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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Nancy Bailey: Why Do Districts Buy This Reading Program?

by dianeravitch / 6min

Nancy Bailey features a post about an absurdly inappropriate reading program, citing work by Betty Casey in Tulsa. Casey interviewed experienced reading teachers, who gave her examples of age-inappropriate questions in the Core Knowledge Amplify scripted program. Casey writes: Do you think primogeniture is fair? Justify your answer with three supporting reasons. You may think this is from a high

Jan Resseger: Ohio Politicians Struggle to Clean Up the Mess They Made

by dianeravitch / 1h

Jan Resseger describes the chaos and disruption caused by Ohio’s choice-made Legislature. The Ohio House is trying to curb the overreach of the expanded voucher program, which unexpectedly swooped up some white, affluent schools. The hardline Senate, lobbied by generous campaign donor Betsy DeVos, will hang tough to give out as many vouchers as possible, even if it bankrupts entire school distric

YESTERDAY

Tonight: I Speak in San Francisco; Sunday: Los Angeles

by dianeravitch / 14h

For my friends in California: Tonight I speak at Balboa High School: 1000 Cayuga Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94112 . 6:30 p.m. Proudly sponsored by the United Educators of San Francisco. I will be in conversation with Susan Solomon, president of UESF. On Sunday, February 9, I will speak in Los Angeles. at Mark Taper Auditorium (first floor), Central Library, 630 W. 5th Street, Los Angeles, CA, 900

Dana Milbank: Trump and the Death of Decency

by dianeravitch / 17h

Dana Miilbank is a columnist for the Washington Post. He wrote today what I have been thinking. Character is the only secure foundation of the state.” — President Calvin Coolidge, addressing the National Republican Club in New York, 1924. “It was all bullshit.” — President Trump, addressing Republicans in the White House and a national television audience on Thursday after his acquittal. From the

Politico: DeVos is Trump’s “Rock Star” for His Base

by dianeravitch / 22h

Politico Morning Education reports that Betsy DeVos has become a huge hit among Trump’s devout followers , those who despise the American government, public schools, and taxes for any services. It doesn’t mention whether the base wants Trump to get rid of the government-funded military, the government-funded highway system, NASA, the FAA, the Food and Drug Administration, Social Security, Medicar

Yong Zhao: PISA Is Distorting Education Around the Globe

84by dianeravitch / 23h

Yong Zhao writes here about the international test called PISA, which is used to rank, rate and stigmatize entire national systems of education. Its scores are based on a standardized test, of course, which contains the usual flaws of such tests. His article is called “Two Decades of Havoc.” Scholars have criticized PISA since it started, but once the global horse race started, there was no slowi

National Education Policy Center: The Dangerous Case of Espinoza v. Montana, Now Before the US Supreme Court

43by dianeravitch / 1d

The future of public education hangs in the balance. The US Supreme Court has shifted far to the right, with the addition of religious zealots Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. The case, Espinoza v. Montana, would permit them to eliminate the line of separations between church and state, abolishing every state constitutional provision that bars public funding of religious schools. The Court has a

Bob Shepherd: How Common Core Dumbed Down the Literature Curriculum

100+by dianeravitch / 1d

Bob Shepherd, a frequent contributor, also a textbook writer, assessment developer, author, and classroom teacher, writes about the effect of Common Core on the teaching of literature. He omits my biggest gripe about CCSS: the arbitrary requirement that teachers must devote 50% of their time to literature and 50% to “informational texts” in the early grades. As students get older, the proportion

My Book Tour: San Francisco, Part 1

by dianeravitch / 1d

San Francisco is having a glorious streak of beautiful weather, which was especially delightful after the rainy cold days in Seattle. with a few spare hours, we took the boat trip to Alcatraz, which is a huge tourist attraction. Due to the time of year, tickets were easily available. The boat trip was beautiful. When we arrived, we rode the tram to the top of the Rock, a boon for bad knees. I mus

FEB 06

Mercedes Schneider to Betsy DeVos: How the Federal Government Failed America’s Public Schools

