Wednesday, December 5, 2012

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-5-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

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What Do U.S. Schools Spend on Testing?

Brookings researcher Matthew Chingos estimates the annual cost of testing as $1.7 billion, but Anthony Cody says that is a very low estimate.
Since Texas alone pays $100 million every year to Pearson, it does sound like an underestimate, since the cost of the tests doesn’t really cover all the costs of assessment (and accountability).
Nor does it cover the cost of lost creativity, lost instructional time, and diversion of attention from more important 


When Is Incompetence a Virtue?

Jersey Jazzman hits it out of the park again.
You must watch the video. It is priceless.
The spokesman for the New Jersey hedge fund managers says it is time to get the experts out of the way and let people who know nothing whatever about education take charge. This is what as known today as “reform.” People who actually know something abou


Rhee’s Husband Fined for Ethics Violation

A California watchdog agency fined Mayor Kevin Johnson of Sacramento $37,500 for failing to report donations of $3.5 million to two of his initiatives, one for education, the other for education.
Anyone can make a mistake, so we should be prepared to forgive his honest errors in not reporting these gifts on 25 occasions.
One of the recipients of his largesse is TFA, not surprising since his wife Michelle Rhee got her start in TFA.
Even more interesting is that the Walton family–that ultra-conservative family in Arkansas that opposes public education–gave him $500,000.
Funny, it seems like only yesterday that the Rhee-Johnson couple gave a lecture on ethics at the University of Hawaii.


The NYC Parent Blog on the Common Core Standards

Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters reviews the controversies surrounding the Common Core Standards.


Do You Prefer Cucumbers or Grapes?

This is a hilarious and graphic demonstration of how monkeys respond to unequal rewards.
It is a morality tale about merit pay.
Please watch the video.
Corporate reformers treat adults who teach like Capuchin monkeys, experimenting with the incentives and 



Reasons for Hope: The Pushback

We are all aware of the destructive policies that are being pushed into the schools, despite any evidence for their value and considerable evidence that they do harm.
The good news is that parents and educators are pushing back, in city after city and state after state. The resistance to overtesting, to attacks on educators, and to privatization is growing, as Mark Naison 



Do Not Read This Book. Ever.

Julian Vasquez Heilig has been doing research about charter schools.
He is interested is an Arizona charter chain called Great Hearts, because it just won authorization to open new charters in San Antonio.
Somehow he came into possession of a book written by a dissident employee, but Great Hearts went to court to demand that the book be quashed. Great Hearts said the book contained untruths. Furthermore, writing about the school violated the former employee’s agreement.
You can read about the controversy on Heilig’s website, where you will find 


Diane in the Evening 12-4-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Philadelphia Parents Take a Stand for Public Control of Public Education by dianerav *Contact:* Helen Gym, Parents United for Public Education: 215-808-1400 Jerry Mondesire, Philadelphia Branch NAACP: 215-848-7864 Michael Churchill, Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia: 267-546-1318 *Press Conference: Private dollars vs. Public Interest* *Parents/NAACP to file Ethics Board complaint* *on Foundation and Boston Consulting Group* *Wed., Dec. 5, 2012* *1:30 p.m. 1515 Arch Street* *18th floor* Parents United for Public Education, the Philadelphia Home and Sc... more »