Diane Ravitch's blog
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DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG
There will be a crucial school board race on Tuesday in Nashville. Becky Sharpe, who has been endorsed by the Metro Nashville Education Association, is running against Mary Pierce, who has been endorsed by Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst. Support for or opposition to charter schools is the defining issue in the race. A mailer from StudentsFirst on behalf of Mary Pierce describes Becky Sharpe three
Paul Karrer was the 2009 North Monterey LULAC Teacher of the Year. He has taught in Korea , Samoa , England , Connecticut , and is currently a fifth-grade tenured teacher in Castroville Elementary School, Castroville California. In this article, Karrer explains why tenure is necessary: it protects teachers from the latest fad or misguided mandate. He writes that teachers are subject to “a revolvi
I don’t put a lot of credibility in state rankings, except to the extent that it shows state officials where they need to make improvements. I have a hard time imagining any family saying, “Hey, I just saw this ranking of states. Let’s move from Mississippi to New Jersey.” And then there is the problem of conflicting rankings. The states that Michelle Rhee ranked among the best came in poorly in
Lloyd Lofthouse on the Vergara Ruling
Lloyd Lofthouse is an experienced educator and commentator on the blog: “In the Vergara trial—I think the verdict was bought and paid for in some way—the judge’s verdict was based on unproven theories that a few incompetent teachers would ruin a child’s ability to earn an education. The numbers presented in one theory were one to two percent of teachers could be incompetent—not “are incompeten” b
What North Carolina Teachers Say About That “Historic Pay Raise”
Stuart Egan, a teacher in Clemmons, North Carolina, wrote to tell me that teachers who have been teaching 33 years or more received a pay cut under the new state budget. One friend took an annual cut of $4866.35. Stuart added the following letter: Dr. Ravitch, The following Facebook posting is from a teacher in Cleveland County. Its contents are not that surprising, especially if you have been a
James D. Hogan: The Pay Scale That No Politician Wants You to See
James D. Hogan, a former high school English teacher who now teaches in a liberal arts college, decided to fact check the North Carolina legislature’s claim of a “historic pay raise” for the state’s teachers. Other states have been luring North Carolina teachers away with a promise of higher salaries. North Carolina has more National Board Certified Teachers an any other state. The state’s elected
YESTERDAY
Grassroots Parent Groups Criticize “The Real Campbell Brown”
The Alliance for Quality Education and New York Communities for Change, both of which fight for equitable funding of schools in low-incoe communities, have created a website called it “The Real Campbell Brown.” Although Brown was a CNN anchor, she was not known to the parent groups that have fought for economic and social equity for minority children for many years.
What Do Celebrities and Superstars Know about Teaching?
I worry for the future of our society when I see that education policy is being shaped by people who know nothing–nothing–about education. They never taught in a school. They never studied education. They know nothing about research. They are ignorant of the history, politics, and economics of education. Yet they feel that their Big Name empowers them to influence legislation and court decisions a
Peter Greene: New York’s Curriculum Guides Prove that CCSS Is Unnecessary
Although Peter Greene teaches in Pennsylvania, he decided to review New York state’s curriculum guides about the Common Core standards. He pulls them apart and shows that they tell teachers to do what they were already doing, or they make demands that have no evidence to support them. It is a hilarious deconstruction of engageNY, the state education department’s prized curriculum. Greene conclud
The Return of David Sirota: the Differences Between Warren and Clinton
David Sirota, one of the nation’s top investigative reporters, is now writing for International Business Times. In this article, he describes the differences between Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Clinton.
Which Are the 50 Best Affordable Colleges in the Northeast?
