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Sunday, January 3, 2016

Here Comes the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss | Diane Ravitch's blog

Here Comes the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss | Diane Ravitch's blog:

Here Comes the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss


Valerie Strauss has a good column introducing you to the new Acting Secretary of Education John King. Why will he be “acting”? Apparently there is some concern that, in light of his controversial tenure as state commissioner in New York, he might not be confirmed. Maybe busloads of angry parents will arrive from New York to testify against him. Whatever.
As you will see, John King as an impressive resumé. He earned both a law degree from Harvard and a doctorate from Teachers College at the same time! The resumé doesn’t mention that King was one of the leaders of the Uncommon Schools network, which is an unusually harsh “no-excuses” charter chain. Not long ago, his school had the highest suspension rate in the state of Massachusetts.
You will also read that he managed to alienate many parents in New York and was probably the spark plug for the Opt Out movement. He Here Comes the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss | Diane Ravitch's blog: