My website is dianeravitch.com.
I am a historian of education and Research Professor of Education at New York University.
I was born in Houston, Texas, attended the Houston public schools from kindergarten through high school, and graduated from Wellesley College in 1960. I received my Ph.D. in the history of American education in 1975.
I am the mother of two sons. They went to private schools in New York City. I have three grandsons: two went to religious schools and the third goes to public school in New York City.
I live in Brooklyn, New York.
Diane Ravitch's Blog by Diane Ravitch is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at dianeravitch.net.
Good news! Art-infused instruction going back into schools in Arkansas:
http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/arkansas-a-puts-art-in-academics/Content?oid=2612751&showFullText=true
A bit of history about Diane: In a post “Diane Ravitch on and since 1/11/88″ at http://politicswestchesterview.wordpress.com/, I wrote up my notes on a talk she gave 25 years ago to the day at Franklin and Marshall College on 1/11/88. I tended to agree with her then, and i agree with her even more now!
Charter Schools, a failure that cannot be measured.
January 12, 2013 by Joe Hernandez
As I drive happily and optimistically through our South Florida roads, I can’t fail to notice the familiar signs we are all accustomed to viewing, the burger chains, gas stations and the strip malls. As an educator and more specifically, a school psychologist, something catches my eye in a decrepit, run down strip mall, a charter school. I pull in, curious, as to what this school has to offer, as it looks like any other store I could walk in, including an adult book store a few hundred feet away and a gun shop to go with it! I ask the friendly young lady behind a window, what type of school is this? She happily explains that this is a Kindergarten through Eigth grade charter school. Curiously, I ask where are the classrooms? She answers, they are behind that door, but I’m sorry, visitors are not allowed back there. So I ask, may I see the school counselor? I have some questions about enrolling my children here. The young lady quickly snaps back and says, “I am the school counselor”. Being of a mental health background I naturally ask, what experience do you need to be a counselor here? She quickly responds, none, that is just my title. I enroll students here. I only work part-time here. At this point, this so-called counselor is beginning to become suspicious of my intentions. So she asks, would you like to see our administrator? I answer no, not now at least, I am going to read the application completely first.
I settle down into what appears to be an old sofa of a doctor’s office, in fact, the whole charter school appears to be an old office renovated for educational purposes, complete with the obnoxious sliding glass window you need to knock on to get the attention of the office aide/school counselor to turn in your application. In the far distance, I can here the familiar laugh of children and a teacher screaming at the top of her lungs “shut up”. I look around the small waiting room, and I cannot help to notice a young lady wringing her hands, with an impatient look. Next to her, is a stack of papers and a textbook. Curious, I ask her, how do you like this school? She quickly responds that she is very disappointed. Very disappointed I ask? Yes, she says, as she begins to recount how she arrived to this school. I was offered something called a McKay Scholarship where I could choose any school I wanted private or public. Acting naive, I asked, isn’t this a good thing? She answers back, well, on the surface, everything looks great. The school is small, the staff is friendly, and the students all have to wear uniforms. So what is the problem?, I ask. She quickly explains that in order for her “application” to be accepted she had to sign a waiver. A waiver I ask? Yes a waiver. You see, when my child was in public school last year, she was receiving special education services for her Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This school, like most other charter schools do not have the resources that public schools have. So you are required to sign a waiver stating that even though your child has “special needs” you agree that the school does not have to provide any accommodations. Surprised at this revelation, I asked the parent, and you agreed to this? Well, the school seemed so eager to please, I felt at ease that my child could learn here. So what are your plans, I ask the mother. I am going to ask the administrator if the staff could at least look at her previous year’s work and have some compassion. I looked back at her and asked, and when will the administrator see you? She snapped quickly, they told me in half an hour, but as you can see, you and I have been close to an hour here and there is no administrator in sight. I again ask naively, is this common? Oh, you don’t know? I said no, I am applying here. She looks at me straight in the eyes, think twice about the decision you are about to make. There is one administrator for the ten charter schools this company runs.
