Thanks to your letters, emails, comments, and tweets, I have been invited to appear on CNN on Saturday August 18.
Stay tuned for what I hope will be an informative interview.
And never lose hope.
Your voice matters.
Our millions of voices make a difference.
We will end this reign of error.
Diane
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I am so excited! Thank you! Do you know what time and what segment?
I wish we could all go with you. We will be watching and cheering you on!
Isn’t that the same day as the LA Won’t back down propaganda?
Send this to everyone, everyone!
You will be with me.
Thank you for bringing clarity, truth and a calm presentation of the two. No one is looking deeper into organizations,motivations and likely outcomes/costs involved in “reform”, OR acknowledging the hard work, sacrifices and successes of public school workers and students.
Diane,I cannot tell how many of my colleagues wish to view your CNN response..when you know when please share. We are beginning a school year with low morale and are in real need for a voice of encouragement…
FYI – The CBS schedule is now showing Friday 8/17 8:00 PM for the ‘Teachers Rock’ Concert to benefit TFA. Must not see TV?
Last week, Michael Moore was asked in public forum to explan why he hasn’t made a movie on the current status of education. He responded by saying that the issue was too complex. Pehaps, he will be watching CNN, learn the actual issues with a degree of clarity, and be inspired to make a movie to counter those movies that are currently available.
Michael ought to be ashamed. That is a weak answer. Just look at Michigan and follow the money. Maybe he’s a closet Rheformist. Hum…you never know. Step up Michael.
Well, the guy who made “An Inconvenient Truth” is the guy who made “Waiting for Superman.”
No No Davis Guggenheim made “Waiting for Superman” and “Invonvenient Truth”
But teachers and parents made “”The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman”
Diane Ravitch
Both films were “produced” by the same company not written and directed.
I contacted Michael Moore many times about addressing education and sent him a lot of info about it. Yes, it is a complex matter and it can be difficult for people to sort out what’s what and who’s who, but he’s a smart man and can figure it out. Because it’s an election year and DoE policies under Obama are implicated, I think Obama supporters like Moore and others in the media believe it would be in Obama’s best intererests to just leave education alone.
I think it’s a huge mistake if people like Moore are assuming Obama will get the teacher vote anyway, due to union endorsements and the prospect of Romney as POTUS. I know a lot of teachers (and their family members) who are considering voting for Jill Stein or Roseanne Barr, or just planning to not go to the polls, if Obama doesn’t repudiate DoE policies and take steps to reverse them before the election.
Now if we could just get Diane on Moyers & Company for one of Bill Moyers’ indepth interviews!
Please, please write Moyers. I want so much to talk to him.
I don’t do Facebook, but I found this. I will keep searching:
http://www.facebook.com/moyersandcompany
I found this:
Recent episodes can be ordered by calling 1-800-336-1917, but I don’t know if that will help.
Here is his site: http://billmoyers.com/
And there is a “take action” tab.
I also found this quote posted on his site:
“We may feel in the face of the ruthless corporate destruction of our nation, our culture, and our ecosystem, powerless and weak. But we are not.”
Journalist Chris Hedges
Done on Facebook, Diane. Let’s hope he listens.
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/about/feedback.html
http://billmoyers.com/contact-us/
Mathcs…thank you for finding the contact us link. I just sent a request to Mr. Moyers.
Done!
Can you find a link, email, phone number? Then let’s get the ball rolling.
Yes!
Diane Ravitch
Yipee.
Reblogged this on Kmareka.com and commented:
Diane Ravitch to appear on CNN as a rebuttal to Michelle Rhee. This appearance comes after much writing, emailing, and tweeting from readers of her blog.
And the movement continues to grow! Take all of our support with you and tell the true story of what is happening to public education. Voices do make a difference!
Great news. In a democracy people do have a voice tha t can be heard! And cause change.
Dr. Ravitch,
I sent a personal e-mail to you about 3 years ago stating with despair what’s happening in education. Of course you were great in saying “Don’t give up.” Do you feel we’re making headway? If so, other than getting you on CNN, where else do you see progress?