36by dianeravitch / 1d

Mercedes Schneider listened to Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos deride what they call “America’s failing government schools.” She writes that these two deep thinkers put the hyphen in the wrong place. To understand what has happened over the past two decades, you must realize that the schools have been victimized by failing-government policies, by policies based on flawed theories and uninformed hunc

Alabama: Woodland Prep Charter School Flounders, Flops

by dianeravitch / 1d

The controversial Woodlands Prep Charter School, led by Gulenist Sonar Tarim, is in deep trouble. Larry Lee reports that the proposed school is seeking yet another extension, and the charter commission is running out of patience. For some reason, the charter operator decided that a small rural community was the ideal place for a new charter, but the local community was outraged. Tarim may have to

Tom Ultican: Harvard’s School Privatization Machine and the Indianapolis Takeover

54by dianeravitch / 2d

Tom Ultican, retired teacher of physics and advanced mathematics, has been accumulating case studies of what he calls “the Destroy Public Education Movement.” His latest case study centers on Indianapolis , but he observed that the nexus of so much advocacy for school privatization is the Harvard University Program on Educational Governance and Policy at the Kennedy School. This program was found

TIME: How “Education Reform” Has Failed America

21by dianeravitch / 2d

This article in TIME summarizes my new book SLAYING GOLIATH. Read the book to learn the stories of the brave heroes who have stood up to billionaires, financiers, and profiteers intent on harming the democratic institution of public education.

FEB 05

Book Tour Update: Seattle

by dianeravitch / 2d

The high point of visiting Seattle on the book tour for SLAYING GOLIATH was a rousing event at Town Hall, beautifully renovated since my last visit. I was introduced by Garfield High School teacher Jesse Garfield, who is one of the heroes of the book. He is busy with Black Lives Matter at School events but took the time to spend the evening with a lovely crowd that included BATS, union leaders, t

Mitt Romney Explains Why He Voted to Convict Trump

26by dianeravitch / 2d

This is a short and powerful speech by Senator Mitt Romney explaining why he decided to vote to convict Trump. He knew that he was breaking ranks. He knew he would anger many in his party. He voted his conscience. Conscience over party. Remarkable.

Teresa Hanafin on Trump’s Rally and Rush Limbaugh’s Record

62by dianeravitch / 2d

Teresa Hanafin writes the Fast Forward feature for the Boston Globe. Scroll down and learn how you can subscribe: Three things to mull this morning: Senate Republicans will acquit Trump this afternoon of charges that he abused the power of the presidency. Democrats cringe at the word “acquit” because, they say, the Senate didn’t actually hold a real trial since the GOP refused to call witnesses o

Watch Adam Schiff’s Brilliant Closing Speech

by dianeravitch / 2d

Blogger Jack Hassard posted Rep. Adam Schiff’s brilliant closing speech. it is only four minutes. Please watch. And weep.

In the Public Interest: The Best Choice is a Public School

300+by dianeravitch / 2d

Jeremy Mohler of the nonpartisan group In the Public Interest writes that the best choice is great, well-funded public schools. The flaw of market-based choice is that competition guarantees winners and losers. Our goal as a society should be equal educational opportunity. We have never come close to achieving it. But we should not abandon that quest and exchange it for the vagaries of the market

Andre Agassi Scores $60.5 Million Selling Charter Real Estate in Florida

83by dianeravitch / 3d

Andre Agassi entered the charter school industry in Las Vegas, where he opened his own charter school. After many setbacks and high staff turnover, his school landed on the state’s list of low-performing schools and was turned over to another charter operator. Agassi decided he was in the wrong end of the business. Agassi joined a partnership with an investor to build charter schools, and they st

Wisconsin Gave DeVos and Pence the Cold Shoulder for “School Choice Week”!

