood clots in one leg and walking pneumonia. Doctors’ orders: rest. That means I cannot fly to Chicago or Madison this week. I will resu
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
Failure and Lobbying and Profits: The $$$ World of NCLB Tutoring Industry
Want to know why spending on public education has mushroomed? Look no farther than the booming education industry that federal dollars have created through No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. Hundreds of millions, if not billions, are siphoned away from schools to pay for consultants and services that have no track record but promise the moon. Private contractors will train your teachers, t
NOV 06
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
NOV 05
NC Teachers, Among the Best in Nation, Under Fire
Imagine this weird scenario: a state that has more Nationally Board Certified Teachers than any other state in the nation; a state where 96% of the teachers are rated proficient; a state where the legislature is coming up with every trick in the book to demoralize and harass their excellent teachers. That is North Carolina. As Yevonne Brannan, chairman of Public Schools First NC, explains it, Nort
Academic Standards and a Boy with Autism
This is a letter written by a mother in Louisiana. She sent it out widely. “Academic Standards and Individualized Education Programs” How are schools supposed to get every student to meet the same academic standards and meet the individualized education programs (IEP) for children with disabilities — both are required by federal law? The following is a letter written from the heart of a mom with
Link ADDED: LI Superintendent Says NO to inBloom
David Gamberg, the enlightened and thoughtful superintendent of the Southold school district in Long Island, New York, wrote a letter to the president of inBloom and asked that the corporation remove any data pertaining to the students of his district. For his willingness to say “no, not with our students,” David Gamberg is hereby added to the honor roll as a champion of American education. He has
Long Island Superintendent: No to inBloom
David Gamberg, the enlightened and thoughtful superintendent of the Southold school district in Long Island, New York, wrote a letter to the president of inBloom and asked that the corporation remove any data pertaining to the students of his district. For his willingness to say “no, not with our students,” David Gamberg is hereby added to the honor roll as a champion of American education. He has
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 schools, this reader made the following comment: We should be courageous and move in the opposite direction from the so-called c
Mark Zuckerberg! Spend Your Millions Here!
Mark Zuckerberg dropped $100 million into Newark, which is being used to open more charter schools and facilitate the privatization of public education in that impoverished district. If there is one lesson we have learned from charter schools in New Jersey, it is that privatization works best when the charters are free to exclude students who might get low test scores and to kick out those who can
A Mother: Common Core or Common Sense?
This appeared originally in Newsday on Long Island. Long Island is becoming the epicenter of the Opt Out of Testing movement. Parents who are vocally opposed to standardized testing are running for school boards. Long Island parents are furious at the state’s deluge of tests, especially the most recent Common Core tests, which claimed that most of their children were “failing,” even students who w
NOV 04
Is the Seattle Times Fair and Balanced?
In an earlier post today, Anthony Cody questioned just how independent our news media are. A reader from Srattle has a vivid demonstration of the way the Seattle Times plays the education issue. Puget Sound Parent writes: I’m still waiting for the Seattle Times to explain why they gave multiple pages of coverage to Michelle Rhee when she was here last February. (However, not one mention of the che
Leo Casey Defends Randi Weingarten Against Critics
I thought Randi wrote an excellent letter in response to Mercedes Schneider’s questions. I repeat, as i have in the past, that Randi is a personal friend. We disagree about the Common Core, but that does not diminish our friendship. The fact that Randi engaged in this dialogue shows her willingness to listen to criticism and to respond thoughtfully, as she did. This is a trait I admire. I too have
Bloomberg Declines to Expand Model School
During the Bloomberg years, the Department of Education has had a public relations staff that declared major successes whenever a new idea is launched, without waiting to see how things worked out. It is always good to be willing to try new ideas, but it is even better to withhold judgment until they have had time to prove themselves. But that has not been the New York City way these past dozen ye
How Embarrassing for Rhode Island!
According to the Providence Journal, Rhode Island won plaudits from the National Council on Teacher Quality. The newspaper, which is notorious for its inattention to background, describes NCTQ as a “nonprofit, nonpartisan research and policy group.” This is not accurate. As I have described on this blog in detail, NCTQ was created in 2000 by the rightwing Thomas B. Fordham Foundation at a time whe
Cody: Are Newspapers Independent or Lapdogs of Their Owners?
