Archives for the month of: August, 2012
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Are Charters Hurting Private Schools?

By dianeravitch
August 28, 2012 //
20

The libertarian CATO Institute, which supports vouchers and school choice, today published a study of the way that charters are affecting private schools.

Briefly, charters are drawing many students from private schools. In urban districts, about 1/3 of charter elementary students come from private schools (mostly Catholic), causing these schools to be in deep financial distress. CATO writes that charters:

are wreaking havoc on private education. Charter schools take a significant portion of their students from private schools, causing a drop in private enrollment, driving some schools entirely out of business, and thereby raising public costs while potentially diminishing competition and diversity in our education system overall.

It is no accident that inner-city Catholic schools are closing as charters open nearby. The Catholic schools charge tuition, the charters are free.

The study concludes:

The flow of private-school students into charters has important fiscal implications for districts and states. When charters draw students from private schools, demands for tax revenue increase. If governments increase educational spending, tax revenues must be increased or spending in other areas reduced, or else districts may face pressures to reduce educational services. The shift of students from private to public schools represents a significant shift in the financial burdens for education from the private to the public sector.

The advent of online schools is also causing fiscal distress, as public school lose funding to online vendors. Another unanticipated development is that home schooling families can now claim public funding for their children if they enroll in an online charter, whereas in the past these students did not receive public funding.

 

Categories Charter Schools

The Silent Crisis in Higher Education

By dianeravitch
August 28, 2012 //
16

This is a shocking article. It describes the new world of academia, where adjuncts may be paid $10,000 a year to teach five courses. They get no benefits.

It was written by a woman who just received her Ph.D. in anthropology and is wondering if she will get a job and wondering how an academic can survive. After all, $10,000 a year is well below the poverty line.

Most people who teach in higher education are adjuncts. They are sometimes called “contingent faculty.”

The AAUP say that contingent faculty are 68% of all faculty in higher education.

The AAUP say that the huge increase in contingent faculty did not occur because of budget cuts, but occurred during flush times, when universities decided to spend on facilities and technology instead of instruction and faculty development.

Think of it.

Students pay tuition that may be $30,000-$50,000 or more  a year, while their professors are earning a pittance.

How is this sustainable over time?

We need fresh thinking about making college affordable; otherwise how can we expect greater numbers of young people to enroll?

And we need fresh thinking about the use and abuse of adjunct faculty. Once upon a time, young men and women planned careers as college professors. That is increasingly rare, and will eventually erode the quality of higher education.

Categories Education Reform, Higher Education

Philly Mayor: No Difference Among Public, Private, Religious Schools?

By dianeravitch
August 28, 2012 //
8

The mayor of Philadelphia says there is no difference among different kinds of schools, be they public, private, religious, charter, whatever.

He sees no special responsibility to support public education.

In a sense it is understandable since the people of Philadelphia lost control of their schools to the state years ago.

And the state imposed a massive privatization scheme, which failed.

And now the state control board for the public schools wants to try privatization again.

Parent activist Helen Gym explains to Mayor Michael Nutter why public education matters to the people of Philadelphia.

Investigative reporter Daniel Denvir followed the money trail and uncovered a reason for Mayor Nutter’s indifference to the powerless people of Philadelphia: the big money in the city and suburbs is betting on privatization. The campaign to privatize the schools of Philadelphia has raised $50 million, while the public schools are neglected by the powerful.

Categories Boston Consulting Group, Charter Schools, Education Reform, Philadelphia, Privatization, Religion

Whose Side Are You On?

By dianeravitch
August 28, 2012 //
7

We know about the people who are using “reform” as their stepping stone to fame and fortune.

We know about those who demand more testing, more standardization, more dehumanization.

We know about the policymakers and pundits who think that test scores are the object of education.

Nothing else matters to them.

What do we know about the administrators and teachers who look on their students as if they were their own?

When history judges what you did now, how will you answer?

In the end, ask yourself, whose side are you on?

This reader did:

Everything in my being is telling me this is all so wrong. I keep thinking of my own two grown children. They are bright and hard working and successful. They were lucky enough to have been educated before NCLB morphed our education system into something unrecognizable to those of us who understand what really great teaching looks like.

As an administrator I am required to observe and evaluate teachers at my school. I see great teaching on a regular basis. But I also see teachers who are scared because their jobs are tied to test results. So they fall back on teaching test taking skills and constantly focus on the test. Louisiana law now requires a teacher whose state student scores give her an ineffective rating to be fired, even if I rate her as an effective teacher through my observations and evaluations. How can teachers function with this hanging over their heads all year.

