Because of my new book, which won’t be available until September 18, I fully expect the corporate reform attack machine to come after me. They have invested a lot of energy in charters, vouchers, merit pay, stripping teachers of tenure, collective bargaining rights, pensions, etc. despite the lack of any evidence that these strategies improve education. It makes them angry to be reminded that their plans have failed again and again.
So I was not surprised when I heard that Secretary Arne Duncan’s former Assistant Secretary for Communications lashed out at me in an article on the Huffington Post. I decided to ignore it.
But others did not. Paul Thomas wrote a response here.
Susan Ohanian called it “a whiny rant.”
Read the comments following his article.
If the suits are coming after you, you must be doing something right
Amen! This is the Scarlet Letter of fame not shame!
Read this article from Secretary Duncan’s Chief-of-staff, Joanne Weiss (and fellow office-mate of Mr. Cunningham):
http://blogs.hbr.org/innovations-in-education/2011/03/the-innovation-mismatch-smart.html
The comments here of Joanne Weiss, chief of staff to U.S. Secretary
of Education Arne Duncan, really let one slip. She wrote in the
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW that the Common Core “radically alters
the market … Previously, these markets operated on a state-by-state
basis, and often on a district-by-district basis. But the adoption of
common standards and shared assessments means that education
entrepreneurs will enjoy national markets where the best products
can be taken to scale.”
Really? Our overall public school system—both in general and
specific geographic area districts—is no longer in the public
commons?
Not anymore, apparently, because according to Duncan, Weiss
and of course, Mr. Cunningham, Public education is a “market”,
and individual states/districts are “markets” where “entrepreneurs”
can get rich, and Arne’s instituting Common Core to help them
do just that.
The best interests of the students? The best interests of
students mean nothing… it’s all about profiteers getting
rich.
They just can’t wait for you to say something, so they are reduced to criticizing what they imagine you might say in the future.
They’re not imagining what she might say. They’ve seen an advance copy, and this guy was supposed to come up with a preemptive attack. He’s just trying to change the subject.
The problem is, even referring to the chapter titles puts them in defense mode already. They can’t frame a response without indicting themselves.
Bottom line: they are not very smart, are they?
Does anyone know where the USDOE former PR guy Cunningham is now? Did he move on to one of the deformers organizations to cash in? Just curious.
Here’s his twitter bio:
Peter Cunningham
@PCunningham57
Communications Strategist; Former Asst Sec of Ed (Obama Admin); Whiteboard Advisors; Husband, Father, Musician, Optimist,
Chicago
Another Chicago boy
Loved this comment….a real teacher, and not a friend of Arne’s….Peter’s big claim to fame. Posted by 2seetheglobe:
I teach my students to research authors of opinion pieces to better understand their motivations. Peter Cunningham has degrees in philosophy and journalism, was a reporter, wrote speeches for politicians, and heads a political communications firm. He advised Arne Duncan at Chicago Public Schools before joining him at the U.S. Department of Ed.
He is a senior advisor for Whiteboard Advisors (W/A)–consultants that provide “proprietary research and strategic support to investors, philanthropic donors, government leaders, and entrepreneurs that seek unparalleled understanding of the education policy and business environment.”
W/A (whose advisors also include the architects of NCLB and Race to the Top ) produce the monthly Education Insider, a report that “provides real-time insights on federal education policy trends—from the handful of decision makers that are driving the process. The Insiders include White House and U.S. Department of Ed staff, Congressional leaders, state school chiefs, and leaders of major trade associations, think tanks, and advocacy groups.”
I think even my 4th graders can smell a rat here!
So lets get this straight: this guy’s job was to sit in an office and “monitor and respond” to criticisms of Arne Duncan’s ed policies? And his decision, after engaging with her and getting his butt kicked, was to ignore her? And now that he’s out of the government he decides the best he can do is write a whiny blog post complaining that she’s mean?
Ok, got it.
I was fairly concerned when this was done under the former administration but it seems to be the way they work now. Ministry of Information model.
