Sunday, March 24, 2013

Diane in the Evening 3-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

To infinity ... and beyond!





When Democracy Died in Camden, NJ

Jersey Jazzman reports that Governor Christie has decided to take control of the Camden school district.
Camden is the fourth school district in the state to be taken over.
Paterson, Newark, and Jersey City are already controlled by the state.
JJ writes:
“Let’s be clear: Paterson has been under state control for 24 years, Jersey City for 22 years, and Newark for 18 


NYC Parents and Students Mobilizing for Real Reform

As the mayoral election of 2013 approaches, New York City parents and students are speaking up about what is most important to them. They got hold of an old school bus, painted it blue, and are driving around the city to raise awareness among other parents and students.
The article linked here shows how parents and their children are trying to inform voters and the candidates about 


Do Americans Believe in Equality of Opportunity?

Governor Jerry Brown of California gave a brilliant state of the state speech in January, where he pledged to change fundings of public schools so that more money went to children with the greatest needs.
It sounded reasonable. It costs more to educate a child who can’t speak English than one who can. It costs more to educate a child with disabilities than one without them. It costs more to educate children with high 

The Chicago Tribune’s Phony Poll Numbers on Reform

Yesterday I ran a post about an editorial in the Chicago Tribune. The editorial touted the results of a poll which the newspaper conducted in partnership with the Joyce Foundation. The poll purportedly supported privatization, merit pay, evaluation of teachers by test scores, and every other failed nostrum of the Rahm Emanuel-ALEC crowd.
But a Chicago parent group called PURE (Parents United for Responsible Education) says that the Tribune poll is a fraud. It underrepresented parents of children who attend public schools and it underrepresented African 

Rahm: I Did It for the Children

Fresh from his skiing vacation in Utah, Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he is closing 54 public schools because he wants all the children in Chicago to get a quality education. So he closing the schools of 30,000 children.
May we see a show of hands? How many people believe that at the end of Emanuel’s term of office, all children in Chicago will have a quality education? Is he hiding his secret recipe?
To add insult to injury, he channels the father of public education, Horace Mann, in calling education “the great equalizer.” Mann was not talking about charter schools or academies or religious schools. He was talking about public schools.

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 minutes ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Chicago: A Disaster of “Seismic Proportions” by dianerav Mike Klonsky describes the devastation that will befall communities in Chicago as their schools are abandoned. What will happen to the children? Mayor Rahm Emanuel decided to be in Utah when his plan to devastate black communities was released Celebrated Charter Loses Its Charter by dianerav Few charter schools have received as much attention and accolades as the American Indian Model Schools of Oakland... more »