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Sunday, September 23, 2012

Diane in the Evening 9-23-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:




Karen Lewis and Randi Weingarten Write an Article about the Strike in the Wall Street Journal

This is a good article. Unspoken, or only hinted at, in this very conservative newspaper, is that strikes are effective.
When employers treat workers shabbily, a strike is justified.
When working conditions are intolerable, a strike is justified.
When management engages in harmful practices–like closing schools and handing the kids over to private



A Tale of Two Farmers

I received this from a parent in Indiana. She said it is being circulated from person to person as a way of explaining why the reform policies of State Superintendent Tony Bennett don’t work and never will:
The Tale of Two Farmers
Once upon a time, the great and powerful Lord Idoe, in an uncharacteristic (some say scary!) burst of generosity, gave two of his serfs 1,000 acres of land. He told them, Farmer Oofy and Farmer Laden, that they were to plant them with the seeds he provided. Furthermore, the farmer who produced the best crop at the end of the growing season would obtain additional riches, while the other farmer would lose everything. Lord Idoe made it clear that 


Jersey Jazzman Takes One for the Team

Jersey Jazzman is watching Education Nation so the rest of us don’t have to.
He says that teachers are more outspoken this year than in the past. He thinks they are emboldened by the Chicago strike. They are mad as hell and they won’t sit still while non-educators bash them.
He reports that one fellow got up and made a brash statement abou