While I have not yet read the book but have ordered it on Amazon, I remain impressed by the shifts in Dr. Ravitch’s thinking from a past preserver of status quo who is armed and loaded with new information and data understanding the complexity of social justice issues associated with education in our nation. Look out world here comes another bright woman who understands the field in which she toils!
Education must be a national conversation but not a national uniform. Our country is linked to the ideas of equal access. When equality however is mistaken for equity, every teacher and student is at a disadvantage. I regret that policy makers cannot stop to hear the voices of teachers and leaders like myself who have labored in rich, poor, independent, and faith-based schools and know and appreciate the differences.
Help all children in all schools with what is needed not what is expedient!
yes! And your tax dollars paid his salary. Susan O also had this on Cunningham:
Now he’s president of Cunningham Communications, a Chicago firm specializing in communications focused on education, government, and economic development for public, private and non-profit clients.
And he is on the team with Whiteboard Advisors (http://www.whiteboardadvisors.com/node/612), where he ‘advises clients on strategic communications and thought leadership.’
Great question:
“Now he’s president of Cunningham Communications, a Chicago firm specializing in communications focused on education, government, and economic development for public, private and non-profit clients.
And he is on the team with Whiteboard Advisors (http://www.whiteboardadvisors.com/node/612), where he ‘advises clients on strategic communications and thought leadership.’ So if you decide to waste your time reading his post at Huffington, think of it as ‘strategic communication’ from a self-proclaimed ‘thought leader.’ A con man.
Who is the client he’s messaging for in this rant on Ravitch? ”
From Whiteboard advisors:
“Over the last decade, our team has advised both investors and management in conjunction with dozens of K12 and post-secondary education transactions. Unlike traditional management consulting firms, we are highly specialized in policy, political, and funding issues that impact education businesses at the state, local, and federal levels. Because our team brings deep industry and technology expertise, coupled with years of policy and political experience, we offer a truly unique perspective – informed, where appropriate, by thoughtful engagement with policymakers and officials in order to gain the latest intelligence. For private equity and venture capital investors, our team produces high quality work products including complex weighted probability scenarios, risk assessments, and market-sizing. Recent projects include an analysis of state and federal funding for buyers of a publicly traded K12 publisher, an assessment of state special education funding for a private equity investor, and an evaluation of the impact of sequestration on military tuition assistance programs.”
His bio on Whiteboard highlights his connections in the administration, which is why he’s valuable to the private firms he now works for.
“Education transactions” I’ll bet!
Media would perform a public service if they would insist that people who go from the public sector thru the revolving door to the private sector list their clients after their opinion pieces. Is he currently assisting in the privatization of Chicago public schools? We need to know that.
so not related, but this appeared in our paper this morning. I want to know more about this poll. You certainly don’t have to publish this comment, but I am suspicious.
New poll: Parents back high-stakes testing
By Philip Elliott and Jennifer Agiesta
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Often criticized as too prescriptive and all-consuming, standardized tests have support among parents, who view them as a useful way to measure both students’ and schools’ performances, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. Most parents also say their own children are given about the right number of standardized tests, according to the APNORC poll. They’d like to see student performance on statewide exams used in evaluating teachers, and almost three-quarters said they favored changes that would make it easier for schools to fire poorly performing teachers. “The tests are good because they show us where students are at, if they need help with anything,” said Vicky Nevarez, whose son Jesse just graduated from high school in Murrieta, Calif. “His teachers were great and if there were problems, the tests let me know.”
The polling results are good news for states looking to implement increased accountability standards and for those who want to hold teachers responsible for students’ slipping standing against other countries’ scores. Teachers’ unions have objected to linking educators’ evaluations to student performance.
As students prepare to return to classrooms, the AP-NORC Center surveyed parents of students at all grade levels and found:
» Sixty-one percent of parents think their children take an appropriate number of standardized tests and 26 percent think their children take too many tests.
» Teachers’ fates shouldn’t rest solely on test results, according to a majority of parents. Fiftysix percent said classroom observations should be part of teachers’ evaluations, and 74 percent of all parents said they wanted districts to help struggling teachers.
