Duncan Says Gates Has No Seat at the Education Policy Table
Anthony Cody comments on a startling conversation between two teachers and Secretary of Education Duncan. The conversation appears on a video. One of the teachers asks him about the role of philanthropists such as Eli Broad and Bill Gates in setting education policy. Consider this astonishing exchange: “Lisa Clarke: “One of the particular questions we’ve heard teachers ask is if corporate-base
A Fellow Texan Reviews “Reign of Error”
John Savage, a freelance journalist and former teacher, reviewed “Reign of Error” in the “Texas Observer.” I liked the review for many reasons. First, because Savage liked the book. That pleases every author. Second, because the first article I ever published appeared in the “Texas Observer,” a gritty liberal journal that covers Texas politics. The article was called “My Ghetto and Yours,” and i
Shanghai: Where Are the Missing Children?
Tom Loveless had the nerve and courage to publicly rebuke OECD for giving a distorted view of Shanghai’s test scores on the latest international test (PISA). He said that the tests excluded significant numbers of children from migrant families, and OECD ignored this practice. I posted both his articles on the subject. The director of OECD said Tom Loveless was wrong. The Néw York Times wrote up
The Education of David Brooks
In 2011, David Brooks heard me speak at the Aspen Ideas Festival, where I talked about a life course approach to improving the lives of children. Days later, he published an article criticizing me for saying that testing and choice were inadequate to overcome the problems of kids who live in poverty. At the time, he was still enthralled by the idea that charters were a systemic answer to these pr
UK Teacher: Target-Driven Schooling Drives Cheating
A teacher in the UK describes what happens when superiors demand that he or should hit their predicted targets, without respect to reality. It begins: “The Secret Teacher “Some years ago I was called by my head of department to discuss the grades I’d predicted for a year 11 class. They were aspirational and realistic. I was told to change them. My forecast was not in line with school targets for
Why Kill Néw Bedford High School?
EduShyster tells a sad story of the utter irresponsibility and–oh, I can’t think of a better word than “idiocy”–of Massachsetts officials. Local and state officials are “turning around” Néw Bedford High School by firing half the teachers. “Ahoy, matey! That great looming specter in the distance is not a mighty white whale but New Bedford High School being turned upside down and shaken till 50% of
Bruce Baker on the Future of Independent Schools
Bruce Baker, our nation’s pre-eminent truth-teller and statistical whiz-kid, here inquires into a gathering of researchers who assembled to help private independent schools chart their future course. The president of the National Association of Independent Schools, John Chubb, is a political scientist well known for his support for vouchers and his antipathy for teachers’ unions. From my days at t
Pennsylvania: Governor Corbett’s Attack on Higher Education
In an article on Salon, writer James Cersonsky describes the state GOP’s attack on universities. He calls it “the Enron-esque Higher Ed Plan: Fire Tenured Faculty to Fund Students Dorms.” In Tom Corbett’s Pennsylvania, he says, if it’s public and it’s education, burn it down! The same can be said for K-12 education. Corbett is up for re-election. The good news is that his poll numbers are down. On
Tennessee Charter Leader: Diversity Is Not My Problem
Across the south and elsewhere, charters are turning into a force for resegregation–not only by race but by language, class, and disability. They are the ultimate weapon today for those who hope to roll back the Brown decision. In Tennesssee, Chris Barbic said that diversity was not his problem. If society is segregated, there is nothing he can do to change it. That is shirking responsibility. S
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-23-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: EduShyster Takes a Ride on a Rocketship and Finds Miraculous VisionsIn this post, EduShyster surveys the progress of the Rocketship charter chain, which aspires to enroll 1 million children in its low-cost, high-tech fleet of schools. She writes: “The audacious exercise in audaciousness was off to an audacious start. Fueled by an e