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
DeVos Loses Fight to Split Public School CARES $$ with Private Schools
by dianeravitch / 48min
Betsy DeVos lost the biggest fight of her tenure as Secretary of Education. Federal judges consistently rejected her legally binding rule requiring states to give private schools a share of the $13 billion Congress allocated for public schools and for needy students in private schools. DeVos wanted private schools to get a share of the federal money without regard to the need of their students. T
YESTERDAY
Dr. Leslie Fenwick Explains Why the “Schemes” of Reformers Keep Failing
by dianeravitch / 21h
In this brief video , Dr. Leslie Fenwick, former dean of the College of Education at Howard University, explains why the “schemes” of corporate reformers always fail. She doesn’t hold back about charters, vouchers, Broad superintendents, and Teach for America. The video is part of a series of hundreds of interviews of educators, conducted by former teacher Bob Greenberg. He calls his series the B
Fred Klonsky: How Illinois’ Flat Tax Cheats Black and Brown Communities
by dianeravitch / 22h
Fred Klonsky writes here about Illinois’ inequitable flat tax. Black and brown communities have paid $4 billion more than they would have if the state had a progressive income tax.
Arizona: Charter Leader Sentenced to 3+ Years in Prison for Misappropriation of $2.5 Million
by dianeravitch / 23h
The former principal of a closed charter school in Arizona was sentenced to 3.75 years in prison for participating in a scheme to loot $2.5 million by inflating enrollment. The principal was a high school graduate, which is okay in Arizona, where credentials don’t matter. The principal and his associates forged documents for phantom students. Craig Harris of the Arizona Republic wrote: The former
Florina Rodov: Virtual Charter Schools Are an Educational Disaster
25by dianeravitch / 1d
I have posted many times about the corruption embedded in the for-profit virtual charter industry. The founder of Pennsylvania’s largest virtual charter school was sentenced to prison for misappropriating $8 million. The single biggest scam in U.S. history involved an online charter chain in California called A3, whose owners managed to make $50 million in state funding disappear. The Electronic
SEP 24
Bernie Sanders Denounces Trump’s Assault on Democracy
27by dianeravitch / 1d
Senator Bernie Sanders delivered a rip-roaring speech denouncing Trump’s threat not to relinquish the presidency. He said this election is not a contest between Trump and Biden. It is between Trump and democracy, and “democracy must win.”
Carl J. Petersen: Let the Charter School Lies Begin!
28by dianeravitch / 1d
Parent advocate Carl J. Petersen writes that the election for the Los Angeles Unified School District school board is already flooded with charter school lies. Scott Schmerelson, a veteran educator, is up for re-election. His challenger is supported by the charter school industry. The wealthy charter industry is eager to win Schmerelson’s seat for one of their allies. Their first big mailer conta
John Thompson: Reflecting on “The Lost Year” for Students
86by dianeravitch / 1d
John Thompson, historian and retired teacher in Oklahoma, read the New York Times Magazine’s report on the possibility of a “Lost Year” and wrote these reflections: Three times, I had to take a break from reading the New York Times Magazine’s special education issue, “The Lost Year.” The Magazine’s powerful reporting delivered gut punch after gut punch, forcing me to put the magazine down, calm m
Jan Resseger: Ohio and the Fight to Save Public Schools
24by dianeravitch / 1d
Jan Resseger describes a grassroots effort to stave off the persistent assaults on public schools by the Republican-controlled legislature and state officials. Ohio has a large and low-performing charter sector, as well as a well-funded voucher sector that has produced no gains for students. The privatization movement has harmed the public schools that most students attend without providing bette
The Atlantic: What if Trump Refuses to Concede?
by dianeravitch / 2d
Investigative reporter Barton Gellman describes a nightmare scenario that would sow chaos and destroy our democracy. What if Trump refuses to concede? He has repeatedly said that mail-in ballots are fraudulent. He’s already predicted that, unless he wins, the election will be “rigged.” Yesterday, he was asked directly if he would accept the results of the election, and he refused to say that he w
SEP 23
California: Pasadena School Board Candidate Racks Up Impressive Endorsements
100+by dianeravitch / 2d
Jennifer Hall Lee has won some important endorsements in her campaign to join the Pasadena Board of Education. She is a public school parent and has been active in fundraising for the public schools. She has been endorsed by major education and Democratic party groups. Pasadena Board of Education candidate Jennifer Hall Lee on Monday announced her latest endorsement from the California School Emp
Florida: Charter School in Fort Myers Closes Down
24by dianeravitch / 2d
Some charter schools are like day lilies–they open, they close. Charter advocates say that their instability is a feature, not a bug. They decry the public schools that serve families for generations. Better to have market forces at work. Then you get a situation like the one in Fort Myers, Florida. The Lee County school board yanked the authorization from the Collegiate Charter School after dist
Now Here Is a Balanced Discussion of Teachers Unions!