» Despite many Republicans’ unrelenting criticism of the Common Core State Standards, in various stages of implementation in 45 states and the District of Columbia, 52 percent parents have heard little or nothing about the academic benchmarks and a third are unsure if they live in a state using them. Still, when given a brief description of what the standards do, about half of parents say educational quality will improve once the standards are implemented, 11 percent think it will get worse, and 27 percent say they’ll have no effect.
» Seventy-five percent of parents say standardized tests are a solid measure of their children’s abilities, and 69 percent say such exams are a good measure of the schools’ quality. “We know when the tests are coming up. They spend a lot of time getting ready for them,” said Rodney Land of Lansing, Mich. His daughter, Selena, will be in eighth grade at a charter school this fall. The weights-and-measures inspector supports the testing because “it shows what they know, and what they should know.”
“We need some way to keep track of whether the teachers are spending enough time educating,” Land said.
Education union leaders have stood opposed to linking teacher evaluations with these tests, arguing it is unfair to punish teachers for students’ shortcomings. They also say teachers have not had sufficient time to rewrite their lessons to reflect new academic benchmarks, such as those found in the Common Core.
When states have adopted the Common Core State Standards, which aim to provide consistent requirements across all states for math and English, test results often falter and the standards can make schools and teachers appear to be faring worse than they did the previous year.
Burgess-Peterson Elementary School principal Robin Robbins meets with students during an after-school study program in Atlanta, in preparation for state standardized testing, soon to begin. AP
Front page of my local paper too…a paper that is very anti teacher unions. Funded by the Joyce Foundation, it would be interesting to see the actual questions. You can word anything you want to elicit the response you are looking for.
It was conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research from June 21 to July 22 at the University of Chicago. It involved landline and cell phone interviews in English and Spanish with 1,025 parents of children who completed grades K-12 in the last school year.
How could we access the actual questions asked?
It’s true – if that “brief description of the common core” said something like “raise the standards of education for education so that education reflects college and career readiness” – what parent will say I don’t want that?
“Seventy-five percent of parents say standardized tests are a solid measure of their children’s abilities, and 69 percent say such exams are a good measure of the schools’ quality. “
Are parents even aware of what is on the test? How in the world does a parent make the jump from evaluating a school according to test scores and the quality of the schools?
History so far has shown us that there are plenty of schools receiving good grades but not providing a good education. Parents may not be aware that test scores are largely gamed by extensive test prep which is not the same as a well-rounded education.
Cunningham seemed almost seemed half-hearted. Like, was one of the top $$$ guys in education really that intellectually lazy? I love how he cites Diane’s love of straw-man arguments, then goes and does that EXACT THING. Diane is against CCSS so she’s for “low standards.” Diane says the only people who want to go to college should go to college, so she’s against minorities going to college. Wow, I tremble a little thinking that this is what it’s like at the table with these guys. ALSO, Diane I’m sure you know, that these guys go way back to the Daley administration/Paul Vallas together. Very insular, very protective of each other. His kids went to a CPS magnet though, not Lab. So it sounds like there’s a (very) remote chance he’s just doing his PR job here and paying his bills? Maybe he’ll be the next DRavitch? Only (sorry Peter) not nearly as bright. And Diane got out before she started selling chunks of her soul.
I notice he didn’t offer any substantive defense of Duncan’s work. It’s all biography and “my good friend”. In other words, “political messaging”, which is, after all, what he does for a living.
Has Secretary Duncan improved US public schools – not charter schools, we know Duncan promotes those, but the 95% of US public schools that are not charter schools? Who knows! His defenders never say.
For all their claims of being “data driven” their professional “messaging” is notably lacking in data.
Let’s see a list of Secretary Duncan’s accomplishments regarding US public schools. In what concrete way have US public school kids benefitted from Duncan’s tenure?
Philadelphia kids certainly aren’t benefitting, or Detroit, or Chicago.
Was gutting public school funding one of the “reform” goals, or is that an unintended consequence of their work? Would any public school parent in this country say Duncan has improved public schools?