At this point, I had heard or you can say learned enough. I quietly exit the waiting room and venture to the back alley of the strip mall to see for myself what type of Physical Education field or playground this charter school had to offer. As I passed numerous, obnoxiously smelling dumpsters, I observed a fence, a 20 by 20 feet area approximately, that had a group of students doing some jumping jacks. There were no swings, slides, fields to run through, nada! Just concrete and space to do some kinesthetics!
By this time, my charter school curiosity had been fulfilled, I had seen enough what this “free, unregulated, market model” had to offer our children. I believe my experience with this randomly selected charter school, in a local strip mall may not be representative of all charter schools. I suspect that charter schools, located in our more affluent/wealthier neighborhoods run at a higher standard. Naturally, this defeats the notion of an “equal education for all”. Some may disagree with me and say, there is no more segregation in our education system. I beg to differ, charter schools are creating and contributing to what I call the new “socio-economic segregation” of our times. It is the cancer that is draining the resources of an education system, already stretched to its limits, and that has long been regulated to serve all of our children, hungry, poor, rich, disabled, gifted etc.
Joseph Hernandez, ED.S.
School Psychologist
Do you mind if I ask…why did you send your sons to private school??? Do you think this choice and experience affected the way(your policies, your educational values )you see public education considering you did not have to navigate the system emotionally??
That’s a long story and a personal one.
Seattle Times “letter to the editor” encouraging lawsuit against Washington’s new charter school initiative.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/northwestvoices/2020114379_chartschoollets11.html
As a Canadian who has taught around the world, I applaud your stand. Like many non-Americans I have never really understood the stragnlehold that the gun lobby has on the political scene – is there really that much money in selling guns?
I quote from my blog The Provocative Pedagogue http://www.provocative-pedagogue.com/ :#
December 15th
We have been told that right now is not the time to debate the issue of gun control, and it is a safe assumption that the gun lobby will soon move into high gear to argue that the easy availability of firearms had no direct bearing on this tragedy. We will also hear the usual defence of personal liberties and constitutional protection of the right to bear arms. In addition, non-Americans like me will be told that this is a domestic debate in which we have no legitimate voice.
My response is that I claim a voice because I have worked in schools; I claim a voice because I know and have taught American children; I claim a voice because I have enough working brain cells to recognise that the correlation between easy gun ownership and sky-high levels of gun crime is not a coincidence, and that a constitution written two hundred years ago for a society in which the survival of the nation was under threat may not provide a perfect blueprint for today; I claim a voice because I view what happened at Sandy Hook in the same way I view apartheid, or the suppression of free speech, or the oppression of women, or the exploitation of children, i.e. as a violation of the standards to which the human race should aspire.
January 7th:
‘Instead of a gun in every classroom, let’s put a teacher in every gunshop.’
I came across this gem on Facebook while I was still spluttering over the crass statement by Wayne LaPierre, the Vice-President of the NRA, that ‘The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.’ The NRA advocates putting armed guards in every school as the way to prevent further mass shootings such as the pre-Christmas massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School at Newtown, Connecticut. (It probably also recommends keeping buckets of gasoline in the house in case of fire.)
I was delighted by the image of every potential gunshop customer being challenged at the point of sale to reflect upon, explain and justify their reasoning in deciding that they needed a gun. The teacher would, of course, only accept properly thought-through answers, would pick up on any logical inconsistencies, and would use astute questioning to guide the ‘learner’ to a proper understanding of the implications of his or her actions. Imagine the effect on sales! (Perhaps others shared this same image, which is why the share price of both Smith & Wesson and Remington plummeted.)
The latest in ? I can’t think of a word.
Ohio School District Moves To Arm . . . Janitors
http://jonathanturley.org/2013/01/15/ohio-school-district-moves-to-arm-janitors/
Oh man… Bad move be it teachers or janitors.
At the risk of great chagrin from fellow teachers, I know too many unhappy teachers already at the breaking point, and many are on antidepressants and have negative compensatory behaviors and coping mechanisms. As you know, turnover in the profession is very high and most don’t last five years. Lack of support, horrible working conditions, stress and more all lead to bad news. Now put a gun in the hands of an unstable fed up teacher or janitor (often isolates anyway) and we have a new word for “going postal”.
Finally!