Everything the wreckers have started has failed. At some point, even they will see it and stop trying to play 52PickUp with children, teachers and schools. That’s when we win. We outlast them as they fail and fail and fail.
Thanks Diane! I’m so glad I found out about you!
Giving me a bit of hope. Can’t express how much I appreciate your incredible stamina in support of teachers.
Remember what Churchill said in the darkest days: Never give up! Never! Never! Never!
Perseverance –
“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
“Never give in, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never Yield to a force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
― Winston Churchill
Since I don’t do Facebook, I left a request within the take action tab:
http://billmoyers.com/spotlight/take-action/
Please do the same and forward to others.
Also, here is the facebook link again:
http://www.facebook.com/moyersandcompany
Whichever works for you. Send to everyone.
Sorry, but I won’t watch the interview. You see I gave up watching TV for lent two years ago and haven’t gone back since other than watching a few sporting events at the local tavern while discussing politics, farming, etc. . . . Just joking about the lent part, I gave it up because I didn’t want to pay $75 a month just to watch what little TV I would. Didn’t make economic sense to me. Not to mention I really believe it is quite literally “mind numbing”. If I want to numb my mind I’ll have a couple of beers, it’s a lot cheaper-ha ha!!
Remember that should be able to watch the interview online. It might be after the fact, but I’m sure that CNN will put it on their website.
So excited!!! I will be watching for sure! We will end this terror!!
The terror of error inflicted on the worthy by the unknowing and the arrogant
Diane Ravitch
But I will watch a reply off the internet! Good luck and give em hell!
replay not reply
Great news, Diane. A rational voice addressing all the insanity. We are with you. You rock! (to use the vernacular of my younger days)
Please post up when there is a firm time slot. I would hate to miss it.
Will do
Diane Ravitch
Yes, I’ll be watching it too. I know you’ll present the truth about American education, which is:
American children not in poverty have the highest test scores in the world;
Our child poverty rate is the highest in the world. These are the children who often don’t do well in school;
American adults, graduates of public schools, are among the most productive and innovative in the world;
Other countries know this and study our methods;
K-12 teachers in our country have modest pay, poor working conditions and low prestige. Because of this about 50% drop out during the first five years. We have a problem recruiting and retaining teachers, not getting rid of them;
Our college teachers are paid decent salaries, have professional autonomy and great prestige. Perhaps this is one reason why our colleges and universities are among the best in the world;
Some of the best school systems in the world have strong unions for their teachers;
etc.
Best of luck to you, Diane! And thank you, thank you, thank you.
Oh, I forgot one very important truth about the present state of American education:
The purpose of the present “reform” movement is to privatize education so public tax money can be directed toward private pockets. It’s fairly easy to see this because almost no “reformer” is directly involved in educating children. Most are entrepreneurs making big salaries. The vast majority of these people would never even consider working as a teacher or principal. The public needs to know this.
Diane, this is wonderful news! Thanks in advance for what you will say. Go get ’em!
Before the brewing storms down here bear down on my Pepco electrical supply. This is great news. A fantastic and awesome ending to the week. Again, Yipee!
At what time¿.?
Sent from my iPad
I will find out and post it
I went crazy adding comments and e-mailing them, so maybe they are listening. I am shocked. Good luck, Dr. Ravitch. You are speaking for all of us.
This is wonderful news, and very timely as we begin another school year. So many of my colleagues are beginning to lose hope that sanity will ever be restored to our educational system. We know we are heading into uncharted territory here in New York and the prospect is daunting. I will be spreading the word that you will be on CNN in the hopes that my friends will be encouraged by the fact that not everyone has gone mad!
The ice is cracking.
Thank you, Diane and everyone who speaks the truth at every opportunity.
I have renewed hope for my students as the new school year is about to start.
I can’t wait to post the video. I am sure you will be discussing the Parent Trigger Law movie and how the rock concert is not about public school teachers. The same way Pearson and Gates sponsor the content of Education Nation. It’s time the public knew who is pulling the strings on these movements.