Aww! Mr. Cunningham, does Dr. Diane Ravitch scare you?
Like 🙂
One thing I’ve noticed is Duncan has a very light public appearance schedule. I don’t know if that’s normal for an education secretary, but I would think he would do lots of public events since he’s selling a huge change in public schools that spans 45 states. Apparently he has no interest in meeting with parents. I don’t know single parent here who has any clue about The Common Core.
I’ve been trying to catch him in Cleveland, because Cleveland has been following the “free market” reform model for 15 years now and according to test scores (which is the reform measure) they are falling behind other cities. Since the reformer who is currently closing schools and bulldozing community libraries in Chicago parachuted into Chicago from her previous stint in Cleveland, I was wondering why she hasn’t been held accountable for results in Cleveland.
As Peter Cunningham berates Diane Ravitch, I am struck by the significance of his own words. He mentions that Diane’s blog had received its 6 millionth participant a little while back. Here is what strikes me. She has no PR machine behind that has led those 6 million participants to join her blog. Diane does not have a well paid staff of PR specialists to toot her message. She is not a regular presence on the major networks at the network’s invitation, wooed for the cover of national magazines nor she does not have major money to back back Hollywood movies with those same PR folk involved in the message. She does not have the open attention of the president as Arne Duncan does. I could go on.. So here is the “billionaires club dollar question”.. how the heck does she manage to get 6 million participants to check into her blog not just daily but several times a day (mind you before and after school hours)? They are rank and file teachers.. the one’s who have education experience.. yes dare I say, THEY ACTUALLY WORK WITH THE STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM! I am not bragging when I say that I understand more than our nation’s very own Secretary of Education. In fact, contrary to bragging, I find it downright scary, that I as a mid career teacher have more experience than a leader who sets national education policy. Spending a few years at one’s mom’s outdoor leadership camp does not qualify as classroom teaching experience nor do all the degrees in sociology and public policy. If Duncan had spent an academic career studying education policy as Ravitch has, he like Ravitch WOULD WELCOME AND WANT the advice of those w/ classroom experience. So, Cunningham’s diatribe rings very hollow because it is PR which drives this very hollow PR “Ed Reform” machine!
And then Cunningham takes a Ravitch comment out of context, then asks a question about the comment and then answers it by taking it in a very misleading direction! Ughh.. HE ASKS, “When Dr. Ravitch says, “But maybe they don’t need to go to college,” who exactly is she referring to?” HE ANSWERS, ” It’s certainly not rich white kids. It’s definitely not the children of middle class parents, who view college for the kids as one of the core pillars of the American Dream. That leaves low-income and minority children.”
Anyone who reads Ravitch’s books, blogs etc knows her meaning there and I venture that Cunningham does too but needs to “alter” the comment to make his own pseudo agenda look PR “good”. Every child in this nation deserves to have an education that provides him/her with choice.. the choice to head toward college or to prepare for a trade. It should not be a matter of a family’s economic standing. Ironically, the “ed reform” movement makes it JUST THAT! The one constant in ALL THE TESTING DATA is that “rich kids” do better on these tests! Cunningham’s comment is belittling to all the self-made entrepreneurs, the master auto-mechanics, seamstresses, brick-layers, carpenters, custodians etc who are just as crucial to a functioning society as teachers, nurses, architects are!
artseagal,
“. . . that has led those 6 million participants to join her blog”.
I believe you are mistaken as the 6 million refers to page views not to the number of individuals viewing the blog. First sentence of the post: “Today the blog reached a new milestone: 6 million page views in not quite 16 months. ”
More likely than not both you and I together have had thousands of those over six million page views and we are only two “participants”. Correct wording is important, eh!!
Duane
A Seal of Approval…….
The picture in the article has all of the children raising their hand (except one who may be left behind). Seems like all of the usual suspects use these kinds of photos. If the kids in their photos are so engaged, why do we need to change to their programs? I am the style of teacher who likes to see children working with each other in collaboration and research, not isolated like seals awaiting the next fish to be thrown to them with the “right answer” that will no doubt be available in the Common Core and its homogenized materials. There are words and then there are pictures. Every picture tells a story.
