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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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File This in the Department of “Some People Never Learn”

by dianeravitch / 24min

Say this for Eric Hanushek: He never gives up on his obsession with paying teachers more if their students get higher test scores. Arne Duncan built this concept into the requirements of his disastrous Race to the Top” program, which caused almost every state to adopt a teacher evaluation plan in which student test scores played a significant role. Harvard economist Raj Chetty wtote a highly-publ

Randi: Providence Takeover Demonizes Teachers, As Rhee and Klein Did

by dianeravitch / 1h

Randi Weingarten will be in Providence on Saturday to discuss the role of teachers in the state takeover engineered by neoliberal Governor Gina Raimondo. The governor is openly hostile to teachers and unions and a major supporter of privately managed charter schools. She hired Angelica Infante-Green as State Commissioner, although Green (ex-TFA) was never a principal or superintendent. She is a m

YESTERDAY

Hechinger Report Clarifies Dispute about Baker-Green Article on Voucher Case

by dianeravitch / 18h

I posted at 10 AM EST today about an article in the Hechinger Report, written at its request by scholars Bruce Baker and Preston Green, each of whom is an expert in his field (school finance, constitutional law and education). A reader identified with the pro-voucher Reason Institute complained that an earlier Supreme Court decision forbade private schools from practicing racial discrimination, a

Teresa Hanafin: Another Whistle Blower

by dianeravitch / 20h

Teresa Hanafin writes the Fast Forward daily column for the Boston Globe. She writes today: Even as the Ukraine scandal whistle-blower continues to suffer insults, vilification, and threats from Republicans desperate to protect Trump at all costs, a woman who is a top Health and Human Services official has stepped forward to raise an alarm about a coronavirus-related situation. Talk about [big ov

California: Vote YES on Prop 13

20by dianeravitch / 22h

California spends less per pupil than most states. Its schools have been underfunded for decades. Reverse the many years of neglect and support the children by voting YES on Prop 13. Editorial : Yes on Prop. 13 “Prop 13 is a statewide bond measure that will raise $15 bllion to use for immediate costs, to fix crumbling schools, upgrade emergency response equipment and basically make the structures

Is It Time to Say Farewell to Pearson EdTPA?

21by dianeravitch / 23h

https://www.educationdive.com/news/is-edtpa-standing-in-the-way-of-getting-more-teachers-into-classrooms/572969/ Educators disagree about the value, validity, and reliability of the Pearson EdTPA, which is mandated in many states as the gateway to entering teaching. Some states have lowered the passing score. Some are wondering whether to abandon it. The debate occurs at a time when enrollments i

Hechinger Report Criticized by Scholars for Bending to Trolls

20by dianeravitch / 1d

The Hechinger Report invited two eminent scholars to write about how public schools might respond if the Supreme Court rules in favor of the plaintiffs in the Espinoza v. Montana case. In this case, rightwing libertarians seek to eliminate Montana’s constitutional prohibition on spending public money for tuition in religious schools. In effect, they want to eliminate the line separating church an

Howard University Dean: Charters and “Ed Reform” Are Really About Gentrification

200+by dianeravitch / 1d

This article by Leslie T. Fenwick, dean emeritus at Howard University, was published in Valerie Strauss’s Answer Sheet blog in 2013, yet it remains even relevant today. I was in Washington, D.C., a few weeks ago and was astonished to see the dramatic gentrification of the city. My son was in New Orleans, having left a week before Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and he was astonished by the pace of gen

FEB 27

Rep. Rosa DeLauro to Secretary DeVos: No Privatization!

200+by dianeravitch / 1d

The House Subcommittee on Appropriations for Labor, Health, Human Services and Education opened hearings this morning, with Secretary DeVos as witness to testify about the Trump administration’s budget proposal. She. Wants to combine the funding for 29 programs and send the money to states as a block grant, to be used as they wish, she wants deep cuts in overall spending but a new $5 billion fede

The Controversy Over the Orange County School of the Arts

by dianeravitch / 1d

The Orange County School of the Arts is one of the most popular, most sought after, and most elite charter schools in the nation. Now it is locked in a battle with the local board of Educatuon about its admission policies. Its students are whiter and more affluent than the surrounding community. The Santa Ana Unified School District had made demands for change. Last fall, OCSA applied to renew it

