Monday, December 17, 2012

Diane in the Afternoon 12-17-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:







The Hero Teachers of Newtown

This much is clear: the teachers and staff at the Sandy Hook Elementary School reacted with astonishing courage to the unthinkable, the terrifying intrusion of a man intent on murdering them and their students. With no thought of their own safety, they defended their children..
Everyone of them is a hero, those who died and those who survived.
Six of them died protecting the children.
We don’t know the names of the survivors, but we know who made the ultimate sacrifice. For their courage and selflessness, they are heroes of American education.
The principal, Dawn Hochsprung, 47, and the school psychologist, Mary Sherlach, 52, ran towards the intruder 


Most Absurd Comment on the Massacre

Mike Huckabee said that the murderous spree at Sandy Hook Elementary School happened because we have “systematically removed God” from the schools.
So, let me get this right: If the children had been praying every day in school, the killer would never have entered the building?
I don’t follow the logic.
Public figures should get their facts right before they sound off.


Michigan GOP Wants Concealed Guns in Schools and Churches

Eclectablog reports that the lame duck legislature in Michigan was set to pass a bill legalizing people to carry concealed weapons in schools, churches and elsewhere. But the the shooting in Connecticut brought a pause. Apparently some of the gun zealots think that if principals and teachers were armed, they could have had a firefight in the school.
Others think it would be best to keep high powered weapons out of the hands of everyone but the police and military.

Linda Darling-Hammond Chosen to Lead Key Panel in California

Linda Darling-Hammond of Stanford University has been appointed chair of California’s Teacher Credentialing Commission.
Darling-Hammond is one of the nation’s leading scholars on the subject of the teaching profession and an outspoken critic of using test scores to evaluate teachers.
I know Linda very well. This is great news for educators in California.
California is definitely an outlier in the world of corporate reform.
Governor Jerry Brown fought for a tax increase to reverse some of the damaging budget cuts under his predecessor.


TO LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-17-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Dawn Hochsprung: A Hero of Public Education by dianerav Dawn Hochsprung was beloved by her family, her staff and her students. Now she is beloved by the nation and beyond. Here is an interview with her husband and five of her six daughters. She gave her life to save others. She loved teaching and learning and wanted her students to love learning. She kept abreast of current national issues. We know that from her Twitter feed. She retweeted articles about Joshua Starr, the Montgomery County (Md.) superintende... more »