KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all

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

KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG 

A site to discuss better education for all

Slaying Goliath: The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America's Public Schools

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John Merrow: My Breakfast with Ambassador Sondland

by dianeravitch / 1h

John Merrow had breakfast with Ambassador Gordon Sondland! Open this link to find out what happened! And, please know, before you open the link, that I will forever love John M. for what he says inside it.

YESTERDAY

Maurice Cunningham: Waltons Target Warren Because of Her Proposed Wealth Tax

by dianeravitch / 16h

Maurice Cunningham, a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts, is a specialist in “follow the money.” He writes in his latest post that the Waltons are targeting Elizabeth Warren not so much because of her stance on charter schools but because of her proposed wealth tax. He writes: If the Waltons hate anything so much as unions, it would be taxes. The family and WalMart are

Walton Billionaires Fund Disruption of Warren Rally

100+by dianeravitch / 18h

Twitter lit up this morning with news of a disruption of an Elizabeth Warren rally by charter school “parents” in matching T-shirts. Hovering in the background was Howard Fuller, whose Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) received millions during its lifetime of advocating for vouchers from billionaire foundations such as Bradley, Walton, and Gates. Peter Greene has gathered the story of

Will Bunch: Why Bloomberg Cannot Win

by dianeravitch / 21h

Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has officially entered the Democratic primaries . He will skip the first four primaries and join the race on Super Tuesday, focusing on the states holding their primaries then. One of the world’s richest men, with a net worth estimated by Forbes to be $53 billion, Bloomberg is positioned to be a force to counter the candidates who emerge from the first four nomi

Great Hearts Charter Schools Target Middle-Class and Affluent Students

25by dianeravitch / 23h

The original idea behind charter schools was that they would help the neediest, most disadvantaged students, including those who were disengaged or failing in their public schools. Some charters have been criticized for selecting the most compliant students. One charter chain stands out for ignoring the neediest, the poorest, the most disadvantaged: Great Hearts. This charter chain was repeatedly

Carol Burris and Kevin Welner: In Defense of Warren’s K-12 Plan

26by dianeravitch / 23h

After Elizabeth Warren released her bold K-12 education plan, with massive funding increases for poor students (Title1) and for students with disabilities, the charter lobby reacted with outrage because she also announced that she would eliminate the federal Charter Schools Program. The CSP has been not only wasteful and ineffective but has been used by Betsy DeVos as her personal slush fund, to

Parents: Beware of the Mind Trust!

73by dianeravitch / 1d

The Mind Trust is funded by billionaires to advocate for privatization of public funds and public schools. Now it is going after parents. Of course, the best person to make the case to parents is an education entrepreneur. Dear Friends, I deeply believe that those most impacted by systemic injustice are also the people who are best positioned to lead the fight to create a more just and equitable

NOV 21

Breaking News! Pennsylvania Voucher Bill Blocked, for Now!

100+by dianeravitch / 1d

You read it here first. It has not appeared online. Pennsylvania Speaker of the House Turzai did not have the votes to bring his voucher bill up for a vote. Your emails, phone calls, and letters made a difference! Stay alert! He may bring his zombie bill back in the future. The Network for Public Education Action Fund will keep watch.

Legal Organizations Join to Support Education Equity and Rights

by dianeravitch / 1d

This is good news for everyone who cares about the constant encroachment of Big Money and Dark Money into American education. The school choice movement has been an effort to substitute changes in school governance for equitable and adequate funding. Diverting funding from public schools to support charters and vouchers injures the vast majority of students, who are enrolled in public schools. Ab

Watch Fiona Hill Testify: She Is Riveting!

by dianeravitch / 1d

Dr. Fiona Hill, the government’s top Russia expert, was born in England, the daughter of a coal miner. She said in introducing herself that if she had stayed in England, her accent would have marked her and her opportunities would have been limited. She didn’t mention it, but in the US, her British accent makes her sound upper-class, not a coal miner’s daughter. Her testimony was, to me, the most