Mercedes Schneider: Kauffman Leadership Academy in Texas Closes with One Week’s Notice

28by dianeravitch / 1d

The charter industry is nearing a flection point. The number of schools that open each year is almost the same as the number that close. The charter industry is rushing to open new schools before the public is fully woke to the crisis of charter corruption. The Network for Public Education started a hashtag (#) on Twitter called #AnotherDayAnotherCharterScandal. Every day a new scandal, sometimes

Los Angeles: Charter School Advocates Continue to Pour Millions into School Board Races

100+by dianeravitch / 2d

By now, the California Charter Schools Association knows that they are harming public schools, where 80-90% of California’s students are educated. By now, the CCSA knows that charter schools do not get higher test scores than public schools. By now, they know that their industry is rife with corruption and fraud, and some of its leaders are serving jail time or on the lam. By now, they know that

Indiana: Key Employees of Failed Online Charter Join New Online Charter

100+by dianeravitch / 2d

Last year, two large online charter schools collapsed in Indiana at a cost of $86 million. Now a new online charter has opened and hired some key employees of those that defrauded they public. Last summer, as two large Indiana virtual charter schools collapsed under the weight of fraud allegations, a small new online program made its debut. Indian Creek Online Academy was launched by a 2,000-stud

FEB 26

NYCLU Blasts Cuomo’s Facial Recognition Technology

by dianeravitch / 2d

Statement on New High-Tech School Security Projects Approved Through Smart Schools Bond Act For Immediate Release: February 26, 2020 Media contact: Ben Schaefer, bschaefer@nyclu.org, 212-607-3372 NEW YORK, N.Y. – Today Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the approval of $111 million for 133 new Smart Schools Bond Act, including $51.5 million for high-tech security projects like the facial recognition

Act NOW to Stop Federal Funding of Charter Schools

100+by dianeravitch / 2d

Tomorrow February 27, Betsy DeVos defends her budget before the House Appropriations sub-committee led by Rosa DeLauro. This year, DeVos took the funding for the Charter Schools Program out of her budget and put it in a block grant. Our job is to make sure that the nearly half billion dollars to start up new charter schools is not restored. Nearly one billion dollars of waste on charter schools t

Thomas Ultican: Who Is Behind the Corporate Reform Agenda in Dallas?

22by dianeravitch / 2d

Naming names is very important when discussing the movement to privatize public schools. In my book SLAYING GOLIATH, I devote an entire chapter to naming names. It’s not good enough to you “business interests” or “foundations.” Name names. Tom Ultican names names. In this podcast, he describes the wealthy people who are determined to privatize education. Why do they do this? They profess their lo

Jake Jacobs: How Mike Bloomberg Trashed Public Education in New York

100+by dianeravitch / 2d

On Super Tuesday, we will find out whether the huge cash spent by Mike Bloomberg is enough to win any primaries. Current national polls show him number two, behind Senator Sanders. There is no reason for him to be polling high other than the many millions he has lavished on advertising and staff, outspending all the other candidates combined. The best we can say for Bloomberg is that he is not pr

Ohio: Who Is Writing Education Policy? Not Educators.

100+by dianeravitch / 3d

Joel Malin and Kathleen Knight-Abowitz of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, write here about the forces determining education policy in Ohio. Ohio education policy is a train wreck. It is not benefiting students or teachers or society. So who is it benefiting? In our view, it pays to start asking larger questions about EdChoice to understand how education policy is made in Ohio. Why, for instance

Leonie Haimson: Mike Bloomberg’s Disastrous Education Record

100+by dianeravitch / 3d

Leonie Haimson, one of New York City’s leading people-public education advocates, has written a comprehensive appraisal of Mike Bloomberg’s education record as mayor. You will not read a more deeply knowledgeable article anywhere. In his multimillion dollar ad campaign, Bloomberg presents himself as a champion of children. If you read Haimson’s article, you will see that he was a champion of char

FEB 25

Ask Your Congressional Representative to Act!