I try to tell them to relax and do what they know works. But how can they relax? Their classrooms are filled with students who are terrified of that same test. Some refuse to participate because they have had enough of the pressure. Our 4th and 8 th grade tests are high stakes, meaning if they don’t pass the test, they don’t pass the grade.

As I said, this all feels so wrong. But by law we are required to submit and subject teachers and students to this torture year after year. How do I reconcile all of this? It doesn’t really matter what I say or do because their value added (VAM) score comes from the state and student test scores, and it will determine if they have a job next year or not. My goal this year is to be their support system, their cheerleader, whatever they need. I will do my best to be in the classrooms, walk the halls, remove disruptive students, give recognition, anything, and everything.

Whenever I am not sure how to handle a situation with a teacher, student, or parent, I stop and ask myself it the situation were reversed, how would I want to be treated? Then I proceed. As I am struggling with all of this I ask myself, what would I want for my own children? Then I know what I need to do for these children. It feels like an uphill battle, but I can’t give up. I want to be on the right side when history judges our actions. I answer to the children.

 A teacher responded to the administrator in the same thread:

Bless you for your compassion.  We wish there were more of you, not in the schools, but in the legislature so that this nonsense could be stopped.  Thank you anyway.  We shall continue to do our best to remember these are human beings.  I have already planned on what my wife and I must do should I be fired.  When I started I was an excellent teacher because I could use my knowledge gained in 40 years of work in other fields and several advanced degrees.  I knew as things stood then I would have a job as long as I did my job.  This created an atmosphere where I could teach, innovate, and seek excellence in my students and myself.  Because my job was secure, it paid enough to meet my needs, I could give more of myself and joyously teach.  I was blessed with administrators like you.  Now I am reminded every day that if test scores don’t rise we older “suddenly less effective” teachers will be gone.  The evil tenure no longer protects us.  I remember the kids that I am now inspiring to explore science and read about great inventions may be the generation that overthrows this mess.  I may lose my career sooner than I had hoped, but I will not offend the dignity of my students. I teach Kindergarten through 5th graders, 160 kids a day, I regard them as my much younger siblings, I can’t turn them into a number.

Categories Principals, Teacher Evaluations, Teachers and Teaching, Testing

About the KIPP Debate: Be Nice

By dianeravitch
August 28, 2012 //
25

Defenders of KIPP sent two comments in response to a post I wrote calling on KIPP to take over an entire small district. Both comments, one from Jonathan Schorr and another from Dr. Daniel Musher, questioned my integrity as a researcher and scholar (and implicitly, as a person, since the insults suggested that I lie, distort and manipulate data).

Be it noted that my post contained no personal insults of any kind. I did not question the integrity of those associated with KIPP. In fact, I said that I like Michael Feinberg, the co-founder of KIPP, who was very welcoming when I visited Houston in 2010. On the few occasions when I have written about KIPP, I have spoken of its success (see my last book). I am not known as a detractor.

But I dared to ask a question. Apparently that is forbidden behavior and turns you into a target.

A word of advice to Jonathan Schorr and Dr. Musher, the infectious diseases specialist who wrote a vitriolic comment: There is such a thing as civil discourse. When disagreeing, stick to the issues and the facts. Do not engage in ad hominem attacks. When you do, it implies that your facts are not adequate to your cause. It does not reflect well on you.

Many people, not part of KIPP, point to KIPP and say that our society need not alleviate poverty because KIPP demonstrates that its methods overcome poverty. If people are distorting KIPP’s purpose, KIPP spokesmen should say so, instead of attacking and insulting those who are alarmed by this fallacious reasoning.

Others say that KIPP is a model for public education. Make explicit what that model is: Strict discipline? Reliance on young teachers to spend 9 hours daily in school and to be on call 24/7?  Longer days and weeks? Spending more? Are these methods scalable to a nation with 80,000 schools and 50 million students? Are they scalable to one small impoverished school district?

I reiterate to friends and supporters of KIPP: It is not appropriate to smear critics.

Engage with them. State your views in a civil tone. Rudeness and vitriol in public discourse do not speak well of your organization.  Remember that people will draw conclusions about your organization by observing your public demeanor.

If you wish people to think well of KIPP, be cordial, be nice.

Categories KIPP Charter Schools

How to Win the War of Ideas

By dianeravitch
August 28, 2012 //
6

I am often asked what teachers and parents can do to get across how absurd the “reform” ideas are.

