Diane Rehm is one of the best interviewers on national radio (WAMU in DC).
I always enjoy being on her show.
I defended the teachers and discussed their aims and the conditions in the Chicago public schools.
On the other side was Rick Hess of the conservative American Enterprise Institute; Andrew Rotherham of Bellwether Partners; and former Mayor Adrian Fenty of D.C.
The three of them versus me. Mayor Fenty would like to see tenure abolished. He blames the unions for all the ills of the schools. He
loves standardized testing. Andy Rotherham says that unions are too powerful even in right to work states. Hess warned that the CTU would make the union movement as irrelevant as the referendum in Wisconsin. All three are rooting for Mayor Rahm to beat back the CTU.
I hope you find time to listen.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Not sure I have the stomach…this teacher is so depressed.
I tried to listen. You were, as always clear, precise, spot on. But how do you tolerate the distortions of language and meaning from these people?! Really, I had to turn it off. Thank you for hanging in there. These forums matter so much.
Don’t think it is easy. It is not. I had a long list of corrections and not enough time to say them.
Diane – off topic again, but would you consider an exchange with Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune regarding the CTU strike? I’ve been following him for years and he’s pretty much an honest broker. He was solidly liberal, although he’s been drifting more center-right lately, but I still think he’s basically fair (sometimes a bit too “fair” to the point of false equivalence and too much fence sitting). He fairly often does short debate-type exchanges in his “Rhubarb Patch”. His following is a pretty good mix of the political spectrum and I think it would be a great opportunity to get the message out to a wider audience. Not sure if you’re familiar with him, but he blogs here: http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/
Just a thought.
certainly
That would be awesome. I’m pushing Eric to take you up on this chance. Keeping my fingers crossed.
F.Y.I.–Glen Brown, a retired IL teacher/Chicago-based blogger & activist, had a back-&-forth discussion with Zorn on education reform. You can read it on
teacherpoetmusicianglenbrown.blogspot.com
(Sorry–don’t know how to link.)
I was so pleased to hear Diane Rehm was discussing this topic, but so disappointed when I tuned in and found out the panel that was invited. There were many times I wanted to hear your voice to provide counter-balance to the other three, but you were not given enough opportunities to speak. Thank you for speaking out about this issue. I hope your voice will be heard even more.
Did they (NPR) even think about having a rep from CTU on?
I doubt it.
It’s just like Adrian to blame someone (the unions) for all the ills of the public schools. He led a somewhat privileged life attending a parochial school in Prince George’s County, MD. (What does he know about the inside of an urban classroom?) Thank goodness the voters of DC sent him packing. The Rhee issue/problem was just one of several problems with his administration and personality. (He’ll probably never see or admit to it.)
Too bad the deck was stacked against you, Diane. Perhaps you can discuss education in a more serious and in-depth manner when the strike is over with Diane. Of course we should be glad she invited you to speak on behalf of teachers and students. How odd it would have been to just hear from the charter advocates on this national issue.
If you listen, you will hear one of the speakers saying that Rahm should look forward to firing 6,000 teachers.
I wanted to ask who he thought would staff the schools under those conditions.
TFA grads, teaching assistants, novice teachers just happy to have a job – and are willing to forgo job protection and academic freedom in order to secure a paycheck.
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to teach in Chicago,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
It’s clear that they think anyone could teach; their contempt for the profession is breathtaking.
Thank you for defending teachers. I appreciate every effort you make on our behalf.
For many years now I have thought of NPR as either National Pentagon Radio or National Propaganda Radio.
Thank you, Diane, for your tireless efforts.
Clearly they felt it would take three reformers to defend against you. Accept it as a grand compliment.
This is not hyperbole. You are exactly right.
My wife and I run a volunteer badminton program; it is very popular and well attended. She is five inches shorter than me and 35 pounds lighter. She is one of the best players there. I can partner with a bigger, stronger and better player than myself and no matter how hard the two of us play, I often feel [justifiably] that the one of her outnumbers the two of us. But she can’t match Diane.
Evidently it takes three [count ’em] big edubullies to take on one Diane Ravitch. It shows they feel outnumbered in one-on-one or even two-on-one encounters. What a sorry bunch.
Wear it as a badge of honor. It may not always feel that way, but they are afraid of your facts and arguments.
Thank you! It is always tough in a four-way conversation to get enough minutes to respond and parry.
I too listened and had to turn it off as I was motoring in to the university today. I wonder at their vast experience as educators in the public schools. I cannot believe that you were set up, but what was the point of being so outnumbered? Did they even listen to your comments?
Diane, I listened to the DR show today and tried to get on with a comment in YOUR support. You were blindsided, and I was disappointed in Diane Rehm’s choice of panelists. She is usually more fair than having 3 against 1 ! I thank you for your accuracy and for responses that spoke the truth about tenure and standardized test scores.
The Gates Foundation is a major backer of NPR. The lineup should come as no surprise. NPR also consistently runs ads for K12 online education.