30by dianeravitch / 3d

The Network for Public Education asks you to contact your Representative in Congress to co- sponsor this legislation: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/new-federal-charter-bill-ask-your-representative-to-cosponsor/

Teresa Hanafin on Trump in India

by dianeravitch / 3d

Teresa Hanafin writes the daily Fast Forward in the Boston Globe. She writes today: Trump heads home from India this morning, leaving behind his usual trail of exaggerations, misinformation, and dodgy answers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi played it smart, following the lead of other world leaders who have figured out that over-the-top flattery and ostentatious displays appeal to the man-child, wh

Mercedes Schneider Shows Off Her Student’s Poem

24by dianeravitch / 3d

This is a delightful post by Mercedes Schneider, whom we usually expect to write about scams, hoaxes, and frauds in the education biz. But this time she shows off a student’s work in her English class. What a delight! She reminds us that this is what education is all about. Not dollars, but the joy of learning!

Education Law Center Challenges Charter Expansion in New Jersey

39by dianeravitch / 3d

The Education Law Center is suing in New Jersey Supreme Court to challenge the negative effects of charter schools on public schools in Newark. ELC is asking the court to review the fiscal impact and segregating effects of charters on public schools. The bottom line is whether the state can afford to support two different school systems. The New Jersey Supreme Court has granted a petition filed b

Jan Resseger Recommends This Article as Essential Reading

47by dianeravitch / 4d

Jan Resseger, as you surely know, is oneof my favorite writers. I admire her deep moral values, her clarity, and her direct writing. In this post, she discovered an article that I missed. If you are going to read one article about public education this week, I recommend Derek Black’s commentary in last Friday’s USA Today, Trump’s ‘Education Freedom’ Plan Is an Attack on Public Schools. That’s Un-

Mark Green: How Bloomberg Beat Me in 2001

45by dianeravitch / 4d

Mark Green was a young, vigorous, popular progressive who won the Democratic primary for mayor in 2001. New York City is overwhelmingly Democratic, and usually the Democratic nomination is enough to assure election. But Mark Green faced an unusual Republican opponent, billionaire MIchael Bloomberg. No one knew much about Bloomberg, but he had the endorsement of Republican Mayor Rudy Guiliani, who

FEB 24

In the Public Interest: Why We Must Protect the Public Sector

100+by dianeravitch / 4d

Donald Cohen, executive director of “In the Public Interest,” explains a new direction that the organization will take. Not just to say that privatization is bad public policy, but to explain why the public sector can be more efficient and effective at the things it does best. In education, we have seen how privatization exacerbates segregation by race, religion, and social class; we have also se

New York Times: The Failure of Michael Bloomberg’s Choice Program in New York City

100+by dianeravitch / 4d

This article appeared in the New York Times in 2017. It evaluated Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s legacy in high school admission. Mayor Bloomberg eliminated zoned high schools and instituted a policy of citywide choice. Students could apply to any high school in the city. This was supposed to reduce racial segregation, but instead it increased it. Bloomberg, who had sole control of the New York City s

Florida: Investigation Shows That Charters Close Almost as Fast as They Open

200+by dianeravitch / 5d

Channel 10 in Florida conducted an investigation of the charter industry in Florida. It looked at the history of charters and examined the high rate of charter failures, usually because of financial issues. Florida is the State with the second highest rate of charter closures (California has the most charter closures). One part of the problem is that you don’t have to be an educator to open a cha

Texas: Poll Shows Respect for Teachers, Support for More Funding, Concern about Testing

100+by dianeravitch / 5d

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Tessa Benavides tbenavides@ryht.org (210) 445-3965 First-of-its-kind Poll Reveals Texans Trust Teachers, and Have Concerns About School Testing and Funding AUSTIN, TX (February 20, 2020) The Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation has released a first-of-its kind statewide poll about Texans’ attitudes toward public education. Notable findings include Texans appreciate teac

FEB 23

Happy Birthday, W.E.B. DuBois

39by dianeravitch / 5d

Garrison Keillor notes three happy events on this date in his daily “Writer’s Almanac.” Jonas Salk released his life-saving polio vaccine in 1954, which almost completely eliminated this scourge. How well I remember the terror all children felt in the early 1950s. We were warned not to go to movies or other public spaces. If we went, we were warned not to put our heads on the headrest. By this ti