Yep! (to your last statement)
They will say what they want about the book and all of it will be about protecting their fiefdoms. Enough has been written on this blog by so many good people, sadly documenting from far-flung corners of Free Public School USA, everything Diane has gathered together in Reign of Error. Call it what it is, a reign of terror and stop it dead in its tracks. It surely has rolled over enough lives – teachers and children.
I sure hope Hillary Clinton & her advisors are paying close attention. If she does not support public education in a real way she will lose hundreds of thousands of potential supporters. Democrats from the education community are fed up with corporate ed reform, disgusted with the misuse of testing, and appalled by the failed leadership of Arne Duncan, Rahm Emanuel, et al.
Clinton won’t lose any supporters. What are those of us who care about education supposed to do? Vote Republican?
Democrats realize that people who care about education are usually educated enough to realize that, even if they’re backing corporate reform and bashing teachers, they’re usually not backing vouchers and teaching religion in science class. Their education policy is evil, but it’s the lesser evil. And as we showed in Obama’s second campaign, we’ll get behind the lesser evil.
Elizabeth Warren has moved up onto the 2016 list. She hasn’t taken any positions against corporate reform, but I can’t find any statements supporting it, either.
Charter schools can be useful experiments or something.
Heh, heh. Neither Democrat Socialists nor Republican Corporatists. Vote Tea Party.
Ick, Harlan, NO Tea Party!
A lot of the for-profit education lobbyists came out of the Clinton White House or were advocates for Hillary Clinton in her previous campaigns.
The regulations governing for-profit colleges that were passed in 2009 along with the health care bill were gutted at the rule-writing stage when lobbyists descended on the DOE (where Duncan was apparently unable or unwilling to resist them).
Anita Dunn is one of them. She worked for both Clinton and Obama.
It is going to be tough to turn this around. These folks are deeply embedded in both Parties.
In the OH statehouse, the reps who have been purchased are all Republicans, but that is not true at the federal level.
http://www.thenation.com/article/167388/real-hilary-rosen-scandal#
I think EVERY unfairly destroyed teacher truly, feels your pain. We have ALL suffered the absurd distortions/lies of administrations who don’t give a rip about fairness, truth,or let alone, improving education. They ARE all about “improving” the corporate assault on public education for their greedy gains. TRUTH was the first victim in this Orwellian scheme. Teachers are assaulted with the most absurd, totally false, trumped up charges. Putting a fish in the school freezer, rolling his/her eyes when a fiendish administrators verbally mangle teachers with cruel, proven falsehoods, and the victim couldn’t even “roll their eyes” in protest? The swamp scum level of attacks is shocking. They vibrantly illustrate the dark agenda being pursued and the amoral lengths Obama, Duncan and their ravenous, corporate wolves will go to, to destroy worthy teachers and anyone who dares to confront their vicious treatment of those who attempt to expose them and save public education. An attack by them is the highest compliment for anyone fighting this “good fight.”
Ah, Diane; you only need to be concerned when no one cares enough to not write about you. You will then be a has been.
I for one, appreciate your writing and your thoughts even though I disagree on most everything. My conviction either is or is not. Your words always challenge my internal beliefs.
Dick Velner – Parent, Teacher and Curriculum Principal
Wow — an article like this shows that the reformers are getting scared. Good news for education as it seems the pressure is mounting against greedy, corporate initiatives – which by the way, are not about raising the standards, but rather about profits and power. Hey reformers, if you can find a way to do it cheaper then the money should go back to the taxpayer, not to your coffers. Read the Credo study if you want evidence about the effectiveness of charters.
Respect is earned, character counts, and values still matter.
Diane has earned respect through a lifetime of words and actions. Her character shines through in the way she lives and treats people. She trusts hardworking, lifelong educators who value children more than profit. She puts her faith in parents who love and support their children unconditionally. Her legacy continues to unfold and I am proud to stand with her as she fights for children, for public education and democracy.
