I Will Not Be Part of Education Nation
Yesterday I received an invitation to sit in the audience at NBC’s Education Nation. I regret to say that I will decline, as I am very busy these days. In case you want to know who will be speaking, here is the lineup (http://www.cvent.com/events/2013-nbc-news-education-nation-summit/event-summary-b8182761914b46f69bbb049effaa997b.aspx?i=c201d015-c428-4eae-a71b-b9db619fb3c5). You will see some fami
Alaska: Can We Avoid the Mistakes of the Other States?
Alaska school board member David Cheezem hopes that Alaska can avoid the costly mistakes that other states are making. He writes: “Preparing young people for the future was never easy, but it’s harder today than ever before. We really don’t know what future to prepare them for — what job opportunities they’ll have, what skills they’ll need. All the same, supporting public education has never been
Merrow Vs. Schneider on New Orleans and Rhee
This is a fascinating exchange between John Merrow and Mercedes Schneider. Merrow, a PBS correspondent, explains his independence from his funders. Here are my two cents. Merrow is the only mainstream journalist to pursue the cheating scandal in D.C., and he took a lot of criticism from rightwing bloggers and other admirers of Rhee’s slash-and-burn tactics. I admire him for his courage and integr
Bloomberg’s Board Racing to Give Away More Public Space
Time is running out on the Bloomberg administration, so his compliant board will vote at its next meeting in October on a record giveaway of public school space to privately managed charters. The panel, which has a majority of members appointed by the mayor, will consider more than 40 proposals for co-locating schools at two meetings next month. More than 30 of these plans are for new schools. Com
Sacramento: TFA Kids Staff Charter Schools
No surprise: Sacramento gets new charter schools staffed by inexperienced Teach for America recruits, non-union, of course. Michelle Rhee’s husband is mayor of Sacramento. How many would choose a doctor or lawyer with five weeks of training? Raise your hand. Lots of money from the anti-union Walton Family Foundation, as well as Gates and Broad. Maybe the foundations think that it’s good enough
Brooklyn Event: A Conversation with Me and David Denby
I will be speaking about “Reign of Error” at Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope, Brooklyn, on October 8, in conversation with New Yorker writer David Denby. This is part of a book series called “Brooklyn by the Book.” Admission is free but reservations are suggested.
Arthur Goldstein Reviews “Reign of Error” at HuffPost
Arthur Goldstein has taught in New York City public schools for almost thirty years. He has been trying to figure when and how teachers and public schools became objects of scorn rather than respect. He found it in “Reign of Error.” He writes: In Reign of Error, Ravitch demonstrates how, by ignoring poverty, America has managed to shift blame to public schools for its consequences. That’s clear wh
Bobby Jindal’s Voucher Hoax
When the U.S. Department of Justice filed suit against Louisiana’s voucher program, on grounds that it threatened to undermine court-ordered desegregation, Jindal went on a well-publicized rant against the DOJ, claiming politics. Suddenly, Jindal presented himself as a leader of he civil rights movement, trying to save poor black kids from failing public schools. His op-eds appeared in the Washing
Stephen Dyer on “Reign of Error”
Stephen Dyer is a former legislator in Ohio who now works for a public policy organization called Innovation Ohio, in my book, I drew on some of his research. In this post, he situates my work in a longstanding American tradition. I especially liked these lines: “As I read the book, I couldn’t help but think of what Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in 1835 — that America’s commitment to education for
Diane in the Evening 9-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Bloomberg Administration Plans to Scrub EmailsA whistleblower inside the DOE in New York City told me the Bloomberg administration plans to eliminate all emails. I assumed they were reacting to the Indiana scandal, where Tony Bennett’s emails showed that he engaged in grade-fixing and assembling lists of campaign donors. Maybe yes,