Oakland: Stop the School Closings! Students Need Stability!

by dianeravitch / 1d

School closings in Oakland are accelerating. These closures disproportionately affect the lives and well-being of black and brown students. They need stability, not disruption and constant churn. Black communities across the nation have suffered disinvestment in their communities because of school closings. Reply-To: “Kwesi Chappin, Color Of Change” info@colorofchange.org > Tell Acting School Boa

Massachusetts: Legislature Unanimously Passes $1.4 Billion for Education

by dianeravitch / 1d

Both houses of the Massachusetts legislature unanimously passed a major funding bill f or education, directing $1.5 billion mainly to the neediest districts. Massachusetts has long had the most successful public schools in the nation. The state is poised to build on its record of success. The majority of the $1.5 billion set aside in the bill will go to lower-performing and underfunded school dis

Angie Sullivan: Nevada Must Increase Education Funding by $1 Billion!

by dianeravitch / 1d

Angie Sullivan regularly writes blast emails to every member of the state legislature and to the state’s journalists. Here is her latest: CCEA members voted at a General Meeting yesterday to raise dues. Those teacher union dues will be used to campaign for a billion dollars. Yes, billion. Yes, dollars. We need to think big to win big. Teachers need those funds to fund class-size reduction. We nee

Bill Phillis: It is Wrong for Ohio to Require Public Schools to Pay for Transportation Costs of Charters and Vouchers

43by dianeravitch / 2d

Bill Phillis asks a reasonable question: Why should public schools in Ohio be required to take money from their budget to pay the transportation costs of charters and vouchers? School district transportation costs increase with the expansion of vouchers and charter schools: North Olmsted Board of Education addressed the matter in a resolution The North Olmsted Board of Education adopted a resolut

NOV 20

Houston: HFT Files Lawsuit to Block State Takeover

32by dianeravitch / 2d

This is one reason why unions are valuable for teachers and public schools. Unions have the resources to go to the courts to fight capricious actions, like the pending takeover of the Houston Independent School District based on the low test scores of one school. For Immediate Release November 19, 2019 CONTACT: Zeph Capo 713-670-4348 Zcapo@hft2415.org HFT Files Federal Lawsuit over Proposed State

Jan Resseger: Cory Booker Wants to Privilege the Few, to the Detriment of the Many

100+by dianeravitch / 2d

In this post, Jan Resseger challenges Cory Booker’s newly rediscovered support for privately managed charter schools. She says “ that school choice privileges the few at the expense of the many.” That’s not quite right. If the charter school is staffed with inexperienced, under qualified teachers, if the charter is operated by grifters intent on profit, if the charter exercises harsh disciplines

North Carolina: Teachers Must Become Politically Active to Improve Education

400+by dianeravitch / 2d

LeAnna Erls Delph is a veteran teacher of sixth grade students in social studies and language arts in Asheville, North Carolina. She is a member of the Governor’s Teachers Advisory Committee, is the North Carolina Association of Educators regional director for the far west, and is a member of the Red4EdNC advisory board. She explains here why teachers owe it to their students, their communities,

ProPublica: How a Tax Break Meant to Help the Poor Benefited a Billionaire Trump Donor

by dianeravitch / 2d

ProPublica, the invaluable investigative journalism website, tells a sorry story about how a billionaire developer who donated large sums to the Trump campaign and won a hugely profitable tax break for his properties in downtown Detroit. Billionaire Dan Gilbert has spent the last decade buying up buildings in downtown Detroit, amassing nearly 100 properties and so completely dominating the area,

Nancy Bailey: A Summit of Education Vandals

by dianeravitch / 3d

In her latest post , Nancy Bailey draws a contrast between a summit of fake education leaders and the summit that actual teachers reach when they teach their students and fight for their students and their schools. Bailey describes the pseudo summit taking place in San Diego, where people who have never taught discuss how to reinvent education for fun and profit. Read her list at the end of her p

Cory Booker Slams Warren and Sanders for Criticizing Charters and Privatization

1Kby dianeravitch / 3d

Almost 90% of American students attend public schools, subject to democratic control. 6% of American students are enrolled in privately managed charter schools. Under the leadership of Betsy DeVos, it is obvious that the promotion of both charters and vouchers is central to the education policy of the Trump administration. Two Democratic senators who are candidates for president, Bernie Sanders a

NOV 19

Indiana: Thousands of Teachers and Their Supporters Rally in Indianapolis!!