Most of us are familiar with the college-university rankings published by Forbes and U.S. News and other journals. Here is a different approach to ranking these institutions, looking at them more from the students’ experiences and opportunities than to their SAT test scores and AP classes taken in high school. The author, journalist Iris Stone, divides them into the most affordable 25 public insti
AUG 07
Ken Previti: In Defense of Whoopi Goldberg
I the past few days, Twitter has been a twitter with tweets acclaiming or denouncing Whoopi Goldberg for her comments opposing tenure on “The View.” Ken Previti says that it is not reasonable to criticize Whoopi because she clearly doesn’t know much about what tenure is and why teachers defend it. It is a guarantee of a hearing, of due process, if a boss wants to fire you. Teachers earn tenure ove
Paul Thomas: Charter Success=Billionaires, “Studies,” Press Releases, Gullible Editorialists
Paul Thomas notes the success of the Walton-funded “reform” machine at the University of Arkansas. They pump out study after study proclaiming the superior results of school choice. Are you surprised? This is the idee fixe of the Walton Foundation. They want government out of our lives. It worked for them. With low taxes, little regulation, they pay low wages and outsource manufacturing to China,
Anthony Cody: Who Is the Real Music Man–Beck or Gates?
Anthony Cody notes that Glen Beck brought his tirade against the Common Core to parents in 700 theaters. A critic described him as the Music Man, trying to sell his wares to a gullible public. Cody says: “The funny thing is that Common Core itself is being sold by yet another version of Professor Hill, in the form of billionaire Bill Gates.” Cody writes: “While Beck warns about the dangers of big
The Launch of a Bold Néw Website for Teachers and Their Allies
When I heard from Randy Hoover about his new website called “The Teacher-Advocate.com,” I asked him to write a post explaining his hopes and goals. I knew that he could describe it better than I could. Hoover spent 46 years as an educator. Randy Hoover writes: A Project to Reanimate Teacher Advocacy (Teacher-Advocate.com) Randy L. Hoover, PhD Emeritus Professor, Youngstown State University I bega
The Failure of “Reform” in D.C.
Valerie Strauss shows in this post that there were NO gains in reading in the District of Columbia Public Schools during the tenure of Michelle Rhee and her successor Kaya Henderson. G.F. Brandenburg noted these facts on his blog on July 31. Brandenburg asks: “So where are all those increases that Michelle Rhee promised in writing?” Strauss writes that this is more than just a personal failure. Th
Rebecca Holcombe, a Hero of American Education
This is a good news story about a state commissioner of education who stood up and said, with quiet determination, that the emperor has no clothes. That state commissioner is Rebecca Holcombe of Vermont. She wrote a clear and eloquent letter to the parents and caregivers of Vermont, explaining the punitive and incoherent nature of federal education policy, which (under NCLB) requires that every s
AUG 06
Congratulations to Sherry Gay-Dagnono on Michigan Victory!
Sherry Gay-Dagnogo won the Democratic primary in Michigan’s 8th House District. The Network for Public Education endorsed her because of her strong stand against over-testing and privatization. She is a former middle school teacher. Gay-Dagnogo also supports Congressional Hearings on the cost and misuse of testing. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo’s victory is a big win for students and public education in Mich
On Esquire Blog, Charles P. Pierce Explains What Campbell Brown Wants
Charles P. Pierce posted an astonishing piece about Campbell Brown on the Esquire politics blog that delves into her devotion to transparency, except where her donors are concerned. I cannot reveal the title of his article because it would violate one of the very few rules of this blog. I do not use certain four-letter words of ancient origin on the blog, nor do I permit others to do so. So, if yo
Rhode Island: Why Deborah Gist Kept Her Dissertation Under Wraps
State Senator John C. Sheehan was one of many people in Rhode Island who wondered what State Commissioner of Education Deborah Gist wrote in the dissertation she completed in June 2012. It was about creating a new teacher evaluation system for the state, and Gist would not allow anyone to read it. Sheehan eventually got a copy of the embargoed dissertation, and he understood why she wanted to kee
Levi B. Cavener: Hello, NGA! Students and Teachers Are Not Widgets
Levi B. Caener, a special education teacher in Idaho, happened to read a publication by the National Governors Association “A Governor’s Guide to Human Capital Development.” Really. People who work for the NGA think of children as “human capital.” Do they have children? When they come from the office, do they say, “hello, my little human capital?” On the weekends, do they play ball or go to the zo
Allie Gross: Detroit and the Charter School Profiteers
Allie Gross arrived to teach in Detroit as a Teach for America recruit. Her three years in a charter school opened her eyes. She saw classrooms without supplies, children promoted who were not ready and did not get the intervention they needed, she saw feckless leadership promoted to larger roles. And she saw the growth of an industry. In this article, she describes what she learned about “the cha
What Really Happened in New Orleans?
