Latest News and Comment from Education

Show All

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Today is Diane's Birthday Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Today is Diane's Birthday Diane Ravitch's blog 
A site to discuss better education for all




Help wish Diane a Happy Birthday!



 July 1st is Diane’s birthday.  She asks for only one gift: the hope that America’s public education system will thrive for the sake of our children – all of our children.
The Network for Public Education, the organization she founded and leads, is dedicated to helping Diane get her birthday wish.   And so she asks that you help her celebrate by making a tax deductible donation to NPE in her name.
If you make a donation of $10 dollars or more, we will put your name on a special card we are preparing for Diane.
Give a donation to something that matters. Help NPE fight privatization and Betsy DeVos.  Nothing will make Diane happier.
Happy 79th birthday, Diane!
 You can make your donation  here.
Happy Birthday, Diane!






The Best Birthday Card of the Day
by dianeravitch / 47min
I got this card from my friend Leonie Haimson. It reminded me of when I could move like the person on the card. Of course, there was also a great card from Cece Cunningham, with a picture of a gray-haired old lady with a gorgeous body, waist about 24″, in a bikini.. The card says, “Helen ran out of funds halfway through her extreme makeover.”
Why Is Trump Obsessed with Cable News?
by dianeravitch / 3h
For the last few days, Trump has been obsessed with cable news stations, especially Morning Joe and CNN. This morning, he unleashed a tweet storm of rants against news stations. I am no fan of Joe and Mika because Morning Hoe has a long history of featuring critics of public schools and never inviting anyone who disagreed with them (like me). Whether it was Rhee or Klein or any other mouthpiece f


Good News! Our Friend Linda Weber Qualified to Run for Congress in New Jersey!
by dianeravitch / 4h
Last night, I issued a last-minute appeal to help Linda Weber raise the last bit as f money she needed to qualify by midnight, only two-and-a-half-hours to go. She needed $1,100 to reach $120,000. She did it! You helped to put her over the top! Linda and Mark Weber thank you. I thank you. On to win the 7th Congressional District in New Jersey.

Courage or Madness: One of Most Amazing Stunts Ever
by dianeravitch / 6min

This has nothing to do with education. It is a video of a man jumping from an airplane 25,000 feet high. He is not wearing a parachute. He has to land in a net almost five miles below the airplane. Why am I posting it? I have watched it many times. I have shown it to friends. It amazes me. I get a sense of awe. The 

Robert Sternberg on the Scourge of Standardized Testing: Are We Producing a Society of “Smart Fools?”

by dianeravitch / 24min
Robert Sternberg has studied intelligence for many years. In this interview by Scientific American, Sternberg decries the new era of standardized testing. At last weekend’s annual meeting of the Association for Psychological Science (APS) in Boston, Cornell University psychologist Robert Sternberg sounded an alarm about the influence of standardized tests on American society. Sternberg, who has s
I Recommend This Book: Richard Rothstein’s “The Color of Law”

by dianeravitch / 1h
You know how sometimes you read a book and wish that everyone else would read it too? That’s the way I felt when I finished reading Richard Rothstein’s compelling new book, “The Color of Law.” I wished that every member of the 

SomeDAM Poet: “The Midnight Blog of Diane Ravitch”



by dianeravitch / 48min
Thank you, dear Poet. I blush. And I laughed out loud. “The Midnight Blog of Diane Ravitch” (apologies to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) Hear ye, my teachers, of techy wares The “teaching” inventions of billionaires Of testing and Cores Political whores And a blogger with passion who really cares She said to her friends, “If the billionaires roll By software or hard, from your towns tonight Hang a l
Good News: Chicago Public Schools Outperform Matched Schools Across Illinois!



by dianeravitch / 1h
A new study reaches a very heartening conclusion. Despite all the brickbats hurled at the Chicago Public Schools over the past 30 years, student achievement in these schools is the best in the state, when compared to similar students. There has long been a perception that Chicago, like other big-city districts, has dismal academic performance. But the new study matched students by race and income