Diane – This is great news! I know you will have a lot to discuss, but I hope you are able to warn viewers about the corporate backed, propaganda filled movie “Won’t Back Down”. I fear this film will do more damage to public education, with its distorted view of the facts and obvious bias to education-for-profit, than “Waiting for Superman”. http://parentsacrossamerica.org/2012/06/parents-give-wont-back-down-movie-trailer-a-thumbs-down/
Read the PAA fact checking, too:
http://parentsacrossamerica.org/2012/05/wont-back-down-propaganda-flick-truth-vigilante-time/
Linda – Thank you…this is excellent!
Fabulous!! What time!
I am so happy our comments were heard. I look forward to watching some debate from someone who knows what they are talking about and actually has students and teachers’ best interests at heart!
Here is true evidence that voices do count. That making contacts do count. This is a great way, as someone said above, what a way to end the week. Some places in the country have already started school. This should be a motivator for those that have and those who will be returning very soon. Thanks, Diane! Let’s do a shout out for all those who contacted CNN! Educators can make a difference on so many fronts.
I have been leaving blog comments for Christine Romans for over a year now about the terribly one-sided education coverage on CNN. Romans does a Saturday morning segment on CNN that often includes a report on “education”–but the report is underlined with the Steve Perry rhetoric. Fredricka Whitfield also does a great deal of Saturday features on education. Maybe Diane will talk to one of them.
I am DELIGHTED that CNN has decided to speak to Diane. This is one that will be on my DVR for a long time. Watch for the counterpoint–I’m sure it will be brutal, but Diane will hold her own.
Go get em, professor!
I bet Diane’s opportunity to voice her opinion in response to Rhee had something to do with the response to Rhee’s video. But what had to get some serious CNN attention was the online response to Diane’s piece. There were 200 responses to Rhee’s interview in 5 days, but nearly 1,000 responses to Diane’s opinion piece in a little over one day. Amazing. Now, some of those responses were really nasty, my goodness, but there is a huge level of support out there. Diane, your skin must be getting pretty thick by now. Hang in there, and thanks again!
“…but nearly 1,000 responses to Diane’s opinion piece in a little over one day. ” (I am the proud owner of 26 of them. Too much?)
Anyway, keep saturating the media, people. This is democracy.
I’m sure that bloviatrix Rhee and her crew will have something to say in response after the Ravitch appearance. Perhaps this will be the makings of an ongoing dialogue, which would be a great way to air all the issues without the opportunity for obfuscation.
Not too much at all! Thanks for covering for me, and at least 24 others who wanted to jump in, but didn’t have the stomach to deal with the “discussion”.
No way. Never too much. Hit em and hit em hard.
With pleasure.
Go get ’em! We will be rooting you on from our couches. Thank you for speaking for us.
So does anybody know what time???????????
Diane – my district is looking to realign from a single salary pay schedule to a certified staff salary schedule based upon theory from Dr. James H. Stronge. His most recent book on appears to me to be equivalent to pay for performance. What might your thoughts be?
I never heard of him. As a general rule, pay should never be tied to test scores. That creates perverse incentives for teaching to the test, cheating, etc.
Pay for doing more, doing extra is fine.
Thank you! Looking forward to seeing you on CNN! You truly are an inspiration!
I can tell how excited you are since you had to tell us before you had any details! :0) Thank you for being such a strong voice, not only for children, but for teachers who have none.
Reblogged this on Abelardo Garcia Jr's Blog and commented:
Watch CNN on August 18 as Dr Ravitch goes to bat for teachers and students across the country!! Pass this on and watch for postings forthcoming with the time. It appears it will be a morning session.
The edudeformers have had their way in large part because they are unchallenged in the public arena by knowledgeable defenders of public education like Diane. This helps put them on the spot in a way they find very uncomfortable. It is much easier for them to push their product line (charters, standardized testing, teacher bashing, scripted lessons by non-educators, etc.) when they are able to speak, unopposed, through the biggest media forums. Let them debate the merits of their magic bullets with facts and logic — which is only possible when someone like Diane is allowed to speak from the same public platforms.