The mainstream media love to point to New Orleans as the national exemplar of the new brand of “reform”: replace public schools with privately-managed charter schools and get rid of the teachers’ union. Success! Many cities, especially those with high concentrations of poor African-American majorities, such as Detroit, Newark, and Philadelphia, seek to copy the New Orleans model. What really happ
AUG 05
Ohio: Rally on Thursday to Demand Charter Investigation!
Progress Ohio invites YOU to join the rally at the Statehouse in Ohio this Thursday. Join us this Thursday at the Statehouse to demand a comprehensive investigation into poor performing charter schools Recently: FBI raided 19 Gulen-affiliated schools in Ohio and two other states. Former teachers asked the state school board determine why apparent test tampering and other irregularities at the Gul
Rubinstein: Chetty and Kane Should be Witnesses for Defense in NYC Trial
When Campbell Brown’s Vergara-style trial moves to New York City, its star witnesses should testify for the defense, not the plaintiffs, argues Gary Rubinstein of New York City. Tom Kane of Harvard testified in Los Angeles that teachers in New York City were not maldistributed, as they were in Los Angeles. Another star witness for the Los Angeles was Raj Chetty. Rubinstein reviewed their testimony
Pennsylvania: Civil Rights Attorney Explains Why School Financing is a Mess
In an interview with “The Notebook,” civil rights attorney Michael Churchill of the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia explains why previous litigation failed and what should happen now to assure that all children get a “thorough and efficient system of public education,” as the law requires. Here is a small part of a very informative exchange: Q.: What other legislative or policy fixes
Peter Greene: Pick Your Fights Carefully
Peter Greene regretfully, apologetically disagrees with Susan Ohanian, who recently expressed disappointment that the two national unions did not call on teachers to boycott testing. He says it would do no good because they would be fired and replaced by teachers happy to give tests and have a job. He says, pick your fights with care. I am not sure I agree with Peter on this one. I agree that if
Watch the Films that Debunk Corporate Education Reform
Those who follow the twists and turns of the “reform ” movement are aware of a growing number of books that exposé the false narrative of reform. The reform narrative is funded by billionaires and philanthropists who believe in the free market and scorn government regulation. It fastens on genuine problems–like the low performance of children who live in poverty–and blames their teachers rather th
Why I Don’t Care About the “Reading Wars” Anymore
Many years ago, in the 1990s and the early years of this century, I was a vigorous participant in what was known as “the reading wars.” I supported phonics and opposed whole language. I was influenced by the work of Jeanne Chall at Harvard, who described the ebb and flow of reading philosophies. I wrote many articles explaining why phonics was crucial and why whole language was deficient. In my bo
Paul Horton: A Letter to the Albuquerque Journal
While visiting his sister in Albuquerque, Paul Horton encountered the same corporate reform claptrap that he read regularly in the Chicago Tribune and sent the following letter to the editor: “Dear Editor, I read your banner article, “SBA scores in NM lower now than five years ago” with great interest. As a teacher with thirty-two years experience, I am very concerned with the obsessive focus on
AUG 04
Feds Turn Down NY’s Testing Accommodations for Students withDisabilities
New York proposed to exempt up to 2% of students with severe disabilities from federally required state tests. The U.S. Department of Education said no. Last year, 95% of students with disabilities failed the new Common Core tests in New York. Leaders of national organizations supposedly representing students with disabilities hailed the DOE’s de is ion to hold these students to the same standar
Peter Greene: What Happens When the Little People Push Back?