Selling one’s soul for those who value money and power ….a sad commentary on one’s work and life. Arne Duncan and Peter Cummingham, are you listening?
This is my post directly to Mr Cunningham’s comment in the Huffington Post :
Higher education costs lots and lots of money these days which Mr Cunningham fails to mention. He does say that only a certain % attends community and the 4 year college system, but fails to say that perhaps more would if the costs were much lower, or free as they were for those of us entering public colleges and university’s in the 1960’s and 70’s. I remember being in shock when UC Berkeley first created a $2,000. fee (never called a tuition because a public university is supposed to be free). UC Berkeley as of 2013 had a $18,000 per year fee. I know because my daughter transferred from our local community college and most fortunately transferred in with honors and a two year scholarship in Architecture.
So, back to Mr. Cunningham, his attack on Diane Ravitch is misplaced, instead his attack should be against America’s squandering of trillions of dollars on wars when it should be spending those trillions to promote all children, rich and poor alike to enter into a free public college system.
Cunningham states, ‘America is at a crossroads with Common Core and with other education reforms underway.’ That is precisely the problem, Arnie Duncan is about to drive us right of the cliff with his poor policy making.
Diane has been out there asking you guys like Cunningham and Duncan to put the brakes on and reevaluate this dangerous intersection before taking us down the road towards our doom. Reform for the sake of reform is is dangerous path to follow. Ignoring the pleas from those of us who drive this road every day is arrogance taken to new levels.
Cunningham’s accusations are simply untrue. They typify the Duncan’s refusal to engage in meaningful conversation with those of us that must maneuver through the obstacles he has placed in our way.
Yes we are at a crossroads, teachers and parents are doing whatever we can to ensure our students and children are not led down the road to despair strewn with test booklets, randomly placed informational texts, and standards that ignore emotional and intellectual development.
Thank goodness Diane has been the green arrow that is flashing, in the fog you guys created to confuse us.
Mr Cunningham, go back to monitoring our criticism because it is about to get much more louder.
With guys like Cunningham shielding Duncan/Obama, it’s no wonder no real conversation can take place.
Obama/Duncan are not the major king pins in this, it’s the multi-billion dollar corporations who want to get their hands on these educational monies going to the teachers who are a great percentage of where the money goes…in salary, benefits, and retirement, such as it is…not much individually, but collectively it’s huge. I remember my district saying that for every 1% raise it costs my district of 1800 + teachers one million dollars, and wouldn’t a private charter school rather get this money and pay their teachers less…that’s a no brainer.
OF course the corporations are financing this, but Obama and especially Duncan make the policies. They are just as accountable.
So, it is time to clarify what I believe.
“Who should go to college? Everyone who wants to.
What prevents them from doing so? The cost of college today puts it out of reach for many students, and those who get a degree spend years paying back their student loans.
Education is a basic human right. Every state should have free community colleges for anyone who wants to go to college. In recent years, states have increasingly shifted the cost of higher education to students, when it should be paid for by taxation.
Does everyone “need” to go to college? No, and not everyone wants to go to college. Some people choose to go several years after high school, and some get on-the-job training”.
So Dr. Ravitch, who gets to go to community colleges even if they want to go to college? I can see how Cunningham could misconstrue or misunderstand your statement given all the research about shuffling the poor and minority into community colleges.
I was not lucky enough to get an advance copy of your book, but I await its arrival and the comments that follow when all of us have had a chance to read it! Like you always say about the Common Core, it has not been tested yet in the field!
I had to laugh when I read the comments to the original article (after leaving my own). Were there ANY that supported it? I stopped after the first few dozen.
I read at least 30 and I didn’t see one. He is taking a beating. I tweeted this post and suggested he read comments here and on Huff Post….a rude awakening I suppose.
First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win. Mahatma Gandhi
Indeed – wise words.
At a meeting to ‘talk’ about opening a charter school in our small town (several years ago now) our ex-mayor said, “Can’t you just see them drooling over our tax dollars?”
