DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? | A site to discuss better education for all

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

DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? 

A site to discuss better education for all

Gary Rubinstein: More Reform-Funded Nonsense About KIPP Graduation Rates

by dianeravitch / now

Gary Rubinstein is the Myth-Buster of the Resistance. He has achieved this eminent position because of his intolerance for hype, propaganda, and lies. In this post, he bust the myth that low-income charter school graduates have a dramatically higher college graduation rate than low-income public school graduates. In fact, he shows, charter school graduates have the same college graduation rate as

Steve Hinnefeld: Indiana’s School Rating System Is Worthless

by dianeravitch / 1h

Steve Hinnefeld is a veteran reporter on Indiana education. In this post, he describes the shift from a simplistic A-F rating system (the one devised by Jeb Bush) to the federal rating system, which includes more factors. The problem with both ratings systems is that they accurately measure student income. The highest rated schools have students with the highest income. The lowest rated schools h

Arizona: Goldwater Institute Sues to Invalidate Regulation of Voucher Money

by dianeravitch / 2h

The far-right Goldwater Institute has filed a lawsuit claiming that the state has no right to regulate how parents spend their voucher money, the money that is paid by taxpayers. Goldwater says that if the parents misspent the money, it should be refunded to parents so they can try again. The Goldwater Institute, along with the DeVos family and Charles Koch, have sponsored efforts to expand the v

Jersey Jazzman: The Hoax of “Choice”

by dianeravitch / 3h

Jersey Jazzman, aka New Jersey teacher Mark Weber, analyzes the false promises of choice advocates . He demonstrates their repeated claims that charters and vouchers will give poor kids “the same choices” as rich kids. This is nonsense. Wealthy Right-wingers have been trying to destroy public education for decades. This is their latest hoax. The private schools where rich families send their chil

YESTERDAY

New York: Will Democrats in State Senate Sell Out to Hedge Fund Billionaires?

94by dianeravitch / 15h

The New York Daily News reports that lobbyists for billionaires who support charter schools had a cozy meeting with Democrats in the State Senate. Even though pro-public education progressives swept control of the State Senate away from the charter-crazy Republicans in the State Senate, the lobbyists know that money is still green, no matter who is in power. Jeffrey Cook-McCormac, a lobbyist work

Sign Up Now for the Network for Public Education Action Conference in Philadelphia, March 28-29!

by dianeravitch / 22h

Join your friends, allies, and other members of the Resistance in Philadelphia, March 28-29. Now is the time to register!

Sanders Speaks Out for Public Schools and Their Teachers in Florida

88by dianeravitch / 22h

Thousands of teachers in Florida are rallying at the state capitol today to demand higher wages and better working conditions. The Republican-dominated legislature has been handing out public monies to charter schools and for voucher programs, but ignoring the public schools that enroll 85% of the state’s students. Several of the key legislators are related to charter operators. Conflicts of inte

Hooray! The Astrology Book Club Recommends SLAYING GOLIATH!

by dianeravitch / 23h

SLAYING GOLIATH will be published one week from tomorrow! I can’t wait for you to read it and send your comments. Meanwhile, the latest kudo came from an unexpected source: LITHUB. Its Astrology Book Club selected SLAYING GOLIATH as one of its annual recommendations . CAPRICORN Diane Ravitch, Slaying Goliath (Knopf, January 21) If you really need something to get done, call a Capricorn. These tou

Arthur Goldstein: Albany Hands Down the New 10 Commandments to English Teachers

by dianeravitch / 1d

Arthur Goldstein, veteran teacher of many decades, thinks he knows a thing or two about teaching English. The State Education Department doesn’t trust him or other English teachers. So they have distributed new mandates about how to teach “advanced literacy” to make sure that he does what he is told. And he doesn’t like it. Frankly, it sounds like Common Core in a new dress. Goldstein writes: For

Larry Lee: The Colossal Charter Mess in Alabama

by dianeravitch / 1d

Larry Lee, native Alabaman, follows the charter confusion in his home state, where the law describes precisely how charter schools should be authorized. But, as Lee notes, the actual process of creating new charters has proceeded with complete disregard for the law, and no one seems to care. Public schools in Montgomery will be replaced by charter schools, but the local board did not agree (the l

Domingo Morel: The State Takeover of Houston Schools Is about Race and Power, Not School Improvement

57by dianeravitch / 1d

Domingo Morel is a professor of political science at Rutgers University who has studied school takeovers across the nation. He is the author of Takeover: Race, Education, and American Democracy. In this post, he describes the proposed state takeover of the Houston Independent School District as a hoax. It is a manufactured crisis. It is a theft of political power, and it is based on race. If the

DeVos Ignores Judge’s Order: Will She Be Punished?

44by dianeravitch / 1d

During the Obama administration, Congress passed legislation to protect students who had been defrauded by for-profit colleges. In most cases, the “colleges” made claims about their success in placing their graduates in jobs. 

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