by dianeravitch / 2d
The Harvard Program on Education Policy and Governance is led by Professor Paul Peterson, an advocate for school choice. It would not be off the mark to say that PEPG exists to promote the DeVos agenda. Soon after she was confirmed, PEPG invited her to speak, and her speech was disrupted by Harvard students not affiliated with PEPG. Peterson has been the mentor for a generation of pro-school choi
South Carolina: Oral Arguments about Vouchers
by dianeravitch / 2d
Have you ever wondered what really goes on in the courtroom? Would you like to have a front-row seat as lawyers argue for and against vouchers before the South Carolina Supreme Court? Here is your chance. Tonight at 7:30 pm EST, I’m having a Zoom conversation with University of South Carolina professor Derek Black. He will talk about his new book, Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Ass
Thomas Ultican: Will Plutocrats Buy Control of California’s Schools?
by dianeravitch / 3d
Thomas Ultican, retired teacher of physics and advanced mathematics, has been researching the tentacles of the Destroy Public Education movement in various cities. In this post, he reviews the plutocrats’ lavish spending in California. It’s tapered of since 2018, he writes, but it’s still enough to outspend and overwhelm citizens who want to have a role in choosing their local school board. The b
Politico: DeVos Under Investigation for Possible Violation of the Hatch Act
42by dianeravitch / 3d
Federal officials, other than the president and vice-president, are prohibited from engaging in political activities. The Office of the Special Counsel is investigating Betsy DeVos, writes Politico, because she attacked Democratic candidate Joe Biden during a FOX News interview. DeVos would become one of the most high-profile Trump officials known to have been investigated for violating the Hatch
SEP 22
John McCain’s Wife Cindy Endorses Joe Biden
67by dianeravitch / 3d
I just saw this on Twitter from @cindymccain: My husband John lived by a code: country first. We are Republicans, yes, but Americans foremost. There’s only one candidate in this race who stands up for our values as a nation, and that is @JoeBiden It was posted 23 minutes ago. .
Meyerson: Why Doesn’t McConnell Confirm a Justice Today?
by dianeravitch / 3d
Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect thinks Mitch McConnell should confirm Trump’s nominee now, without waiting to get the name from Trump. Hearings will be a waste of time. No one will deliberate. McConnell has the votes to appoint anyone Trump chooses, no matter how wacky or intemperate. Meyerson writes: What’s delaying Mitch McConnell? With Lamar Alexander, Charles Grassley, Cory Gardner,
Pentagon Used Coronavirus Funds for Military Purposes
22by dianeravitch / 3d
The Washington Post reports today that the Pentagon diverted coronavirus funds for such things as building jet engines. A $1 billion fund Congress gave the Pentagon in March to build up the country’s supplies of medical equipment has instead been mostly funneled to defense contractors and used for making things such as jet engine parts, body armor and dress uniforms. The change illustrates how on
Please Help Elect Joyce Elliott to Congress from Arkansas
by dianeravitch / 3d
Joyce Elliott is a dynamic woman who is running for Congress in Arkansas. I’m asking you to send whatever you can to help her unseat French Hill, a loyal ally of Trump, a millionaire and former banker. Joyce would be the first black member of Congress from Arkansas. She was a public high school teacher. She is a member of the Network for Public Education. I have contributed to her campaign eight
Texas: The State Board of Education Approved This Subpar Charter Chain
28by dianeravitch / 3d
You have read here that the Texas State Board of Education approved five charter chains to grow in the Lone Star State and nixed three chains. One of those approved is a Gulen charter chain that was rejected in Alabama and Nevada. Another of those that were approved is the Learn4Life chain, a California-based chain of more than 60 charter schools. Learn more about Learn4Life here. Will Huntsberry
Trump at Rally: COVID Affects “Virtually Nobody”
23by dianeravitch / 3d
As the United States passed the 200,000 death milestone, Trump told a rally that the coronavirus affects “virtually nobody.” 200,000 nobodies. This on the same day that CNN marked the death of a 28-year-old medical resident in Houston who caught the virus while working with those who had it. Another nobody.
