I was invited to debate a state leader in Baton Rouge on March 14. The leader who accepted was Chas Roemer, president of theBoard of Elementary and Secondary Education. Chas is a strong supporter of Governor Bobby Jindal’s “reforms” of massive privatization through vouchers nd charters and outsourcing students and taxpayer to for-profit corporations.
Chas was educated at Harvard. His father was governor. His sister runs the state charter school association.
Each of us was allotted 15 minutes, followed by Q&A.
I thought it was fun.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
GREAT OPENING Diane. I couldn’t listen to Chas. I wanted to hear his views but he started out saying a whole bunch of nothing and I don’t have the patience to sit and wait for the tidbits. I find public speakers who do this to be extremely irritating. Its almost like they want to lull you to sleep because there is no substance to what they are saying. I want to shout at the screen: GET TO THE POINT PLEASE!!!!! So I just shut it off. I will watch for the comments here to see if it is worth watching any more of the video.
Incredible summary of the state of dysfunction here in Louisiana and across our nation. Our state leaders tout parent choice as a real option when the choices they offer parents and children of poverty are unregulated charter and virtual schools that perpetuate substandard education for their own profit. Our governor and his bought and paid for BESE members would never send their own children to the very schools they offer as a choice to children of poverty. Unregulated, unaccredited, uncertified teachers, VAM scam, is good enough for other people’s children, you know “those children”. That’s the choice they offer. Not really a choice. Thanks Diane!
Harvard has a wonderful Graduate School of Education that reports on proven models of engaging communities in school excellence, ways that may be public or private funded, they’re successful. See e.g. Warren et al., 2009, “Beyond the Bake Sale: A Community- Based Relational Approach to Parent Engagement in Schools” It also has a Business School, where they churned out many of the mortgage-bubble guys, who has been unabashedly privatizing and disrupting public ed for years. When will we turn to Harvard’s GSE, and turn our backs on their BS?
Diane gave this idiot a smack down. Who put this guy in charge of anything?
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
I watched and listened painfully to the gentleman’s responses. He said he didn’t want to go tit for tat…well, that’s because he didn’t need to…..he had nothing…tits or tats.
Diane, I have to say that I’ve questioned some of your presentation strategies on this blog, but I was very impressed with your speech – not only your presentation of viewpoints and facts, but your overall demeanor, which appeared to be very sincere, focused on children, and to-the-point. I may not agree with every argument you present, but my respect for your mission grew as I watched the speeches, and wanted to share that.
I also agree with others about your opponent, and don’t think they could have picked a worse presenter for the opposing side. You cited fact after fact, and in his first 5 minutes I heard none. I couldn’t believe a state agency would chose him to present those ideas, and couldn’t imagine a single person leaving that presentation supporting choice, charters, vouchers, or anything he advocated.
Thanks Diane for sharing the videos.
EdedEducation, thank you for your kind and sincere comments. You have chastised me from time to time, so praise from you means a lot.
I’m not sure it counts for much, but it was well deserved. I look forward to continuing the conversation, and thanks again for providing the space to have it (and being willing to have it with us commoners).