Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Spread the Word, Share the Blog « Diane Ravitch's blog

Spread the Word, Share the Blog « Diane Ravitch's blog:


Spread the Word, Share the Blog

A retired teacher emailed me and said she found this blog to be extremely informative. She asked her union to put a link to the blog on its website. She thinks that other teachers will not only appreciate the opportunity to learn what is happening in other districts and states, but will find moral support and encouragement in our discussions.
It is no accident that I constantly remind teachers how valuable they are. With all the negativity today in the media and coming from politicians, there must be a place you can turn that appreciates what teachers do for our children and our society and how hard the work is.
When I spoke at the AFT convention in Detroit, I told friends beforehand that I had three goals: 1) to tell the truth, as I saw it; 2) to make teachers feel good about the work they do; and 3) to rock the house. In the warm response that I got–three standing ovations– I think I did all three. And I felt the love.
Share it.
Spread the word.


Texas Anti-Testing Revolt Reaches Business Leaders

There is a hugely important development in Texas.
Tom Pauken, the former head of the state Republican party and a current state workforce commissioner representing employers told a meeting of business leaders that testing had gotten out of control in the state and was actually hurting the workforce of the future. “I’m really concerned we’re choking off the pipeline of skilled workers that our employers need,” he said. “We’re spending too much time and effort teaching to the test instead of focusing on real learning.”
Teachers have been saying that for a decade and no one has been listening. Now that the business leaders hear