De Blasio Flubs Coronavirus Response
by dianeravitch / 3d
In this article that appeared in The Atlantic , political reporter Grace Rauh rails against the failed leadership of Mayor Bill de Blasio for his inability to open the public schools safely. To be fair, equal blame for the chaos and confusion surrounding the reopening of schools must be allocated to Chancellor Richard Carranza, who appears to be overwhelmed. School openings have twice been announ
Sign a Petition Against White Supremacist Curriculum
100+by dianeravitch / 3d
Trump wants to restore “patriotic history” and has vowed to creat a “1776 Commission” to carry out his wishes. Historians, history teachers, and everyone who cares about accurate teaching of history and academic freedom are alarmed. Kevin Kumashiro has drafted a petition. If you agree with it, please consider adding your name. Friends–I’m writing to folks who lead or are closely connected to a nu
Watch Trump’s Call for “Patriotic History”
34by dianeravitch / 4d
This is a short teaching video created by Tim Slekar, dean of the college of education at Edgewood College in Milwaukee. In the video, you will see Trump denounce Howard Zinn and the “1619 Project,” a series of essays about African American history published by the New York Times magazine. Trump is reading from a teleprompter. He has a reputation as a non-reader. You can be sure that he has never
SEP 21
Join My Zoom with Derek Black About His New Book
by dianeravitch / 4d
I will be Zooming with Derek Black on September 23 at 7 pm EST. The information about signing up is here. If you have ever debated with friends about school choice, you will want to hear Derek Black. In his engaging history of public education, Derek shows that the Founding Fathers intended to create public schools, not a system of publicly funded private and religious schools. It is an important
What If Trump Won’t Go?
by dianeravitch / 4d
What if? What if Trump loses the election but refuses to accept the results? What if he continues to say, as he will, that the election was rigged? He has actually said that the only valid election is one that he wins. He has prepared the public to believe that the election is a fraud. Here are some suggestions from a group that’s thought about this dilemma. I don’t know the individuals involved
“3rd Grade Reading Laws Are Harmful and Should be Abolished”
200+by dianeravitch / 4d
Veteran teacher Stephanie Fuhr writes as a guest blogger for Nancy Bailey, explaining why laws that hold back third graders if they don’t pass the state reading test are wrong and should be abolished. She includes a sample letter that you can send to your state legislator. This punitive idea is part of the so-called “Florida model,” a creation of Jeb Bush and his advisors. It is bad for children
Peter Greene: Will China Finance Trump’s “Patriotic” History Curriculum
25by dianeravitch / 4d
You won’t believe this post by Peter Greene, but it’s documented. Trump announced a ban on TikTok, a social media app, unless the Chinese company that owns it sold 20% to two Trump supporters. Greene says this looks like a shakedown. The new company, 80% Chinese, 20% American, would then give $5 billion to finance Trump’s “patriotic” history curriculum. It is a campaign gimmick, like the pledge t
Nancy Bailey: Betsy DeVos Trashes “Separation of Church and State”
100+by dianeravitch / 5d
Nancy Bailey writes here about Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ contempt for the time-honored tradition of separation of church and state. She has made clear her strong preference for religious schools and her low opinion of public schools. We have never in our history had a Secretary of Education (or before the Education Department was created in 1980, a Commissioner of Education) who was so
SEP 20
Senator Susan Collins Equivocates
22by dianeravitch / 5d
Senator Collins is wishy washy. She equivocates. The Boston Globe wrote this: Republican Senator Susan Collins, who is facing a tough reelection fight in Maine this fall, suggested Saturday that the Senate should not vote to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg until after the November election. But, she said that the Senate could begin the process of considering a nominee from President Trump, an
SomeDAM Poet on “Billyanthropy”
by dianeravitch / 5d
Our blog poet on the work of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Gates never gives without getting a tax break and never gives without strings attached. That’s how you know it is not real philanthropy, but Billyanthropy. “The Billyanthropist” Billyanthropist am I I gave you Common Core And testing to the sky I’d like to give you more Billyanthropist am I I gave you teacher VAMs A lovely Chetty p
