Thursday, July 26, 2012

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-26-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

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The Connecticut Watchdog for the Public Interest

A reader reminded me of a post by blogger Jonathan Pelto about Hartford, Connecticut, that shows how districts can “game the system” to meet testing target.
And that reminded me that Jon Pelto is someone you should know about. Subscribe to his blog if you want an insider’s view of education reform in Connecticut.
Pelto was a legislator for several years and cares passionately about public education. He knows how to follow the money and watches for conflict of interest and hidden lobbyists.
He has written many posts in opposition to Governor Dannel Malloy’s alliance with the hedge fund managers’


The Americanizing of English Schools?

This writer worries that American ideas are being imported to English schools.
The curious episode at the center of the article is the description of a conference about creating charter schools in the U.K., encouraged by the Conservative government’s Minister of Education Michael Gove:
To see where News Corp’s interest might lie, we can look to a conference organised by Gove’s department in January 2011. Gove had invited Gerald [Joel] Klein, who was then chancellor of the New York City Board of 



How to Educate the Public

Bruce Adams, a veteran teacher in Buffalo, New York, one of the poorest districts in the state, wrote these articles.
This one explores the Hollywood myth of the good teacher, the great teacher who takes students from basic math to advanced calculus in the course of a single year, implying that anyone could do it, if they are a great teacher.
This one shows how harmful is the practice of ranking schools from best-to-worst based on some external measure because it either reflects the socioeconomic status of the students and their family, or it encourages


Conservatives Debate Common Core Standards

Recently I published a comment by Jamie Gass of the Pioneer Institute in Massachusetts explaining his opposition to the Common Core State Standards. I thought it was interesting as it showed the conservative argument against the Common Core.
The comment was originally part of an email exchange between Jamie Gass and Sol Stern of the Manhattan Institute, a New York City-based conservative think tank. Sol is an old friend of mine, who has been writing about education and politics for many years. Sol contacted me to say that I should have printed the entire exchange,


Whither Wisconsin?

Wisconsin’s leaders seem determined to degrade public education in the state. An earlier post described the expectation that the schools will produce a docile workforce. This one shows the overall plan to turn the educational system so that it meets the needs not of children, but the needs of industry.


Student Activists Take the Stage at SOS Webinar

A reader sent the following notice. I often correspond with Nikhil Goyal, whom I met on Twitter.
If these young people raise their voices and rally their peers, they can drive the conversation and stop the obsession with testing and the monetizing of schooling.
Please join the Webinar to talk to them and give them encouragement.
I am glad to see students participation in the education process because after all, it is THEIR future.  I believe the students in America’s schools deserve a much stronger voice in their own education.