400+by dianeravitch / 3d

Sorry to have missed this great story when Jan Resseger posted it. i happened to have been down and out with the flu. This is a story I wish I could include in SLAYING GOLIATH. The perpetrators returned to the scene of their crime and are shunned! Jan Resseger writes: Wisconsin and Ohio have the oldest school choice programs in the United States. Milwaukee’s voucher program is 30 years old and th

FEB 04

San Francisco Venue Changed!

by dianeravitch / 3d

If you are planning to hear me speak about my new book in San Francisco on Friday, please note that the location has changed! I just received this note from my publisher: The location for your event in San Francisco on 2/7 has changed . It will no longer be held at Lowell High School – the new location is Balboa High School . Address: 1000 Cayuga Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94112 . 6:30 pm. See yo

Trump Will Promote Ted Cruz’s Voucher Plan

100+by dianeravitch / 3d

The Houston Chronicle reports that Trump will promote Ted Cruz’s school voucher plan, which aligns nicely with the DeVos “Education Freedom” vouchers. Texas does not have vouchers, thanks to the concerted efforts of Pastors for Texas Children and a large number of local civic groups. Despite the fervent advocacy of top Republicans, a coalition of rural Republicans and urban Democrats have stopped

Economic Policy Institute: How Much Would It Cost to Supply High-Quality Early Childhood Education?

by dianeravitch / 3d

The Economic Policy Institute has created an interactive state-by-state analysis of the cost of high-quality early childhood education. At present, most ECE workers/teachers are grossly underpaid, some well below the poverty line. It is fair to assume that policymakers today are unlikely to pay the cost of high-quality ECE. In many states, and at the federal level, policymakers do not believe in

Indianapolis: The Resistance Is Fighting the Well-Funded Disruptors

100+by dianeravitch / 3d

Professor Jim Scheurich read a recent article in the rightwing, anti-public school journal “Education Next” about Indianapolis, which he thought was fundamentally flawed. He sent the following analysis of what’s really happening in Indianapolis: A RECENT ARTICLE IN EDUCATION NEXT COMPLETELY MISREPRESENTS THE RECENT HISTORY OF INDIANAPOLIS K12 EDUCATION Dr. Jim Scheurich Urban Education Studies Do

Send This Post to Every Ohio Legislator

38by dianeravitch / 4d

The Ohio Legislature has created a royal mess in its rush to give vouchers to almost every student in the state. They can’t decide whether the vouchers will be paid by taking money away from the state’s underfunded public schools and how to decide which children get public money to attend private schools. Jan Resseger untangles the mess in her lucid way. Read the whole post, not just this excerpt

Valerie Strauss: Founder of IDEA Charter Chain Apologizes for Spendthrift Ways

57by dianeravitch / 4d

Valerie Strauss writes here about the abject apology by Tom Torkelsen of the IDEA corporate charter chain for his company’s lavish spending. The head of a Texas-based charter school chain publicly apologized for “really dumb and unhelpful” plans that included leasing a private jet for millions of dollars and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on San Antonio Spurs tickets. It’s not the firs

FEB 03

University of California Decides to Keep SAT/ACT as Admission Requirements

by dianeravitch / 4d

The University of California’s faculty leaders have recommended retaining the controversial SAT and ACT as admissions requirements, despite concerns that the standardized tests are rigged against students of low income. Wealthy parents pay huge sums for tutoring their children. Standardized tests by their nature are rigged against disadvantaged students, which has encouraged more than 1,000 colle

Dcps: Do Not Close This School!

by dianeravitch / 4d

Parents, students, and local officials plead with Chancellor Lewis Ferebee: DO NOT CLOSE WASHINGTON MET! No student was ever helped by closing schools! Stop the mayhem. Stop the pointless disruption! Support the school, don’t kill it. Do not pave the way for gentrification and more charter schools.

Two Gems from “A Writer’s Almanac”

by dianeravitch / 4d

While you are enjoying the previous post, which you should really print out and read carefully, here are two gems from Garrison Keillor’s delightful daily “A Writer’s Almanac.” I have been warned never to refer to him or his work, but I believe in redemption. And I post what I want. You may have to be as old as me to remember the first item. We mourn today for the legendary sports star Kobe Bryan

For Your Browsing Pleasure: Who Got Walton Money for Education Disruption in 2018?