Why did Campbell Brown pretend to be frightened of the protestors outside Stephen Colbert’s studio? Why does she need to pretend that she is on the side of “the kids” when no one believes it? Peter Greene thinks he has the answers: “Campbell Brown’s appearance on the Colbert Report included one of the popular reformster mini-themes– the desire to be insulated from any manner of dialogue. “Grant
Ohio: Another Charter School in Trouble
Deregulation sounds like a swell idea. Get rid of all those government regulations and innovation will flourish. That’s the theory. But many regulations serve important purposes, especially where taxpayer dollars are concerned; they screen out unqualified people; they monitor how the money is spent; they prevent frauds and scams. Take away regulation, take away government oversight, and the door w
Sara Roos: Vote for George McKenna for the Los Angeles School Board District 1
Sara Roos is a biostatistician and the parents of two children in the public schools of Los Angeles. In this post, she explains the difference between George McKenna and Alex Johnson, who are running against one another for the LAUSD seat in District 1. Read the post for her numerous links to support her statements. This is what Sara Roos says about Johnson, who works for County Supervisor M
Fact-Checking Campbell Brown: She Doesn’t Know Much about Research or Teaching
In Valerie Strauss’s blog “The Answer Sheet” in the “Washington Post,” Professor Alyssa Hadley Dunn subjected Campbell Brown’s statements on the Stephen Colbert show to a fact check. Dunn, who taught high school English, is now an assistant professor of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. Dunn compares what Brown says to what research shows. She concludes: “Quite simply: there is no
Mercedes Schneider Transcribes Stephen Colbert’s Interview of Campbell Brown
Mercedes Schneider decided to do something unusual for her birthday. She transcribed Stephen Colbert’s interview of Campbell Brown, the former CNN anchor who is leading the battle to take the right to due process (aka a fair hearing) away from teachers. She thinks that doing so will produce a great teacher in every classroom. How will this happen? No one knows. Here is the transcript.
Jersey Jazzman: Campbell Brown, Meet Mike Mignone
You know who Campbell Brown is: she is the former CNN anchor who wants to get rid of teacher tenure. She apparently thinks that teachers should be fired if someone in charge wants to fire them You may not know Mike Mignone. He is a veteran middle-school math teacher in Belleville, New Jersey, and also president of his union. When the school board awarded a contract for $2 million to install a su
Nicholas Meier: What Is Wrong with Vouchers?
After many years of being rebuffed at the polls, the pro-voucher forces seemed to have given up. Voucher supporters turned to charter schools as their best hope for wresting public dollars out of public schools and putting them into private hands. But in recent years, vouchers have made a comeback. The Wisconsin legislature approved vouchers for Milwaukee in 1990, and the Supreme Court refused to
AUG 03
What’s Worse than Common Core? Legislators Writing State Standards
Over the years, I have had the pleasure of advising several states as they were revising their academic standards. The process was always carried out by the state commissioner, who selected teachers and scholars from across the state and sometimes from out of state. My own most exhilarating experience was in California, where I helped a committee of educators write the history-social science stand
K12 Hopes to Open Virtual School in North Carolina, Despite Record of Failure Elswhere
Lindsay Wagner of NC Policy Watch reports that the virtual charter corporation K12 is hoping to open an online school in North Carolina. K12 was founded by Michael and Lloyd Milken and has turned out to be a highly profitable corporation that is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. It academic results are unimpressive, to say the least. Its students have a high dropout rate, low graduation
How to Bludgeon Higher Education to Accept Common Core
“Wag the Dog” notes that advocates for Common Core are growing desperate. With more and more states dropping out, the CCSS pressure is now turned to higher education to demand that incoming students show their worth by Common Core standards. He writes: “As data-driven and evidence-based challenges to the efficacy of the untested Common Core State Standards grow stronger and louder, it appears CC
Why Campbell Brown Is Hiding the Names of Her Donors
When Stephen Colbert interviewed Campbell Brown, he asked her who was funding her activities against unions and teacher tenure. She said she couldn’t reveal their names because she had to protect them, presumably against the few dozen moms protesting outside Colbert’s studio with hand-lettered signs. Mother Crusader found through her diligent research skills that Campbell Brown is aligned with so
Network for PublicEducation Endorses Sherry Dagnogo in Michigan