James Fallows: “The Media Learned Nothing from 2016”
by dianeravitch / 5d
James Fallows wrote a fascinating article in The Atlantic about the media and its coverage of the election. Journalists are so accustomed to “both-sides-ism” that they find it almost impossible to acknowledge that Trump is lying. He lies habitually, incessantly, and most journalists can’t say that he is lying. He has his version of reality, and “some critics” disagree. I hope the article is not b
Texas State Board Authorizes Another Gulen Charter Chain
77by dianeravitch / 6d
The Texas State Board of Education inexplicably approved another Gulen charter chain—this one deceptively called “Royal Public Schools—though the only thing public about it is its name. Its leader is one Sonar Tarim, who tried and failed to open a charter in Alabama, and who was rejected in Nevada when he tried to open a charter chain there. All Gulen schools are connected with the reclusive Imam
SEP 19
Politico: The Odds of Stopping Trump’s Next Supreme Court Appointment
32by dianeravitch / 6d
As Politico explains in this article, the odds of stopping another Trump appointment to the Supreme Court are slim to none. Republicans have 53 Senate members. Democrats 47. It would require four Republicans to vote no. If only three vote no, there will be a tie, and VP Pence will cast a tie-breaker in favor. There has been speculation that Collins and McSally might vote no if the vote is held be
Some Tributes to RBG
by dianeravitch / 6d
I was shocked and depressed to hear the news of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death last night. She was, as everyone agrees, an extraordinary woman, a brilliant jurist, and a champion for the underdog. Given that she was 87 and had valiantly battled cancer was years, her death was not a complete surprise, though I have no doubt she fought to survive until January 3, when the next Congress takes power. Sa
Miami: K12 Inc. Made Suspicious Donation to Superintendent’s Fund
24by dianeravitch / 6d
As the Miami-Dade County school board considering awarding a multi-million dollar contract to the for-profit K12 Inc. to supply remote learning to all its students, the virtual learning company made a very very generous contribution to a nonprofit chaired by Miami’s superintendent of schools. The matter is being investigated. K12 delivered subpar services, and the board nixed the contract. MIAMI
Yohuru Williams: The Words of John Lewis Inspire Creation of Coalition to Get into “Good Trouble”
by dianeravitch / 6d
Yohuru Williams is Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas in St.Paul, Minnesota. He is a noted scholar of Black history. And he also serves on the board of the Network for Public Education. Dean Williams writes here about the activism for social justice in Minneapolis-St.Paul, inspired by the words of the late Congressman and civil rights icon, John Lewis. Earlie
Laura Chapman on the “COVID Slide”
80by dianeravitch / 6d
We have been warned! Students are”losing ground,” “falling behind,” and in desperate need of remediation. Laura Chapman captures the debate: The big promotion for this Covid-19 era is how to mitigate a “slide in learning.” The so-called COVID-slide is made up by bean counters who think that the be-all and end-all of education is captured in test scores for reading and math. Among these high profi
Join My Conversation with Derek Black about His New Book
by dianeravitch / 6d
Please join me on September 23 at 7 pm EST as I talk with Derek Black about his terrific new book, Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy. The discussion is sponsored by the Network for Public Education. Derek Black is a professor of law at the University of South Carolina who specializes in civil rights law. Hos excellent scholarship demonstrates that the Fou
Wired: Miami’s Disastrous Deal with K12 Inc.
32by dianeravitch / 7d
Frankly, it’s hard to understand why Miami public schools chose for-profit K12 Inc. as it’s provider of remote instruction. Ten minutes or less on google would have turned up multiple articles about its terrible track record: high attrition, poor curriculum, low test scor
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
The Schott Foundation for Public Education is pleased to announce six new members elected to its Board of Directors. "Our country is at an important intersection where racial equity is central to our ability to challenge present conditions and create pathways to a more resilient future, said Carolina Espinal, Schott Board Chair. “On behalf of the Board, I am honored to welcome these immensely talented leaders to join Schott in advancing social justice through a movement for public education that provides all students - and communities – an opportunity to learn and thrive."