100+by dianeravitch / 4d

The Walton Family Foundation is the fruit of the Walmart chain. It was created by the Waltons, one of the richest families in the world. The three senior members of the Walton family–Alice Walton, Jim Walton, and Rob Walton–have a collective net worth in excess of $150 billion. There is a younger generation of Waltons whose wealth is not included in that total. The Walton family increases its wea

Los Angeles: Defeat the Charter Combine!

by dianeravitch / 4d

Jackie Goldberg, the dynamic progressive on the Los Angeles school board, send this request for help: FROM THE DESK OF JACKIE GOLDBERG Dear Friends and Family, First, I cannot thank each and every one of you enough for all you’ve done to support me over so many years. And I have another personal request for each of you because you are all important in the struggles for full funding for public edu

Dallas: Charter Operator Sentenced to 7 Years, Then Claims Bonus

300+by dianeravitch / 5d

The charter industry is overrun with scandals because charter laws do not require accountability and transparency. Theft, conflicts of interest, nepotism, and fraud are a feature, not a bug. A charter operator in Dallas was sentenced to seven years in jail for taking a kickback , but then convinced the board to give her a bonus of $20,000. Donna Houston-Woods was convicted of defrauding her own D

Florida: 2 Big Banks Abandon Florida’s Voucher Program Due to Anti-LGBT Policies

200+by dianeravitch / 5d

A free press makes a difference. Here is proof. On January 23, Leslie Postal and Annie Martin of the Orlando Sentinel wrote that nearly 160 religious schools receiving vouchers from the state of Florida openly discriminate against students, families, and staff who are gay. Voucher schools drain $1 billion away from public education every year in Florida, and state legislators want to expand vouch

FEB 02

Book Tour in D.C. and Onwards

40by dianeravitch / 5d

Last Tuesday I flew from Florida to D.C. I spent Tuesday afternoon speaking to about 200 staff and friends of the AFT at its headquarters on New Jersey Avenue. Randi Weingarten introduced me and she was gracious and eloquent. We had a conversation and I took questions. I’m convinced that unions are a vital part of our democracy, and the same people who want to eliminate public schools also want t

A Republican Asks: What Does the Republican Party Stand For?

29by dianeravitch / 5d

Stuart Stevens is a Republican political consultant who is helping the campaign of former Massachusetts Governor William Weld, who is running against Trump in Republican primaries that still allow opposition candidates. In an article in the Washington Post, he writes: Here’s a question: Does anybody have any idea what the Republican Party stands for in 2020? One way to find out: As you are out an

A Podcast at Books and Books in Miami

20by dianeravitch / 5d

The first stop on my national book tour was Books and Books, a wonderful old-fashioned independent bookstore in Coral Gables in Florida. I talked with Mitchell Kaplan, the owner, who is determined to keep the literary life alive. This is our discussion. After the podcast, I met with the leadership of the United Teachers of Dade County. My presentation at the store was moderated by Karla Hernandez

Those Christian Textbooks Adopted in Schools That Receive Taxpayer Funding

500+by dianeravitch / 5d

In 2017, the Orlando Sentinel published a powerful three-part series about unregulated and unaccountable voucher schools in Florida, called “Schools Without Rules.” In Florida, voucher schools receive $1 billion each year of taxpayer funding. In 2018, the Orlando Sentinel published an article about the textbook companies that supply teaching materials to voucher schools and homeschoolers. Their b

Peter Greene on Ohio’s Mad Love for Vouchers

100+by dianeravitch / 6d

Peter Greene believes that Ohio is trying to be like Florida, hoping to expand vouchers to every student as if every public school in Ohio is rotten. Once the voucher money is approved, the state doesn’t care about the quality of education. Ohio already has a low-performing charter industry, one of the worst in the nation, why not give vouchers to attend religious schools that use the Bible as th

Why Does Ohio Award Bonuses to Failing Charter Schools?