Well she was right then and she’s right now except they are drooling over the entire country’s education budget, OUR EDUCATION BUDGET! This is our money, we paid for these schools, what gives them the right to pull them out from under us? Really I want to know what gives them the right!?
Yes!!!!!
I’m glad Duncan is “monitoring” your blog, Diane.
God knows there’s no other way for parents of public school kids to reach him. Maybe he’s learning something.
Your courage, Diane, and your tenacity, are extraordinarily inspiring. When the current madness passes, and it will, we shall all look back on what you have done with enormous gratitude. I wonder how many recognize the heroism that you have shown in taking these stances, alienating old friends, making powerful enemies. And why have you done this? Because you see the damage being done to kids and teachers and schools and communities and refuse to stand idly by. You have risen to the occasion, and your nation is in your debt.
I don’t know what it means when any United States Department of Education employee “monitoring” anyone’s blog on the as part of their job using taxpayer’s nickel and uses that to craft an attack strategy on one voice of dissent and ignoring the legions of other dissenting voices. The comment made by the former press secretary reminds me of tactics used in bygone times, which have been soundly rejected. It is such a worn-out narrative (yawn), and making personal attacks is such an obvious tactic.
Frankly, I hope this event pushes your new book to first place on all the best seller lists the moment it’s released to the public and keeps it there for months and months.
The attack by Cunningham implies that I was not only monitored but was on the top of Arne’s enemies list. When did we last hear about an administration with an enemies’ list? Wasn’t it Nixon and Watergate? Imagine a cabinet officer so frightened of dissent that dissenters must be closely watched. First amendment, anyone?
Hi Arne or minion…please resign….you are ruining our schools and the teaching profession. I’m sure Coleman will create a job for you.
Don’t worry about giving notice, just go! Thanks
Signed, all the teachers and children in the USA.
As I have said repeatedly, this is nothing but a grand heist to benefit a group of gangsters who make the mafia blush. These new crooks are the billionaires, hedge fund managers, and neoliberals who want to pilfer every last dime the rest of us have to make themselves even more obscenely rich.
Both political parties are beholden to these crooks.
I called Obama for what he was a long, long, long time ago and actually LISTENED to what he said. He was not and is not a Democrat and has virtually destroyed the party as I have known it. The last Democratic Party candidate for president was John Kerry back in 2004, which might as well be the Stone Age.
When I vote for that racist, ugly group, Hell will be a skating rink!
ALL of us—every single one of us—needs to post something in response to this vile, mendacious attack on Diane Ravitch.
Here it is. And it’s waiting for your response: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-cunningham/ravitch-redux_b_3768887.html?utm_source=Alert-comment&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email%2BNotifications
Also, we should be asking the Huffington Post: What is a supposedly “progressive” website doing, consistently, for several years now, providing a forum to the most reactionary, conservative voices in favor of The Privatization Of Our Public Schools?
I just left a comment on the HuffPo article. If the bigwigs are feeling threatened, then you must be doing something right. The truth hurts. Ouch. Thank you Diane Ravitch!
Cunningham is getting slammed. He won’t know what hit him. Hope the Gates USDOE is reading them too. Wake up call for all.
Maybe if a teacher were to be elected of President of the U.S., he/she would be motivated to have Dr. Ravitch serve as Secretary of Education. Thanks for telling the truth and educating anyone willing to learn about what is happening in education today, Dr. Ravitch.
Arne: Peeta, Peeta, Ravitch is going to win the “Hunger Games” of public education with her new book. Not sure I can handle the rejection.
Peeta: I know what I’ll do. I’ll use my philosophy and journalism degrees to support neoliberal philosophies wihout a shred of evidence to back them up. And call TFA “well-meaning.”
Arne: Uh, really?
Peeta: And I’ll pretend I ignore her, even though she’s got us by the balls and we watch her every move!
Arne: Any chance it’ll stir up the Bad-Ass Teachers?
Peeta: It’ll run in Huff Po!
Arne: I guess any publicity is better than no publicity.
#BATserved
It cannot ever be said enough, thank you so much, Diane.