100+by dianeravitch / 3d

Watch these stirring videos that show the huge crowd of teachers and their allies amassed in Indianapolis in a demonstration for public education! See the dramatic and inspiring gathering of #Red4Ed in Indiana! After years of being mistreated by the Republican governor and legislature in the Hoosier State, teachers are rising up and saying “Enough is enough!” #Red4Ed is on the march!

Disruption Conference Meets This Week in San Diego!

20by dianeravitch / 3d

You won’t want to miss this one! The “nation’s leaders in education reform” (aka Disruption) are meeting in San Diego starting today. Watch the leaders of the privatization movement at work and play! They will perhaps ponder why NAEP scores have been flat for a decade. They might discuss why the Democratic party and progressives have turned against charter schools and privatization. Maybe there w

MIchael Tomasky: Why Billionaires Are Bad for Democracy

by dianeravitch / 3d

Let me explain why I post articles critical of billionaires on a blog about (mostly) education. Our nation, our states are underinvesting in education. Our teachers are underpaid. Class sizes, especially in urban districts, are too large. Too many teachers pay for supplies themselves. The rate of child poverty, which is correlated with low test scores, is very high (about 20%) compared to other d

Pennsylvania: Low-Performing Charter School Demands Charter Takeover of Elementary Schools in Entire School District

200+by dianeravitch / 3d

One charter school in the Chester-Upland district in Pennsylvania enrolls 60% of the district’s elementary schools. It is owned by one of the richest men in the state, a lawyer who was Republican Tom Corbett’s biggest campaign donor. That charter school, the Chester Community Charter School, has asked the county to turn all of the district’s elementary students over to charters. CCCS is not just

Michigan: State Takeover of Detroit Schools was a “Costly Mistake”

by dianeravitch / 3d

Koby Levin of Chalkbeat reports that a study of the state takeover of Detroit’s public schools–which lasted for 15 years–was “a costly mistake.” The state was supposed to solve intractable problems that elected school officials in Detroit could not. It made things worse, according to a newly released report on the 15 years during which the Detroit school district was largely controlled by state-a

Study: Charter Schools Do Not Create a Rising Tide That Lifts All Boats

57by dianeravitch / 4d

The conservative school-choice advocacy organization Thomas B. Fordham Institute published a report claiming that the existence of charters raises test scores in surrounding public schools. The claim is that “a rising tide lifts all boats.” This seems counterintuitive when you think about Detroit and Milwaukee, which are flooded with charters but mired at the bottom of urban districts tested by N

NOV 18

Elite Preschool Boasts that 95% of Its Graduates Enter Kindergarten

22by dianeravitch / 4d

From the Onion .

Alan Singer: Massive Data Breach at Pearson

49by dianeravitch / 4d

Alan Singer writes her about the massive data breach at Pearson, which was covered up for nearly a year. He writes: “And you thought it was safe to sign into a test at Pearson Vue. Well you better think again. At least one Pearson online product was hacked exposing student data from 13,000 schools and one million college students. The hack occurred in November 2018, the F.B.I informed Pearson in

PBS: “In the Age of Artificial Intelligence”

by dianeravitch / 4d

This is a fascinating documentary about artificial intelligence. Robots are replacing jobs performed by humans. Cashiers, secretaries, clerks, truck drivers. There is no turning back. Middle-class jobs are disappearing. Trump promises to bring back the jobs destroyed by AI. He won’t. He can’t. China has perfected the art of facial recognition and uses it to surveil everyone. We live in the “age o