Most important is to reach the public, to enable the public to understand what is happening, and how little evidence there is for any of the reformers’ claims or their strategies.

But here is another tack.

The most effective tool of all may be humor.

The New South Wales Teachers Federation in Australia has begun to create videos to spoof the nonsense that they are dealing with, some of it part of the Global Education Reform Movement (as Pasi Sahlberg of Finland named it) and some imported from the USA.

This video is a mock press conference in which “government officials” explain their verbose and nonsensical plans. It is very funny!

I understand that their next video will feature an interview with an American “education expert” on the glories of privatization.

We really must learn from our friends in Australia. Once something becomes ridiculous, it is hard to take it seriously.

Categories Global Education Reform Movement (GERM), Humor

Brave Maine Superintendent Rebukes Governor

By dianeravitch
August 28, 2012 //
20

Maine Governor Paul LePage has made a name for himself insulting Maine educators and proposing vouchers, charters, and evaluating teachers by student test scores. One superintendent, Paul Perzanoski of Brunswick, decided he had had enough.

In his back to school letter to school staff (not parents or children), he proposed that the governor take the SAT and publish his scores.

This is how the local  press described his letter and the reaction to it.

“The legislators passed new laws on bullying this spring but they failed to include the Blaine House,” Perzanoski wrote. “Remediation is on the governor’s mind and I agree, he needs remediation in civility, public speaking, telling the truth, diplomacy and following the law. I think we should challenge him to take the SAT and then make the results public.”

But that wasn’t all.

“There comes a time when you have to stand up and say enough is enough,” Perzanoski said on Wednesday. “Our educators work harder now than they ever had before, and their reward for it is additional unfunded mandates and then political bashing based on whatever statistics they choose to use and the cliche of the day.”

And this:

“Public school bashing has become the favorite political sport since a statistically flawed document called ‘A Nation at Risk’ was released in 1983,” he wrote. “The main goal of this 29-year attack is not to improve public education but to demean it enough so public dollars pay for private and religious schools.”

When asked by a reporter about his bold statements, Perznoski–a 40-year veteran of public education– said “sometimes you have to take a risk” and speak your mind.

“We don’t have to put up with this,” he said about his message to staff. “We have a voice. We need to use it. We need to stand up as one.”

This man should get a gold star for courage.

Here is his email: pperzanoski@brunswick.k12.me.us.

Let’s thank him for using his voice and speaking truth to power.

Categories Charter Schools, Education Reform, Honor Roll, Vouchers

Alfred North Whitehead Speaks to Us Today

By dianeravitch
August 28, 2012 //
6

A colleague in Korea wrote to exchange ideas about civic education. In the course of our exchange, my friend offered these astonishingly relevant quotes from the esteemed philosopher Alfred North Whitehead. Let me be frank and say that I did not resonate to his ideas when I first read them half a century ago. I do now. These thoughts apply with equal force not only to our typical standardized approach to public schools but also to the charter chain approach:

“And I may say in passing that no educational system is possible unless every question directly asked of a pupil at any examination is
either framed or modified by the actual teacher of that pupil in that subject.
The external assessor may report on the curriculum or on the performance of the pupils,
but never should be allowed to ask the pupil a question which has not been strictly supervised by the actual teacher,
or at least inspired by a long conference with him.” 
Alfred N. Whitehead, The Aims of Education and Other Essays (London: William and Norgate Limited, 1950), pp. 7-8.
 
“But the first requisite for educational reform is the school as a unit, with its approved curriculum based on its own needs, and evolved by its own staff.
If we fail to secure that, we simply fall from one formalism into another, from one dung-hill of inert idea into another. …
It will be equally fatal to education if we fall into the hands of a supervising department which is under impression that
it can divide all schools into two or three rigid categories, each type being forced to adopt a rigid curriculum.
When I say that the school is the educational unit, I mean exactly what I say, no larger, no smaller unit.
The classifying of schools for some purposes is necessary.
But no absolutely rigid curriculum, not modified by its own staff, should be permissible. …
When once considers in its length and in its breadth the importance of this question of the education of a nation’s young, the broken lives,
the defeated hopes, the national failures, which resulted from the frivolous inertia with which it is treated,
it is difficult to restrain within oneself a savage rage.
In conditions of modern life the rule is absolute, the race which does not value trained intelligence is doomed.” Ibid. pp. 21-22.
 
