CORONAVIRUS EDITION DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG CATCH UP NOW Diane Ravitch's blog A site to discuss better education for all

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

CORONAVIRUS EDITION

DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG

CATCH UP NOW 

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

Education Law Center: States Should Reject DeVos’ Proposal to Fund Elite Private Schools

by dianeravitch / 47min

NEW JERSEY MUST REJECT EDUCATION SECRETARY DEVOS’ ADVICE TO GIVE EMERGENCY COVID-19 FUNDS EVEN TO WEALTHY PRIVATE SCHOOLS Education Law Center is urging New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy to firmly reject a non-binding directive from U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to set aside federal emergency relief funds under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act for all private

In Honor of Eric Chasanoff, New York City Public School Teacher

20by dianeravitch / 1h

Eric (Chaz) Chasanoff died of COVID-19 at the age of 69. He was a greatly admired high school teacher and blogger. He started his blog “Chaz’s School Daze” in 2006 in response to the oppressive policies of the Bloomberg-Klein regime. He was an inspiration to other teachers and bloggers, including me. The UFT honored him as a teacher and a fearless activist. This was his assessment of the legacy o

Swedish Experiment Is Faltering, Says Its Chief Epidemiologist

29by dianeravitch / 2h

Sweden has tried a radically different approach to the coronavirus. It didn’t close down its economy, life went on as usual, with people still going to bars and restaurants but encouraged to practice social distancing, which some people honor and others don’t. The theory was that the people of Sweden would develop “herd immunity” and escape the ravages of the disease. But now the chief epidemiolo

Lisa Haver: Philadelphia Needs an Elected School Board

by dianeravitch / 3h

Lisa Haver, a retired teacher and current activist in Philadelphia, wonders why state and city leaders are so fearful of democracy. When state control of the public schools ended—capping a two-decade era of defunding and additional privatization of public assets—it was replaced by mayoral control. She argues that Philadelphia needs an elected school board. We vote for our leaders in every electio

Europe Begins to Reopen Schools, Cautiously

30by dianeravitch / 4h

The New York Times has an interesting story today about the varied approaches to reopening schools in Europe . The common threads are testing, smaller classes, and social distancing. NEUSTRELITZ, Germany — It was Lea Hammermeister’s first day back at school after almost two months at home and she was already preparing for a test. Not a math or physics test. A coronavirus test — one she would admi

YESTERDAY

U. Of California Suspends Use of SAT Until 2024, Maybe Forever

400+by dianeravitch / 16h

The University of California is suspending the SAT as a requirement for admission until at least 2024. This is a major blow to the College Board, which owns and administers the SAT. In a major decision that could lead to a shake-up of the nation’s standardized testing landscape, University of California President Janet Napolitano is recommending the suspension of the SAT and ACT tests as an admis

Chalkbeat: No Current NYC Educators Invited to Cuomo’s “Reimagine Education” Task Force

53by dianeravitch / 20h

Andrew Cuomo has a longstanding dislike for teachers and public schools. He made his disdain clear when he failed to appoint any current New York City educators to his “reimagine education” task force. Why should he listen to teachers and principals when he can call Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, Eric Schmidt and other billionaires and CEOs to decide what schools should look like when they reopen

Laura Chapman: Bad News from Ohio

78by dianeravitch / 21h

Laura Chapman reports on budget cuts to schools in Ohio, which hurt public schools but protect charters and vouchers. She writes: Bad news from Ohio again. Not quite Lord of the Flies (fiction or non-fiction truth) This week, Governor DeWine is proposing $355 million in K-12 education cuts with $300 million coming out of foundation aid to local school districts from the current state budget that

The Beautiful Hit Song from “Dear Evan Hansen”

by dianeravitch / 23h

Broadway is dark. But the music lives on. This is the great song,“ You Will Be Found,” from Dear Evan Hansen. It’s sung by a huge virtual choir of young people. Enjoy!

Join Randi and Me on Wednesday at 8:00 pm on ZOOM

by dianeravitch / 1d

Sign up and join Randi and me when we discuss reopening schools. When: Wednesday, May 13 at 8 pm EST Our ZOOM conversation is sponsored by the Network for Public Education. Listen in and prepare to ask questions.

The True—and Inspiring—Story of “Lord of the Flies”

28by dianeravitch / 1d

William Golding’s novel about a group of adolescent boys who are stranded and create their own society has been a staple of English classes for many years. It is a cautionary tale about the brutality that lies within the human heart. Dutch historian Rutger Bregman was fascinated by the story but unpersuaded by its thesis. In this article in The Guardian, he describes his search for a counter-narr

Tom Ultican Explains To Jay Matthews Why AP Courses Are a Bad Idea

20by dianeravitch / 1d

Tom Ultican spent many years in Silicon Valley. Then he switched careers and became a teacher of advanced mathematics and physics. He frequently taught AP courses. He recently retired. He explains in this article why he turned into a critic of AP classes. He engaged in a dialogue with Jay Mathews, the veteran education journalist at the Washington Post. Mathews creates a method for ranking high s

Message to Cuomo: Remote Learning Is a Stopgap, Not a Solution

100+by dianeravitch / 1d

The Syracuse, New York, journal has sound advice for Andrew Cuomo : Remote Learning is a stopgap. Parents and students want real teachers and real schools. Stop musing about “reimagining” education. Your musings are unsound. Listen to parents and teachers. Let the Board of Regents and the New York State Education Fepartnent do their job. The editorial begins: Parents, teachers and students had ba

New York: Critics of Shoddy Yeshivas Demand Accountability

by dianeravitch / 1d

An expose in the New York Post revealed leaked emails in which the de Blasio administration promised to stall release of an investigation of substandard Yeshivas in exchange for Orthodox Jewish support of mayoral 

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