An Update on My Health | Diane Ravitch's blog

An Update on My Health | Diane Ravitch's blog

An Update on My Health

A month ago, I wrote to tell you that I was going to the hospital for open-heart surgery. I lined up guest bloggers who filled in for me in my absence, and I thank them all for keeping the conversation going.

I checked into the hospital in NYC on April 7. Surgery was early the next morning. I had an ascending aortic aneurysm and a leaky heart valve that had to be replaced. The surgeon explained that he would cut upon my breast bone to gain access to my heart.

Needless to say, I have no recollection of the surgery or its aftermath. I was sedated for five days. One member of my family was allowed to visit each day. When I was finally allowed to regain consciousness, I had no voice (due to intubation), a bad cough, and could not walk. I spent two weeks in the Intensive Care Unit, two days in regular care, then moved to the Rehabilitation Unit, where I am relearning how to walk.

I’m going home on April 7 and bringing a walker with me until I have fully regained the use of my legs and can CONTINUE READING: An Update on My Health | Diane Ravitch's blog

Does New Generation of Teachers Also Care about Pay, Benefits, Retirement and Tenure? | Cloaking Inequity

Does New Generation of Teachers Also Care about Pay, Benefits, Retirement and Tenure? | Cloaking Inequity

DOES NEW GENERATION OF TEACHERS ALSO CARE ABOUT PAY, BENEFITS, RETIREMENT AND TENURE?

Teaching is one of the most altruistic professions. Despite constant attacks on their profession and ongoing public criticism from some quarters in the modern era— teachers are the willing and expert caretakers of our nation. Education is the compass of our democracy.

As teacher shortages and high attrition continue to plague the profession, it is important to ask what is important to the new generation of teachers. Based on a recent request, we sent a survey to all of our new teachers in the the UK College of Education and asked about a few pecuniary and non-pecuniary aspects of the ongoing debates in the public policy. In just a few days, more than 100 of our University of Kentucky College of Education’s new teachers responded to inform our practice. Here are the questions and their answers.

SEE THE COMPLETE REPORT HERE:  Does New Generation of Teachers Also Care about Pay, Benefits, Retirement and Tenure? | Cloaking Inequity

The predominance of the peer reviewed research has indicated for quite awhile that pay, benefits, retirement and other factors are very important to new and veteran teachers. I think the comments to policymakers are also quite revealing and demonstrate that students are clearly discouraged by the current educational policy environment. This survey is not a comprehensive survey of all new teachers, but this sample of the questions does provide insight regarding the needs and desires of the new teachers that will enter (or not enter) our public schools in the near future.

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Does New Generation of Teachers Also Care about Pay, Benefits, Retirement and Tenure? | Cloaking Inequity

Population Health, Human Capital Bonds, and Black America – Wrench in the Gears

Population Health, Human Capital Bonds, and Black America – Wrench in the Gears

Population Health, Human Capital Bonds, and Black America

The following document was prepared as a briefing paper for a group working in the population health arena. The intention was to revisit the breadth of my research with a specific focus placed on what it means for Black America. A similar document could have been written for the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island. This material is currently under review pending future distribution in a more digestible format. I am long form, always. Since this document was referenced in a panel discussion I recently participated in and was distributed to a wider audience, I feel comfortable sharing it with you here. Please know that this is a work in progress.

Briefing Document:

We find ourselves in this season of the shortest days and longest nights. Yet in these long nights we are graced with guiding stars and hands to hold in the darkness. I have heavy information to share here. But first I want you to know that we were made for these times.

On a knife’s edge, teetering between sacred and profane, I know in my heart that through fortitude and moral courage humanity will prevail. Black America has lived for generations under this nation’s broken social contract. With the Fourth Industrial Revolution pushing to make natural humans obsolete, many more are awakening to the lived experience of Black and Brown America. This nation grew its power on broken treaties and stolen bodies. Now is a moment of profound reckoning to face off against the threat of artificial intelligence stealing the rights of ALL sovereign beings.

Who better to lead the world towards healing and justice than Black and Brown people? Consider WEB DuBois’ “Black Reconstruction,” the general strike, the power of Black bodies to throw a wrench in the gears of anti-life CONTINUE READING: Population Health, Human Capital Bonds, and Black America – Wrench in the Gears