26by dianeravitch / 6d

Ohio is extraordinarily generous to religious schools and charter schools. It even awards bonuses to failing charters schools! Under current state law, millions of dollars will flow to failing charters. Ohio’s charter industry is drawing money away from real public schools, and most charters perform worse than real public schools. So now the state hopes to attract out-of-state charter chains and

FEB 01

Maria Popova: How to Raise a Reader

by dianeravitch / 6d

While browsing recently through Peter Greene’s blog, I came across a reference to “BrainPickings.” It sounded interesting and I became a subscriber. The writer of that site is Maria Popova, who has what I can only describe as a beautiful mind and a love of literature that is profound. Here is one of her recent essays: How to Raise a Reader. I think you will fall in love with her prose and sensibi

Paul Lockhart: How to Kill the Love of Learning

25by dianeravitch / 6d

Paul Lockhart wrote a brilliant essay called “A Mathematician’s Lament, ” in which he competed the teaching of music to the teaching of mathematics. What if children spent years learning how to identify and describe colors and art forms but were not allowed to draw or paint until they got to college? I was reminded of a critical description of the teaching of science in the late nineteenth centur

Ken Futernick: Teacher Stories

29by dianeravitch / 6d

Several years ago, I met Ken Futernick, then a professor of education at Cal State University in Sacramento, where he was director for the Center for Teacher Quality. He shared with me a report he had written in defense of teachers. This was 2010, as the wave of teacher-bashing was beginning to reach new heights. I was immediately impressed that he looked at the obstacles thrown in the path of te

TIME Magazine: How the “Reform” Movement Has Failed America

100+by dianeravitch / 7d

This article just appeared in TIME magazine, explaining how the “education reform” movement has failed America. This short article encapsulates the themes of my book SLAYING GOLIATH. Piling on tests and punishments for students and teachers and closing schools doesn’t solve any problems, and it certainly doesn’t improve education. The article gives a much abbreviated history of “reform” from Geor

A TEACHER Writes a Great Review of SLAYING GOLIATH in the Washington Post!

51by dianeravitch / 7d

Melanie McCabe, an English teacher at Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia, and an author, wrote this terrific and accurate review of SLAYING GOLIATH. Unlike the reviewer for the New York Times, who is not a teacher and gives no hint of ever having set foot in a classroom since she finished school and college, Melanie McCabe knows full well about the billionaire-funded attacks on public sc

JAN 31

Stephen Dyer: Ohio’s Voucher Crisis in 4 Charte

by dianeravitch / 7d

Ohio’s legislature is determined to wreak havoc on the public schools that most students attend. Vote these vandals out of office! Steve Dyer: Ohio’s school voucher crisis in four charts School choicers won’t be satisfied until each school age kid automatically receives a voucher to be cashed in at any place of “learning” even if it is at Uncle Joe’s Bar and Backroom School. William L. Phillis |

Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn: Who Killed the Knapp Family?

21by dianeravitch / 7d

This powerful article appeared recently on the front cover of the New York Times Week in Review section. Nicholas Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn returned to his hometown of Yamhill, Oregon. They discovered that an extraordinary percentage of the hardworking, ordinary working class people Nick grew up with had died an early death. They asked “Who Killed the Knapp Family?” I regret that they in

Bill Phillis: Ohio Charter Owners Lose Appeal for Bonuses

by dianeravitch / 7d

Bill Phillis of the Ohio Coalition for Adequacy and Equity writes: Accel owner Ron Packard is in a tizzy because some of his charters did not qualify for Ohio’s charter bonus fund Patrick O’Donnell’s January 11 Cleveland Plain Dealer article— State avoids “loophole” for charter school money, rejects applications for millions —sheds light on yet another charter loopholes embedded in Ohio law. This

Carol Burris: What Michael Bloomberg Really Wants to Do in Schools

500+by dianeravitch / 8d

Carol Burris wrote about Michael Bloomberg’s education ideas several years ago when she was a high school principal on Long Island in New York. You have to love New York City’s mayor. Michael Bloomberg speaks his mind, never holding back. While most self-proclaimed school reformers do the Dance of the Seven Veils, slowly revealing their agenda, the mayor jumps up on stage and gives you the ‘full

Education Week: Philanthropists Are Losing Interest in K-12 “Reform” Due to Lack of Results

70by dianeravitch / 8d

Christina Samuels of Education Week reports that philanthropists continue to pour a large percentage of their donations into education, but are losing interest in K-12 due to the poor record of their efforts to “reform” the schools. ironically, 

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