I just answered a question from a reader. He/she wondered if it was really me writing this blog. He/she wondered if there would be a little line somewhere saying that I was funded by some foundation.
I answered the question but thought it was a good idea to answer it in a blog.
It is just me. Or, to be grammatically correct, it is I. And I alone.
No one writes for me, and I am not funded by any foundation.
I write every word of my books. I write every word of my articles. I write every word of my blogs. I write every word of my tweets.
I know that most if not all of the other voices in the national debate have a staff. Some have a large staff. Some have a “social media” person who writes their tweets and interacts with the public for them.
Last summer, when I debated Wendy Kopp at the Aspen Ideas Festival, I found myself in a three-way interchange, emailing with the moderator James Bennett’s secretary and Wendy Kopp’s secretary. I don’t have a secretary.
It is I and my pen, or to be more accurate, my computer and my iPad.
I write as I think, I write what I believe. I try to stick to the facts, as I know them. If I make an error, I’ll say so. I avoid ad hominem comments, and please let me know if I have not stood by that principle.
There’s lots more I could say on this subject, but the bottom line is this: It’s just me.
Diane
Diane Ravitch's blog 
And many of us THANK YOU for all the work you put in, all by yourself. I hope you know and get feedback about the impact you’ve made. Your Death and Life book is used widely in our district (usually by public school teachers who are doing graduate work) and your voice is a strong addition in our area to discussions about what we want schools to be and do. Thanks.
How interesting. Your blog is now blocked on DOE networks as “potentially damaging”. On admin line too, not just teachers. Police state anyone?
Been reading about all the “block” examples on Twitter. Makes me wonder if they are just blocking all WordPress sites and it may not be specific to your blog?
You can access many WordPress blogs on their network. They are very specifically targeting selected blogs. Beyond filtering to protect the kids this feels like pure censorship. Agree or be blocked.
Ugh. Thanks for filling me in. Makes me wonder what the media specialist/librarian folks at the district level might have to say about it? In my experience, they are usually the most fierce anti-censorship groups in schools and I hope they are at least putting up a fight about this?
You are doing just great! I’ve learned something new every day. Thank you for all the work you do.
Peg M.
Love the blog…informative, provacative, and real. Thanks for sharing your thoughtful insights and experiences with the field.
Given that next week is “Teacher Appreciation Week,” could you consider sharing your thoughts on the incredible value and commitment of our hardworking and dedicated teachers – especially in these difficult times? Though you certainly write on this topic (indirectly), a dedicated entry would be a fitting tribute to our hard-working colleagues.
Thank you for all you do for education!
Troy Decker
Principal
Indian River High School
Philadelphia, NY
When I stumbled on your blog, it occurred to me that Bill Gates himself could be pretending to be you (sounds like I’m joking; I’m not). I’ve become skeptical (on a good day) and paranoid (all the rest of the days).
Everywhere I go (here, for example: http://acestoohigh.com/2012/04/23/lincoln-high-school-in-walla-walla-wa-tries-new-approach-to-school-discipline-expulsions-drop-85/, or here: http://mybrightidea.lausd.net/) I find a “funded by the Gates, or Wasserman, or Broad Foundation” in fine print.
Thank you, Diane, for your integrity.
Well, you are right, Bill Gates could indeed start a blog and use my name, but if he did, he wouldn’t write the same things I have been writing here. This is a space where I sound off, in an old journalistic tradition that goes back to H.L. Mencken, and probably way before him. If I sound like Bill Gates, well, gosh, either I am in trouble or he is. But I think if you read my blogs, you will hear my voice. And it’s just me. Not Bill Gates, not Eli Broad, not the Walton Family or anyone else.
Diane