Anthony Cody wrote a post in which he reviews how the newspapers have reacted to important issues. First, there was the great editorial in a Vermont newspaper, patiently explaining that public schools belong to the public, “not hedge fund managers and entrepreneurs,” and they serve public purposes. Then he points to the Lap Dog editorial in the Los Angeles Times, which defended embattled superinte
Moody’s: Charters Pose Serious Risk to Struggling Cities
Back in the olden times, advocates claimed that charters would provide healthy competition and beneficial innovation. This would benefit the public schools and urban districts as well. But it turned out to be a false promise. By skimming off the best students in poor neighborhoods, charter schools leave the public schools in worse condition, overburdened with the neediest students that the charter
Mother Crusader: Chris Christie’s Education Policies “Wildly Unpopular”
Mother Crusader writes that the confrontation between Governor Chris Christie and teacher Melissa Tomlinson called attention to the governor’s Achilles’ heel. His education policies are “wildly unpopular.” He wants vouchers and charters, not public schools. And he has demonstrated contempt for teachers, especially women teachers, on several occasions. One unscientific poll reported that 79% think
An Open Exchange Between Mercedes Schneider and Randi Weingarten
I have a simple policy: When you are fighting for your life, you don’t get into battles with the others on your side. There is a long history of doctrinal and personality battles that have split the opposition to those in the highest seats of power. The story of leftwing politics is a history of doctrinal quarrels. My first job when I arrived in New York City was as an editorial assistant at the N
Jamie Gass: Is Common Core Legal?
Jamie Gass, who directs the conservative Pioneer Institute in Boston, is a historian and a determined critic of Common Core. While most conservatives support Common Core (Jeb Bush, Bobby Jindal, Mitch Daniels, Tony Bennett, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce), Gass opposes Common Core and the testing because–among other reasons– he thinks that both are a violation of federal law. Read his latest col
The Bloomberg Reforms: An Assessment
The Bloomberg years have been good for New York City in some ways; for example, smoking has been extinguished in all public and even many private places. The mayor’s dedication to public health is highly commendable. But other things have been disastrous. The mayor has succeeded in making Manhattan a playground for international tourism and the uber-rich, but the explosion of new residential const
NOV 03
Network for Public Education: Revised Endorsements
In my earlier post about endorsements for public office, I inadvertently left off the names of two candidates who were endorsed by the Network for Public Education. As I said before, these are all candidates who want to strengthen and improve public schools. The candidates endorsed by NPE are: Culver City School Board, CA Claudia Vizcarra El Rancho School Board, CA José Lara South Pasadena School
Network for Public Education: Endorsements
The Network for Public Education doesn’t have any capacity to fund political campaigns, unlike the billionaires and millionaires who are trying to buy school board seats to advance their privatization agenda. We endorse candidates, based on surveys of all the candidates on all sides and interviews with local education activists, parents and educators. The endorsement committee reaches its decision
Melissa Tomlinson: What Do Teachers Want?
Thanks to Kipp Dawson of Pittsburgh for drawing my attention to this letter written by Melissa Tomlinson, the teacher who confronted Governor Chris Christie, who shouted her down and said contemptuously, “What do you people want?” This is her answer, which appeared on Mark Naison’s blog: Dear Governor Christie, Yesterday I took the opportunity to come hear you speak on your campaign trail. I have
VAMboozled! Welcome to the Blogosphere, Audrey!
Audrey Amrein-Beardsley is one of the nation’s leading experts on teacher evaluation. She has the advantage of having been a middle school math teacher before she became a scholar so she has a deeper understanding of the classroom than many other experts in the field. Audrey A-B has just started her own blog, where she will have ample opportunity to spread light on the facts and myths about value-
Barbara Buono for Governor of New Jersey
I can’t vote in New Jersey, but if I could, I would vote for Barbara Buono. Since big corporations and billionaires and garden-variety millionaires have no reluctance to spread campaign cash to school board races in communities where they do not live, I have no reluctance to say that if I lived in New Jersey, I would vote for Barbara Buono. Her first qualification is that she is not Chris Christie
Governor Christie Berates a Teacher, Again
Governor Chris Christie has made clear that he doesn’t like the public schools in his state. He calls them “failure factories,” as he campaigns for vouchers. (He is a graduate of Livingston High School.) He seems to despise public school teachers. He enjoys berating teachers, especially if they are female. He is one big, tough, strong guy who knows how to put down women. Melissa Tomlinson is a pub
A Different America, But Is It Better?