YESTERDAY

Linda Weber Needs to Raise $1,100 by Midnight EST to Qualify for a Crucial Race for Congress



by dianeravitch / 13h
Linda Weber is running for the Democratic nomination for Congress in the Seventh District of New Jersey, a seat presently held by a Republican who supports Trump’s priorities. She is the spouse of our friend Jersey Jazzman, whose blogs have kept us informed about the privatization movement in New Jersey. If Linda is elected, she will be the best friend of public education in Congress. She needs t
Civil Rights Activists Outraged by Trump Choice to Lead Civil Rights Division at Justice Department



by dianeravitch / 17h
The key job in the federal government in terms of civil rights enforcement is the leader of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. Trump has selected Eric Dreiband, who has represented numerous clients accused of violating civil rights laws. Activists are outraged. The selection of Dreiband is in keeping with the selection of Betsy DeVos, an opponent of public education; the selecti
A Proud Graduate of Indianapolis Public Schools Laments “A Sad Day”



by dianeravitch / 18h
Shannon Williams is proud to be a graduate of the Indianapolis Public Schools. She now writes for the Indianapolis Recorder, where she published this article about the current plan to shrink the district. She writes: There are countless emotions tied to Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), and even more emotions now associated with the district due to the proposal to close or repurpose three of its
Los Angeles Times: Cheerleading for Privatization and the Trump-DeVos Agenda



by dianeravitch / 20h
The Los Angeles Times editorial board published an editorial today chastising the California Teachers Association for resisting privatization of public education via charters. I assume that this editorial was in no way influenced by Eli Broad, who subsidizes the Times’ education coverage, which is a blatant conflict of interest. The editorial board can’t see any critics of charters other than tea
We Lost a Dear Friend of Public Libraries and Public Schools: Joan Kramer of Los Angeles



by dianeravitch / 21h
Joan Kramer, a hero of public libraries, public education, and the common good, died a few days ago. Joan was a hero to all who knew and loved her. This is a tribute from some of her friends who knew her well. Here she is testifying before the Los Angeles Unified School District board on behalf of libraries. She had a fantastic blog, beautifully illustrated. I recommend that you read it. You can
Big Oil Sells Fossil-Fuel Love to Children in Elementary Schools



by dianeravitch / 22h
This is an alarming story, prepared by the Center for Public Integrity. . Teaching materials are being distributed by the fossil fuel industry to elementary schools. It begins: “Jennifer Merritt’s first-graders at Jefferson Elementary School in Pryor, Oklahoma, were in for a treat. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, the students gathered in late November for story time with two special guests, st
National Education Policy Center: New Research on Virtual Charter Schools



by dianeravitch / 23h
The National Education Policy Center has released new research on virtual charter schools that shows variation among those in different states, though all have poor academic results: Key Takeaway: Case studies from the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute suggest that policymakers should prioritize understanding and improving virtual school performance before permitting further growth Pre
Nancy E. Bailey: Beware! Computer Instruction is NOT Inclusion!



by dianeravitch / 23h
Nancy E. Bailey writes here about current efforts to put children with disabilities on a computer and call it “personalized learning” and “inclusion.” It is neither. “Personalized learning must not be mistaken for inclusion. The reality is that it’s student isolation! “Inclusion is generally defined as the action or state of including or of being included within a group or structure. Doing school
Montana Teacher: Questions About AP Courses



by dianeravitch / 1d
This comment by a reader called Montana Teacher continues a discussion of the value of AP courses. My observation: AP courses are a big money-maker for the College Board, which on its face is nonprofit, but aggressively pursues opportunities to generate revenues, like claiming that access to AP courses promotes equity. Other posts are here and here . Montana Teacher writes: “Thank you for all of
Tomorrow Is My Birthday!



by dianeravitch / 1d
Tomorrow I will be 79! My older sister says that it’s all downhill from here, but I’m not going anywhere, not without raising a ruckus. Carol Burris has created a giant birthday card for me. I hope you will consider signing it. https://networkforpubliceducation.org/2017/06/help-wish-diane-happy-birthday/ This will be the first time in my life that I ever asked anyone to sign a birthday card that
Urgent Note to Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan: Hands Off Our Schools and Our Children!



by dianeravitch / 1d
Education Week reports on the plans of billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan to redesign American education. They have launched something called the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative–or CZI Initiative–to carry out their plan for “personalized learning”‘( I.e., “depersonalized learning”) to remake education into whatever they think in their limited experience is best. They have hired J


June 30: Join Student Data Deletion Day!



by dianeravitch / 1d
Today is the first Student Data Deletion Day. This is a parent’s response to the obscene amounts of personal data collected about every child. Why do they do it? Because they can, and because you let them. Please open to see the many 







 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:
Posted by at