Re: DCPS School Closings – DC teachers and community groups to fight back
Barras: Saluting D.C. teachers, then delivering a smack in the face
http://washingtonexaminer.com/barras-saluting-d.c.-teachers-then-delivering-a-smack-in-the-face/article/2518537
Are you familiar with this blog? I loved the sections he quoted about the meetings to improve schools. http://blog.ourfuture.org/20130115/why-not-ask-teachers-how-they-would-improve-our-schools
Dear Dr. Ravitch,
I am a NYC public school teacher (currently on hiatus after giving birth to my daughter in August), and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a sane voice for teachers and children in the national spotlight. In addition, thank you for giving teachers from all over the country, and indeed, the world, a space to discuss, debate, and unite.
As a New Yorker, I am wondering your thoughts on Christine Quinn’s plan for the schools if she is elected mayor: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/16/nyregion/christine-quinn-presents-vision-for-improving-nyc-schools.html?ref=nyregion&_r=0
Have you heard anything else about this? I haven’t been a fan of Quinn’s previously, as she has seemed to be Bloomberg’s female clone, but I might be more inclined to look upon her favorably if this were true.
Thanks!
I don’t know enough about Quinn to pass judgement. My hunch is that she gives Mayor Mike a fourth term.
This kid deserves some admiration. He took on the vouchers too.
http://io9.com/5976112/how-19+year+old-activist-zack-kopplin-is-making-life-hell-for-louisianas-creationists
I recognize that Florida’s St. Lucie County is not the only one feeling the fiscal pinch but I thought I ought to share what our double-dipping and finally retiring Superintendent Lannon and his comrade H.R. Director Sue Ranew suggested to be cut in order to improve education.
The list, which actually amounts to $26.4 million ($9.4 million MORE than the district claims to need) is alarming. Not so much for what is on the list, but because of what has been left off.
On the list:
Cuts to the people who know kids best. CHECK!
Cuts to the programs and services that put kids first. CHECK, CHECK!
Cuts to the building blocks of student success. GOT ‘EM!
Not on the list:
Cuts to district administrative staffing! NOPE!
Reduction to recently added district office non-administrative positions created in the last two years! NONE!
Cuts to non-essential programs, excessive testing, wasteful duplication of effort! NADA!
A cut plan like this can only mean one thing. Blame the teachers and punish the students.
It’s politics as usual in the Superintendent’s Suite!
Here’s The List: (a nearly complete one)
Cut Athletics: $1,000,000
Cut transporation (there has been no extra-curricular busing for 4 plus years): $1,000,000
4 Day School Week for students/employees: $3,600,000
Fire all Media Specialists/clerks (Librarians): $3,000,000
Fire many P.E., Music, Art, and Technology teachers: $1,300,000
“Reduce availability” of Substitute Teachers: $1,500,000
Reduce Social Worker and School Psychology Services: $1,400,000
7th year-in-a-row cut in salaries (also, there has been no steps for the same time): $1,800,00
Reduction in teacher contract days: $1,000,000
10% reduction in contribution to employee health insurance: $3,100,000
4 day work week for maintenance (not custodians): $1,000,000
Oh, by the way, if you ever wanted to work in St. Lucie County, the District debits your years of experience by at least 5 years when calculating your pay. I’ve heard of hiring bonusses BUT never hiring penalties.
Of note:
Kenneth J. Bernstein is a schoolteacher and a blogger whose work appears on Daily Kos and other sites. His latest is a good read.
Why Not Ask Teachers How They Would Improve Our Schools?
http://www.nationofchange.org/why-not-ask-teachers-how-they-would-improve-our-schools-1358348567
Diane, How do we get you invited to speak?
TED TEAMS WITH PBS TO TALK EDUCATION
On April 16, PBS will air the very first televised TED event, TED Talks Education. The event, which will be filmed in New York on April 4, will bring together an hour of speakers and performers with a deep-rooted passion for education. The first three speakers booked: Geoffrey Canada of the Harlem Children’s Zone, plus TED favorites Bill Gates and Sir Ken Robinson — and watch for more announcements in coming weeks of dynamic teachers, speakers and performers to take the stage. With fresh thinking and bold ideas, the speakers onstage will discuss how we can curb the high school dropout crisis. TED Talks Education will be broadcast nationally in the U.S. and will be produced by WNET in conjunction with TED. The program is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s American Graduate Program. It promises to be an exciting, thought-provoking hour of television.