Some of us are old enough to remember a different America. We remember neighborhoods and communities where the shopkeepers knew our names and called to tell our mothers if we got into trouble. Then the big chains moved in and put those shops out of business. Then the big box stores moved in and killed off the chains. The people who used to run the mom-and-pop stores became greeters at the big box
Kitty Boitnott Reviews “Reign of Error”
Kitty Boitnott is a National Board Certified Teacher in Virginia who now coaches teachers and teacher leaders. She here reviews Reign of Error. Boitnott summarizes the main arguments of the book and then says: This is a must-read for any public school educator, for any parent who still cares about public schools and their role in the community, for the administrators who haven’t been so brainwash
Bruce Baker Deconstructs Bill Keller’s Attack on Ed Schools
A couple of weeks ago, Bill Keller wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times in which he asserted that colleges of education were largely responsible for our national education woes. Leave aside the fact that he knows nothing about the national education issues, but focus instead on his claim that whatever is wrong must be the fault of the ed schools. Bruce Baker was outraged, as was I. I have
New Jersey: Why You Should Vote for Marie Corfield for State Assembly
If you live in New Jersey, you are probably stuck with Chris Christie, whose education policies are disastrous for the state. He trashes his state’s teachers and public schools at every opportunity, even though New Jersey has the second highest scores on the federal tests called NAEP, behind only Massachusetts. He seems to have a visceral dislike bordering on hatred for the state’s public schools,
Governor Christie’s Disastrous “School Reforms”
Julia Sass Rubin, an associate professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University and a founder of Save Our Schools NJ, here explains the ugly face of what is deceptively called “school reform” in New Jersey during the administration of Governor Chris Christie. It would be more accurate, she writes, to say that Governor Christie has promoted a policy of
Montessori Teacher to John King: Montessori Is Not About Testing and Common Core
I received an email from a Montessori teacher in Wisconsin. She asked me to publish this so that Dr. John King, State Commissioner of Education in New York, understands that the Montessori school to which he sends his own children does not have a philosophy aligned with what he proposes for Other People’s Children. Dear Diane, John King keeps on saying that Common Core is a lot like Montessori edu
NOV 02
Watch the School Board Race in Houston
This letter came from a high school teacher in Houston who requested anonymity. The usual reasons: intimidation, fear of losing his job. It is way too soon to declare victory, but it is nonetheless encouraging to know that the insurgents who fight the status quo are feeling fearless and working to overturn policies that hurt kids and destroy communities. He writes: Dear Ms. Ravitch, I wanted t
Will Public Education Die in Douglas County, Colorado?
Investigative reporter Stephanie Simon of Politico reports on the most bizarre school board race in the nation: Douglas County, Colorado. There, a powerful coalition of rightwing extremists has gained control of the school board and is determined to turn education into a free market, where competition and choice replace public education. They want vouchers, charter schools, and differentiated pay
Is the Denver School Board for Sale?
This is a depressingly familiar story. There are two slates running for the Denver school board. One slate is overwhelmingly outspent by the other. Out-of-state donors are pouring huge sums of money into the race from donors hoping to determine the outcome. They are helping only one side, the one associated with corporate reform (charter schools, privatization, high-stakes testing, demoralizing te
An Intelligence Test for Rhode Islanders
An opinion article by an employee of the voucher-loving Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice argues that it is time for Rhode Island to adopt vouchers. The article is a jumble of mis-statements. For example, it claims that the people of Rhode Island want vouchers, but never admits that vouchers have never (NEVER) won the support of any public referendum in any state. The latest Gallup/Phi De
Charters in Buffalo: The Return of Segregation
Charter schools were created twenty years ago to address problems that public schools could not solve and to collaborate with public schools, sharing their best ideas. They were not intended to compete with public schools, but to support them. Today, however, many charter schools (especially the chains) see themselves as antagonists to public schools. eager to take their funding and their space.
“Reform” is Destroying Humane Values, Creating a Hatred for School
Raymond Gerson of Austin Community College sent this article, which expresses a growing recognition across the nation that federal and state education policies are ruining children’s lives and crushing the love of learning. Gerson writes: Scarcity of Humane Values in Educational Policies By Raymond Gerson Frequent high stakes testing, hours of test prep drills, large classes and reduction or eli
What Do Philadelphia Students Want?
A high school student wrote this letter to Mark NAISON of the BATS, who sent it to me: Mr Naison: Hello, my name is Madeline Clapier. I am a senior at Constitution High School which is a school in Philadelphia that focuses on law and history. Currently, we as a school are facing massive budget cuts and our student government is attempting to rally against the cuts. We have put together seven poin
A High-Stakes Exam for the People of Indiana
Cindi Pastore created this multiple-choice exam for the people of Infiana. It illustrates the current crazy situation there. Glenda Ritz won a startling upset victory last fall, winning more votes than Governor Pence. Yet Governor Pence has worked unceasingly to dilute Ritz’s authority and render her powerless to carry out her official duties. He and the unelected state board are thwarting her so