Book Tour Reaches Charleston, West Virginia: Meeting the Teachers Who Lit a Fire

20by dianeravitch / 5d

I wanted to go to Charleston, West Virginia, to thank the leaders of the Red4Ed Teachers Strike of 2018. Jay O’Neal of the NEA local and Fred Albert of the AFT local made it happen. I spoke on February 22, the second anniversary of the strike. The teachers themselves were amazed by what they had done. They were outraged back then when the cost of their health insurance reduced their already meage

Audrey Watters: Is Our Democracy for Sale to the Highest Spender?

by dianeravitch / 5d

Audrey Watters asks the question that we should all be asking: is our democracy for sale to the candidate with the most billions? Apparently our schools sold out years ago when money was dabbled before them. People who take money from that powerful education foundation — you know the one, the one that turns 20 years old this year — always insist to me that they’ve never been compelled to change t

Jennifer Berkshire: Will DeVos’s Attacks on Public Schools Alienate Texas Voters?

67by dianeravitch / 5d

Jennifer Berkshire went to Texas to try to learn whether DeVos was helping or hurting the GOP. You may be surprised by her answer. She writes: The big question that fascinates me these days is whether GOP voters who care about their public schools will abandon their party as it embraces a Trump/DeVos education freedom agenda. And the answer in Texas is yes, at least when it comes to moderate subu

Los Angeles: Charter Allies Pour Millions into School into School Board Races—And Lies

67by dianeravitch / 6d

Bill Raden of Capital and Main writes here about the charter school advocates’ frantic efforts to pour millions of dollars and tons of lies into the race for four school board seats in Los Angeles. They are churning out scurrilous and defamatory lies about Jackie Goldberg and Scott Schmerelson, both of whom are veteran public school educators. Schmerelson has received a heavy dose of filthy flier

Indiana: How Much Charter Graft Will Taxpayers Tolerate?

500+by dianeravitch / 6d

This editorial appeared in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, a newspaper that has paid close attention to the scandals and frauds in the charter industry. It begins: Operators of two Indiana charter schools spent nearly $86 million in tax dollars at businesses in which they had ties. The money came from state tuition support for students who, in some cases, were never enrolled in the schools. This

FEB 22

Happy Birthday, George Washington and Edna St. Vincent Millay

30by dianeravitch / 6d

Today is George Washington’s birthday. I expect he would be weeping to see the caliber of the man who is now president and is engaged in destroying the federal government and our democracy. Imagine tossing out a highly qualified director of national intelligence and replacing him with a totally inexperienced loyalist who will purge the CIA of anyone who does not display loyalty to Trump, not the

Mississippi: The Shame of a Nation

41by dianeravitch / 6d

Mississippi boasts about its gains on NAEP reading scores, but those “gains” were largely the result of holding back students who didn’t pass the third grade reading tests. It’s a form of “gaming the system,” aka cheating. This article by Bracey Harris for the Hechinger Report tells a different story, a story of unequal opportunity for black children in the state, a history of racism and segregat

Detroit: Why Are School Closures Concentrated in Black and Brown Communities?

38by dianeravitch / 6d

In this study of school closures in Detroit , the authors note that the closures were concentrated in black and brown communities. Terrance L. Green, Joanna D. Sanchez, and Andrene J.Castro note this spatial concentration of closures and point out that it typically has negative effects on students. It reads in part: Between 2006 and 2013, >1,200 traditional public schools were closed across 26 st

G.F.Brandenburg Reviews SLAYING GOLIATH

by dianeravitch / 7d

G.T. (Guy) Brandenburg is a retired teacher who taught for many years in the D.C. Public Schools. He has a sharp eye and digs deep before he writes. He achieved a measure of fame when Michelle Rhee was chancellor. She boasted that as a young TFA teacher she had brought her students’ scores from the 13th percentile to the 90th percentile. A number of national publications quoted this remarkable fe

Susan Edelman: Bloomberg’s Test Score Con

64by dianeravitch / 7d

Strange as it may seem, the best education reporter in New York City works for Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post. Her name is Susan Edelman, and she regularly reports on what is happening in the city’s schools without fear or favor. 

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