Whoa – look what just came across my FB feed!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/16/crenshaw-high-school-reco_n_2489820.html?ir=Education
Fulton, NY teachers rally for more time teaching, less time testing. Here’s a link to the story.
http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story/Fulton-teachers-rally-for-more-time-in-the/OyqcobeAyEuCAqXNMAiZhQ.cspx
Heads Up!
“WARNINGS FROM THE TRENCHES”
Posted by Ezra Deutsch-January 18, 2013
Kenneth Bernstein just retired from a career as a high school teacher in suburban Washington, DC, and he has a stark message for college professors: the students entering your classes this year will be less prepared than ever. He points to two culprits, both related to increased testing:
I agree. In the early 90’s we were constantly told to foster, encourage, and teach “critical thinking skills”. I strive to continue doing that, but with tests; the kid’s see no purpose since it isn’t being tested.
http://academeblog.org/2013/01/18/warnings-from-the-trenches/
Please read my blog: http://teachertalkdannyboy.blogspot.com/
It totally related to this whole testing debacle. We are being tested to death here in Philadelphia. We are just finishing our Keystone Exams and have now been told we need to complete our district mandated benchmarks next week. When oh when will I be able to teach again???
Diane,
In case you missed it, here’s the link to David Coleman’s interview & other info regarding CCSS on NPR.
http://www.npr.org/2013/01/19/169798643/new-reading-standards-aim-to-prep-kids-for-college-but-at-what-cost?sc=17&f=2
Diane,
More shenanigans in Winston-Salem, NC, as the outgoing school board chief has become a state House rep and plans to introduce a bill creating a path for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools to become a ‘Charter District’. ?!?!?!?!?
http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/article_845e97b6-6283-11e2-b31e-0019bb30f31a.html
Could this be why the county GOP was so desperate to stack the school board with pro-voucher and pro-charter members as others retired?
Yikes.
Seen this?
Very interesting: http://themoderatevoice.com/174001/stop-funding-creationist-school-vouchers-guest-voice/#CSuGW1R4mjXqiKRl.99
Diane,
We have posted a NEW letter to Obama at http://dumpduncan.org and have accumulated 800+ signatures in the first 2 weeks. Here is what we are demanding. (Well, maybe not demanding, but at least requesting).
End the use of incentives or penalties to compel states and municipalities to use test scores as a basis for evaluating students and teachers, preferring charter schools to existing public schools, and requiring closure of low performing schools.
Remove Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education and replace him with a lifetime educator who has the confidence of the nation’s teachers.
Create a National Commission, in which students, teachers, and parent representatives play a primary role, which explores and recommends how to best improve the quality of America’s schools.
Incorporate parents, students, teachers, and school administrators in all policy discussion taking place in your administration, inside and outside the Department of Education.
We could sure use a plug on your blog from time to time. Note the first signature following the hosts’ is that of Deb Meier.
Bob Valiant
Hello, Diane,
I have been following your blog since November, and find that it really informs my work as a principal and as the State and Federal Relations Coordinator for MEMSPA (Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association) and NAESP. And I am interested in following what is going on around our country. One principal and teacher at a time, I am spreading the word.
This article was recently published in my school district’s local newspaper. Imagine: a legislature that does not know what the public wants, but just what special interests want.
Survey shows Michigan lawmakers and residents don’t see eye to eye on education reform
To view the contents on http://www.livingstondaily.com, go to:
http://www.livingstondaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201301230500/NEWS01/301230306
Keep fighting the good fight!
Stacey Urbin
Lift the charter school cap in Massachusetts?
http://bluemassgroup.com/2013/01/barry-finegold-throws-away-his-political-future/
Hi Diane, Elliot Spitzer wrote a great editorial in today’s Albany Times Union about how to fund educa.
Dr. Ravitch, a former student contacted me this week with a sincere question I’d love for you to respond to and maybe even present to your readers. I was moved that he had the sense to ask his question of teachers rather than politicians and/or business people who seem to be running the education game of late.
