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Saturday, May 25, 2013

Diane in the Evening 5-25-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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




Duncan: In Chicago, I Cut Testing by 50%

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy at a meeting with students in Hartford, Connecticut. The main topic was school security, but at one point a student asked what could be done to cut back on excessive testing.
This was the exchange:
“Student Justin Vega said he feels as if all the time and money spent on standardized testing has compromised 

A True Act of Courage and Integrity

I earlier posted about the 21 teachers who resigned their positions at Weigand Elementary School to protest the ouster of their principal Irma Cobian. That was 21 out of a teaching staff of 22.
Not one of them knows if he or she will have a job next year. Theirs was an act of courage and integrity. They

Parent Activist Says He Was Offered Money to Promote Trigger Law

A parent who supported Parent Revolution’s efforts to turn his school into a charter says the organization promised to pay him. He says he and other parent activists were sent around the country to promote the movie “Won’t Back Down,” which flopped at the box office. One parent leader in Adelanto was hired to work for the

Wondering About Ben Austin

Earlier today, I posted an article in the Los Angeles Times about Parent Revilution forcing the ouster of an excellent principal, Irma Cobian.
I keep thinking about it. I think about the way her staff admired and respected her, how 21 of 22 teachers requested a transfer when she was targeted by the phony Parent Revolution.
Ben Austin is loathsome. He ruined the life and career of a dedicated educator. She was devoted to the children

Were You Invited to This Cool Party?

No? Neither was I.
This was a soirée for the super-rich who support Eva Moskowitz’s charter schools. Those are the miracle schools that claim their students outperform the students in affluent Scarsdale.
Hedge fund manager Daniel S. Loeb was the honoree. He was surrounded by other hedge fund managers. They think they are Robin Hoods. They forget that the real Robin Hood stole from people like them.
Jeb Bush, Florida’s own Robin Hood was there. So was Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the New York Board of Regents. All celebrating Eva’s Success Academies. They are the very epitome of no-excuses, nonunion 


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LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-25-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] A UTLA Member Speaks Out About His Union’s Hypocrisy by dianerav This comment came from a member of UTLA: “I think we all can celebrate. that Monica Ratliff won that election. The efforts of many UTLA members helped in that effort, and may have played a major role in her election. “It is interesting though, to look at the article at utla.net about Monica’s victory–http://www.utla.net/ratliff “Here is a quote in it from UTLA president Warren Fletcher: “We are overjo... more »