Yes, Something Stinks about the State Takeover of the Houston Independent School District

90by dianeravitch / 4d

A trio of activists on behalf of public schools wrote a blistering critique of the pending state takeover of the Houston Independent School District , based on the failure of ONE high school that has an unusually high proportion of students who are poor and have disabilities. Zeph Capo is president of the Houston Federation of Teachers and Texas AFT, James Dixon is pastor of the Community of Fait

New York City: More Testing Is Not the Answer

by dianeravitch / 5d

New York City’s Department of Education launched a new initiative with old and failed ideas: more testing for schools with low scores. Liat Olenick, a teacher of science in elementary school in the city, explains why more testing is a very bad idea. She says smaller classes would be far more valuable and effective.

Australian Study: Is Digital Literacy Undercutting Literacy?

47by dianeravitch / 5d

A newly released study in Australia raises questions about whether digital literacy is actually undermining children’s ability and interest in reading. A Four Corners investigation has found there are growing fears among education experts that screen time is contributing to a generation of skim readers with poor literacy, who may struggle to gain employment later in life as low-skilled jobs disap

NOV 17

Politico Playbook: Trump’s Grueling Work Schedule This Week

by dianeravitch / 5d

Politico Playbook regularly posts the president’s schedule for the coming week. This week leaves him plenty of time to watch FOX News, Tweet, and maybe play a few rounds of golf. THE PRESIDENT’S WEEK AHEAD: TUESDAY: The president will hold a Cabinet meeting and have lunch with VP Mike Pence. WEDNESDAY: Trump will visit the Apple manufacturing plant in Austin. THURSDAY: Trump and First Lady Melani

In DeVos-Trump Era of Alternative Facts, Belief in Flat Earth Grows

35by dianeravitch / 5d

If all facts are subjective and dependent on religious and personal views, there is no such thing as fact, truth, objectivity or science. Ohio’s dumb Republican-controlled legislature isn’t on the verge of passing a law that puts religious belief and science on the same plane. So it is not surprising that believers in a Flat Earth are on the rise., according to CNN. They can’t find proof that the

Peter Greene: Betsy DeVos Blames Public Schools for Everything Bad

44by dianeravitch / 5d

Peter Greene reports that Betsy DeVos won an award from an anti-feminist women’s group . She used the occasion to lambaste public schools (again). You won’t hear her complain about the Ohio legislators who hope to outlaw facts. You won’t hear her complain about the religious schools that use the Bible as a science textbook.

Maine: Legal Groups Join Lawsuit to Block Public Funding of Religious Schools

45by dianeravitch / 5d

Two prominent civil rights legal groups joined to support the decision by the state of Maine not to use public funds for religious schools. November 14, 2019 PFPS Urges Appellate Court to Uphold Maine’s Decision Not to Send Public Funds to Religious Schools Public Funds Public Schools (PFPS) has filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in federal appellate court in Carson v. Makin, a ca

“LilSis” Maps the Walton Billionaires Who Are Crushing the Teachers, Parents, and Public Schools of Little Rock

28by dianeravitch / 5d

LilSis (also known as the Public Accountability Project) pays careful attention to the networks and money behind nefarious efforts to destroy the public sector. In this report, LilSis describes the corporate backers of school privatization against whom Little Rock teachers went on strike. The money behind this network of interlinking organizations and individuals is the Walton family, whose wealt

Eric Blanc: Why Little Rock Teachers Went on Strike

28by dianeravitch / 6d

If you want to understand what is happening in the Little Rock school District today, read Eric Blanc’s article. Eric Blanc has covered every one of the teachers’ strikes since the West Virginia strike in the spring of 2018. Now he is in Little Rock, where he interviewed teachers who went on strike yesterday to protest the State Board of Education’s heavy-handed control of the district and its de

Glenn Sacks in the Wall Street Journal: Teachers’ Unions Have the Cure for What Ails America’s Schools