Here is his question: “…here lately I’ve become curious. I see that you take a stance against the STAAR/EOC exams. My curiosity is in what you think would be the optimal alternative. What type of standardized testing, if any, would maximize the passing of knowledge from teacher to student?”
This young man, who is now studying at a Texas university, was an exceptional student, and I’m sure he will be in a policy-making role in the future. To see the full post concerning his question, please see http://lisamyers.org/.
Thank you for all you do for education.
Lisa Myers
By the way, his name is Matt.
Wondering why education reform is such a hot topic here in PA? These are Gov. Corbett’s top 5 contributors from his gubernatorial campaign, as listed on followthemoney.org. Take note of #4, the single largest individual contributor to the campaign, Vahan Gureghian.
Contributor Total
REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION $6,000,967
PENNSYLVANIA REPUBLICAN PARTY $2,095,333
FRIENDS OF TOM CORBETT $763,500
GUREGHIAN, VAHAN H $325,714
TEMPLETON JR, JOHN M $283,500
GUREGHIAN, VAHAN H
Total Given to Date: $424,964 (31 records)
Contributor Type: Individual
Address: GLADWYNE, PA
Employer: CHARTER SCHOOL MANAGEMENT CORP CHARTER SCHOOL MANAGEMENT INC
Employers Listed: VARIOUS
Occupations Listed: ATTORNEY, CEO, VICE PRESIDENT
Hmmmmmmmm. Interesting, don’t you think?
The Manifestations of Rhetoric: a poem of reflection from a public school teacher
Posted on January 25, 2013 by 70jamsession
1970 born to teachers
not simply parents
too biological
My beloved nurturers
place the whole world in my hands
while disco
dancing with me in plaid, bell bottoms.
Manifestations of opportunity, relationships, belonging,
appreciation of artistry and beauty
masking the rhetoric of hatred
and isolation as American
hostages are seized in Iran.
Empowered, the journey
evolves into a systematic manifestation
of defined teachers modeling, guiding, and encouraging
as the rhetoric embraces the American Dream.
Real or imagined?
Is the bell tolling for “A Nation at Risk?”
In the footsteps of mentors before me,
I teach; I learn; I contribute.
I am firm. I am forgiving.
I have standards and expectations.
Challenge; construction; dissection; appreciation
all manifest individually and collaboratively.
Yet, beyond the security of my student learners and our classroom,
rhetoric bruises and tears at dignity and respect.
We internalize: greedy, detached, less than, undeserving.
Why do we devalue the artistry of evoking critical analysis,
original thought, innovation: the Humanities?
The soul begins in the hands of our teachers.
Outreach and Appreciation
Language
enriching the soul
Manifestations as Rhetoric
igniting a conflagration
decimating
all Souls
–JAM, 2013 January
Dr. Ravitch, this is an original piece. Please follow me at 70jamsession.wordpress.com
Lisa,
Please tell this young man that no standardized test can assure the passing along of knowledge from teacher to student. A yardstick is a measure; it doesn’t make you grow taller. A test is a measure, not a means of instruction.
More valuable than a standardized test would be an assignment in which the student is asked to write a research paper about a topic of interest. Conduct research on a historical or political issue. Compare different books. This is how students learn: they learn by thinking and acting and assembling what they have learned into a coherent report to their teacher.
Diane
Yes, and the role of the teacher is to see the student: to bring out their inherent talents, deeply engage them and scaffold upon their interests.
Here is a radical thought: put love into the love of learning.
There is no love without play. There is no play without love.
Why do we have to standardize students, suck the creativity and independent thinking out of them and fill them with scripted thinking?
Is this the way to prepare students for the 21st century creative economy where the resilient, flexible and innovative survive and thrive? Life as we have known it is not coming back. Time to visualize and create our own future.
Scripted thinking cannot effectively address the challenges of an oil spill, climate change, gridlock in Congress or an ineffective president.
80% of the public schools are failing NCLB benchmarks, and we are the nation with the most citizens incarcerated in prison. Time to try something new.
Reform? Hell, we need a revolution.
Thank you, Diane. Matt will be thrilled that you responded. I hope his curiosity, like the birth of student movements against corp-reform, is signaling an awakening in our younger populace.