The Network for Public Education endorses Sherry Gay-Dagnogo The Network for Public Education is proud to endorse Sherry Gay-Dagnogo for Michigan State Representative in House Distrtct 8. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo was a middle school science teacher for 7 years. She has worked in city government and as a community organizer. Here’s what Gay-Dagnogo has to say on testing: “Our children are over tested i
Peter Greene on Pundits Who Know Everything About Education
Peter Greene read a column by Joe Klein of TIME magazine about what’s wrong with education, and Greene had a hard time controlling his indignation. Klein did not like the contract that Mayor de Blasio negotiated with the teachers’ union. What really bothers Klein, he says, is that teachers have something to say about their working conditions. His bottom-line beef, says Greene, is unions. Greene
EduShyster Interviews Stephanie Rivera
This is a great—actually an inspiring—interview with Stephanie Rivera, who is probably the most prominent student leader on behalf of properly prepare teachers and supporting public education. Stephanie started a student movement while studying to be a teacher at Rutgers University. She has also been a critic of Teach for America because she intends to make a career of teaching, not a two-year exp
Why We Should Not Copy Education in South Korea
Secretary Arne Duncan has frequently pointed to the high test scores of students in South Korea as a model for American students to copy. We have heard again and again that we are losing “the global competition” to nations like South Korea where students and parents take tests very seriously. Our students, the Secretary never tires of telling us, are slackers. Their parents want them to be well-ro
AUG 02
Jon Lender: Terrence Carter is (or Was) the Paradigm of the School “Reform” Movement
Jon Lender of the Hartford Courant describes in detail how the embattled candidate for New London superintendent, Terrence Carter, was the very model of a modern school reformer. He graduated from New Leaders for New Schools, founded by Obama and Clinton advisor Jonathan Schnur. Terrence Carter had deep roots in the world of “reform.” “To fully understand the Carter episode, it helps to look at h
Parent Coalition Blasts Weak Student Privacy Bill
Apparently Congress doesn’t care about the privacy of student data and doesn’t think that parents need to know which vendors are getting their children’s confidential records. The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy issued this statement: OUR RESPONSE TO THE MARKEY/HATCH STUDENT PRIVACY BILL INTRODUCED 7.30.2014 JULY 30, 2014 ADMIN For immediate release: July 30, 2012 Rachael Stickland, 303-204
David Greene Reports on the Excitement of the BAT Rally in D.C.
David Greene, a veteran educator, has been to all the rallies to save public education, but it sounds as if he enjoyed this one the most. BATs from 38 states gathered to laugh together, dance together, and swap stories about life in their cities and states. One of the high points came when Dave was talking to an ELL teacher from rural Connecticut (now apparently called “New Jersey east”) and disc
New York: The Committee to Save the 1%
Mel Brooks memorably said, “It’s good to be the King.” In these times, it is good to be rich enough to buy public policy to protect your interests and stay rich. New York has such a group. Yes, they can.
Join the Long Island, New York, Discussion on How to Reclaim Real Education
Long Island, New York, is home to the state’s biggest concentration of parents and educators who are in search of a better alternative to the state’s obsession with high-stakes testing. It is also home to a vigorous opt-out movement. This event promises to be a first-rate evening of discussion about where we go from here to improve our schools and find a better philosophy than test-and-punish. BUI
Jersey Jazzman, Stephen Colbert, and Campbell Brown
Jersey jazzman has another great piece about tenure. He writes: “I can only hope that Campbell Brown’s appearance last night on The Colbert Report is typical of what she is going to bring to the debate over school workplace protections. Because if this is the best the anti-tenure side can muster, we teachers will easily win the debate — provided we ever get a chance to participate.” – Watch the p
Julian Vasquez Heilig: Don’t Trust the Charter Hype
Julian Vasquez Heilig says that parents shopping for a charter school should not trust the salesmen, because every child they enroll is a sale. In effect, trust them as much as you would trust “a sweaty used-car salesman.” Heilig offer a Citizens Template for judging charter schools, including college admissions and persistence, teacher turnover, whether all school staff are certified, and multipl
Tennessee Virtual Academy: Bad Results, No Accountability
In their rush to privatize public education in Tennessee, the Governor and the legislature enacted legislation in 2011 authorizing the Tennesee Virtual Academy, an online charter school run by K12 Inc. K12 is a for-profit corporation started by Michael and Lloyd Milken. It is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. It earns millions for its owners but has received bad reviews in the New York Times