100+by dianeravitch / 6d

Wow! Talk about a surprise! Teacher Glenn Sacks managed to get an article with the title of this post in the Wall Street Journal, the newspaper that regularly vilifies teachers’ unions and praises privatization of public funds. Yes, Sacks–a teacher in Los Angeles–contends that teachers’ unions fight to get teachers the time and support staff they need to do their jobs, so they are necessary and v

NOV 16

Mercedes Schneider: Democratic Governor Re-Elected in Louisiana!

by dianeravitch / 6d

Mercedes Schneider explains why the re-election of Governor John Bel Edwards over his Trump-loving opponent is good news for education. President Trump visited Louisiana three times in recent weeks to campaign for Republican gubernatorial challenger, Eddie Rispone. As of this writing, Trump has been silent on Twitter regarding the Edwards win (Rispone loss). Edwards’ win is critical for Louisiana

Yavanovich Reminded Us: This Is Not Normal

by dianeravitch / 6d

Susan Glasser explained in the New Yorker why the testimony of Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was so powerful: For a few hours on Friday, an unassuming career diplomat named Marie (Masha) Yovanovitch did something that I thought had become impossible in Donald Trump ’s Washington: she managed to hold on to her amazement and outrage at the President’s amazing and outrageous actions. In this hyper-pa

Peter Greene: DeVos Picks Soul Mates for the Governing Board of NAEP

by dianeravitch / 6d

One of the perks of being Secretary of Education is that he or she selects member of the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), which is the oversight body for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The board is designed to be bipartisan and to represent people from different walks of life. As the NAGB website states, The Governing Board is made up of 26 members, including g

Marie Yovanovitch: A Hero for Our Times: #GoMasha

58by dianeravitch / 6d

What a delight to watch an experienced diplomat speak with intelligence and forethought to the House Intelligence Committee. If you missed her opening statement, you can watch it on YouTube or other sources. After three years of watching a semi-literate, dissembling president and his supine toadies as they weave their way through the messes of their own creation, it is a pleasure to watch Marie Y

Indiana: Thousands of Teachers Will Rally on November 19

1Kby dianeravitch / 6d

Thousands of teachers from across Indiana will rally in Indianapolis on November 19, seeking better pay and more resources for their students. Indiana has one of the most reactionary state governments in the nation. Over 100 districts will close or switch to e-learning for the day. The state’s largest school district, the Fort Wayne Community Schools, announced that it would close because so many

Pennsylvania: Protect Your Public Schools and Their Funding! Say NO to Vouchers!

42by dianeravitch / 6d

If you live in Pennsylvania, please let your legislators know that you oppose the diversion of public funds to private and religious schools. Stop the DeVos agenda now! Vouchers do not help students or schools or districts! Multiple studies have shown that vouchers divert funding from public schools and reduce services to most students, and that the students who use vouchers actually lose ground

Steven Singer: Pennsylvania Legislature Should Reject the Vulture Voucher Bill!

46by dianeravitch / 6d

Steven Singer writes about what is wrong with Speaker of the House Mike Turzai’s bill to authorize vouchers for the underfunded public schools of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: In a word, everything! He writes: The best way to help a struggling public school is to cannibalize it. At least that’s what Betsy DeVos thinks – and so does her Pennsylvania puppet Mike Turzai. The Republican Speaker of the st

Kentucky: New Governor Invites Teachers to Lead Inaugural Parade!

200+by dianeravitch / 7d

Newly elected Governor Andy Beshear has invited teachers to lead his inaugural parade! Governor-elect Beshear recognizes that angry teachers powered his upset election over the loser, Matt Bevin, who showered contempt on teachers. And paid for it. A group of Kentucky teachers will serve as the grand marshals for the inauguration parade. It’s set for Dec. 10 in Frankfort. “In my first inauguration

Chicago: Teachers Union Members Endorse New Contract!

41by dianeravitch / 7d

Members of the Chicago Teachers Union adopted the agreement reached wit

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