Just like CNN & it’s president, Jim Walton (son of Sam, of the WalMart 1% clan, pro-charter/privatization), & why Diane’s Randi Kaye interview was an ambush. Yes, kafkateach, your name is appropriate to the situation. The media is bought and owned by the 1% reformers.
I felt that the lineup against you was grossly unfair. I was surprised that Diane Rehm allowed this, or is this a backhanded way to point out that you are quite equal to the overloaded and overblown opposition. I taught in an inner city school where a few of my 11th graders could not read the US history text book at all. More students read from a 3rd grade to 6th grade level. When I talked to the administration about a reading teacher, I was told there was not enough money in the budget. When inner city students walk in the door, they bring more problems than a high school teacher can solve in a 50 minute class period. I had to teach about the Puritans when my students worried about their lunch money or their wet shoes or the gangs in their neighborhood. And this was 1970 when Florida schools finally started integrating.Couldn’t tell it by me.
Yvonne Worden
Diane, thanks for fighting the good fight for students, teachers, and the public schools, against the so called reformist, that are really just opportunist who do the bidding for the philanthropists for profit; namely Gates, Broad, and the Walton’s.
I listened to the broadcast in it entirety and it is clear you were set up, but you did an admirable job.
When Adrian Fenty touted his and Rhee’s reform efforts as raising test scores during their tenure in the D.C. Schools, as a rationale for the continued expansion of the reformists agenda nationwide, why didn’t you mention the alleged cheating scandal that occurred in the D.C. Schools during their tenure?
I know you did a great job in the interview, but to sit there and listen to the arrogance of Adrian Fenty was too much for me to stomach. At the very least Fenty and Rhee were indirectly responsible for the cheating by adopting policies that caused the cheating.
I will say this about Adrian Fenty and Michelle Rhee…they have some nerve.
I would have brought up the cheating, but no time
Dr. Deming predicted that in 1991 (roughly) during “Dr. Deming Talks to Educators.” He insisted on operational definitions (required by the scientific method) but opposed arbitrary quotas by demanding “By what method” and invoking the “unknown and unknowable.”
If you know Fenty, you can imagine that smile, smirk and grin he had on his face.
Fortunately his time was limited on the show. Just imagine if you had lived in DC. We had to suffer through this clown as a city council member for 6 years and as a self-anointed “big city” mayor for four years. It was grueling. It was also surprising that he got elected due to his legal problems when he was an attorney.
His connection to the Democratic party is nebulous at best. This is from his wiki entry which is sourced.
On the Morning Joe Program of March 8, 2011, Fenty backed Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker’s anti-union efforts and broadly condemned the concept of collective bargaining.Saying that “Most governors and mayors would love to be able to manage their team without the interference of collective bargaining”, Fenty expressed his faith in the ability of managers to set fair wages and hours, and to fairly reward or hold their employees accountable. He also said that the Democratic Wisconsin senators should be held accountable for leaving the state to delay the enactment of Walker’s legislation.
If you have the time and the stomach, this article is great.
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/39616/is-adrian-fenty-a-jerk-politicians-say-he-is-but/page1/
You mentioned Montgomery County Schools. They use the Deming Cycle for strategic planning; see page 7 at http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/baldrige/docs/BaldrigeApplication.pdf
PLAN: … Develop goals, measures, and strategic objectives that support vision, mission, core values, and priorities …
DO: Align action at all levels of the organization …
STUDY: … Board, ELT, superintendent, deputy and associate superintendents, community superintendents, directors, principals, and teachers monitor, review, evaluate progress, and recommend course correction, where necessary
ACT: … Redirect and redeploy resources to address opportunities for improvement
And on page 8, more detail for “DO”:
– working effectively and collaboratively with the three bargaining units;
– monitoring and analyzing system data, such as satisfaction, turnover, complaints, and grievances; and
– using established communication mechanisms such as the Councils on Teaching and Learning, labor management collaboration committees, cluster meetings with school and PTA representatives, focus groups, and study circles.
oops, I failed to note the added emphasis is mine, not MCPS’
MoCo does it right. They’ve had a reputation in the DC metro area of being a quality and progressive school system since the late 1960’s.
Dr. Ravitch told Ms. Rehm that a good example was right in her own region. Are the unions working against their own interests by being quiet about MCPS? The “successes” I find in NEA Today are quite weak in comparison the the MCPS. Lew Rhodes posted an AASA interview or Dr. Weast: “Through the Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education, our senior staff meets with area business leaders to discuss leadership, problem solving and continuous improvement. With their help, we are building a bridge between outstanding education and sound business practices that will benefit our employees, our students and our entire county.”
I didn’t time each speaker, but it sure sounded like I heard more male voices than I did the lone female voice, which was you Diane. Thank you for trying to participate. Your patience amazes me.
I stopped reading EdWeek because that buffoon Hess is given space.