Diane, you will be speaking for many, but don’t feel that you must be perfect. Speak your heart and your mind and we know that you will have done the very best you knew how on that day, at that time, in that situation. That’s the magic that happens every day in countless classrooms and schools around the country. And unlike eating bees, that is the real magic…
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”
― Maya Angelou
I really like this one too: “Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald
Beautiful.
I think he was really talking about teachers here:
“My own heroes are the dreamers, those men and women who tried to make the world a better place than when they found it, whether in small ways or great ones. Some succeeded, some failed, most had mixed results… but it is the effort that’s heroic, as I see it. Win or lose, I admire those who fight the good fight.”
― George R.R. Martin
I am enjoying your great quotes. I have several books of maxims and quotations. When you find the right ones, they are inspiring. You can think about them when things seem dark.
This has to be my favorite quote:
Have you learned the lessons only of those who admired you, and were tender with you, and stood aside for you? Have you not learned great lessons from those who braced themselves against you, and disputed passage with you?
Walt Whitman
What Maya Angelou and Walt Whitman say above is, perhaps we have learned a lot from the reformers, those that dispute our passage with us. Have we not learned indirectly from the reformers what is most important in the classroom? It’s not merit pay, it’s not tests and more tests, it’s not evaluations of myself, it’s not the principal or Gates or Broad or Rhee or anyone else outside of the classroom.
What’s most important is what happens in the classroom between me and my students. Perhaps the reformers have taught me that there can be many distractions that can get in the way of what happens in my classroom, if I allow them to. Perhaps the reformers have showed me that my self-esteem and how I feel about my teaching can’t depend on what the reformers think of me as a public school teacher. Perhaps the reformers have inadvertently taught me that my kids will tell me how I am teaching, if I listen to them every day. Perhaps the reformers have inadvertently reminded me that I, not them, have the opportunity every day to make a difference in a child’s life. I’ll take that over anything the reformers have to offer.
Thanks for that one. It truly made me cry over what atrocities have occurred during this, as Diane would say, “Reign of Error”! It gives me the courage to do what truly is the right thing for kids.
Mathcs,
I think you got something started here. With school starting soon for everyone, maybe you could send a quote a day and we can check in every morning before school starts to help us make it through the day. Thanks for posting. I feel inspired already. Have a great year!
Thanks Linda. There’s much wisdom out there, but it’s not the reformer’s camp. I love what Walt and Maya said in those quotes. Where would I put those quotes though?
School is starting soon, and I’m getting excited. I just finished writing a description of a new course I created last year, in hopes the class will be adopted district-wide. I’m teaching it again this semester, and I really hope the kids will love it. It’s about writing apps for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
The kids would love that class….great idea…maybe you could send a week’s worth to Diane and she could post for you or start your own blog and blast to all. I know time is a factor. Great quotes…thanks for posting.
Childhood is a journey, not a race.
Hi, Diane. I print excerpts from your blog and teach them as current events in my public school classroom. I tell my kids, “bring this home and leave it on the kitchen counter for your parents.” So happy about the CNN interview. I will post the info on my board in my classroom.
I wanted all of you to read this and I hope Diane will consider making this into a post.
This is disgusting and the Dr. Seuss statement is just as bad. This makes me sick:
http://studentslast.blogspot.com/2012/08/stoning-teachers-raises-some-eyebrows.html?spref=fb
Dr. Ravitch,
I tote your book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education, around with me all over the place quoting out of it to anyone who will listen. I even took it to MSTA Capitol Day in Jefferson City last February and showed it to my legislators recommending that they should read it. You don’t know what a thrill it has been to have you share some of my comments on your blog. Thank you for listening to what teachers are saying and for supporting us.
I’m so happy you are getting a chance to speak on CNN, and will do my best to try to watch it on August 18th!
I reference her book all the time. I have two copies one at home and one at school. The business model of NYC is slowly creeping into CT. I have referenced chapters and pages to local politicians, teachers, adminstrators, and parents. I am constantly trying to predict their next move and give everyone a heads up. I recommend this book to everyone in education or at least those who want to wake up and get with it.
Thank you, Michelle!
Diane Ravitch
This is the most hopeful thing I have heard in a while. Share the truth from and educator’s view and heart. Yeah!