“This survey shows that the management of a university faculty has no analogy to that of a business organizations….
The modern university system in the great democratic countries will only be successful if the ultimate authorities exercise singular restraint,
so as to remember that universities cannot be dealt with according to the rules and policies which apply to the familiar business corporations.”  Ibid., pp. 149-150.
Categories Education Reform, International, Testing

Rick Perry Appoints New Texas Commissioner of Education

By dianeravitch
August 27, 2012 //
19

Governor Rick Perry has appointed Michael Williams to be the new state Commissioner of Education in Texas.

Mr. Williams is a former general counsel to the Republican Party.

Most recently he served on the commission that regulates the oil and gas industry.

He was born in Midland, Texas, the same town as George W. Bush.

Mr. Williams doesn’t believe in climate change.

He believes in vouchers and charters.

He has no education experience. None.

Another education reformer.

This may be an indication of Governor Perry’s intent to push hard for the privatization of public education in Texas.

Or, more likely, an expression of his contempt for public school educators.

Not long ago, the Texas GOP adopted a policy platform in which the party agreed that it is opposed to critical thinking.

Governor Perry no doubt supports that plank with vigor.

I am looking forward to addressing the annual conference of the Texas Association of School Administrators in Austin on September 30. Y’all come.

Categories Charter Schools, Education Reform, Texas, Vouchers

Read These Comments Before CNN Deletes Them

By dianeravitch
August 27, 2012 //
13

As readers of this blog know, CNN posted Randi Kaye’s August 18 interview with me a week after it aired.

I heard there were about 35 comments, and they were suddenly deleted.

People started posting comments again, possibly 20 or so, and then they too were deleted.

People went back for a third round and posted the following comments.

A reader (Teresa H from Oregon) copied the entire batch of them, on the off chance that they might also disappear.  (I copied and added the last three.)

Isn’t this ridiculous?

Why is the web editor at CNN deleting your comments?

Other readers said that none of the comments after Michelle Rhee’s interview had been deleted.

Here are the ones still on the website at this writing:

Here are all the comments posted there now…just in case they go missing again:

*************************************************************

Dan Boyle
After watching this video, I am dismayed that Ms. Kaye would not be willing to listen to both sides of the issue. She clearly had an agenda in this interview Ms. Ravitch, that public schools are bad and are failing the country. Ms. Ravitch was consistent in her argument about which test scores should be used to measure student achievement and the neutral/negative impact of merit pay. All Ms. Kaye was willing to rebut those statements with were individual examples out of a potentially limitless supply. Please CNN, present both sides at the same time. Give Ms. Ravitch the opportunity to debate Ms. Michele Rhee for more than a 5 minute segment. The truth about America’s public schools is out there, if you only choose to look.

August 27, 2012 at 11:42 am |
Mike Dixon
What passes for education “reform” is a Trojan horse for privatizing public education and diverting tax dollars meant to educate our kids into the pockets of the already wealthy.

The proof:

1. The largest study of charter schools compared to regular public schools showed that only 17% did better, 37% did WORSE than traditional schools, and 46% did about the same.

2. That record is even less impressive when since charters don’t have to follow all the regulations and regimented curriculum that regular schools do, and are free to reject special needs and disruptive students.

The current model of education reform is designed by the same hedge fund managers and trust fund babies who have outsourced our manufacturing jobs, and intentional scammed the mortgage market, crippling the world economy in the process. If they failed at us in the financial arena, why in God’s name would you trust them with your CHILDREN’S EDUCATION?

August 27, 2012 at 11:53 am |
Andrea floresta
Why do the other posts keep disappearing? Is it because you don’t want the public to know you are partial to the privatization of America’s public schools? Maybe you don’t want the truth about these snake oil salesmen to be pointed out to your followers? Find the facts and present the facts. That is journalism.

August 27, 2012 at 11:55 am |
Ellen Rosewall
Diane Ravitch is a voice of reason in sea of misinformation and I am so glad that she is speaking out, exposing the myth of poor schools and poor teachers for what it is: an attempt to privatize education and create profit, which will cause even more inequity in our schools. For every poorly written letter like the one Ms. Kaye showed, there are dozens and dozens of examples of students who are bright, creative, and making a difference. Teachers work so hard under sometimes miserable conditions and I’m not sure why we are demonizing them.

August 27, 2012 at 12:00 pm |
sandman1946
I have previously given comments to CNN…none of them have been answered only deleted. None have been rude or foul language…just deleted. This was not an interview…this was an ambush and showed Randi Kaye did not like being forced to “interview” someone who disagreed with her previous interview. CNN used to take pride that they considered themselves a news source that did not take sides on the issues but tried to seek truth as CNN presented all sides. Apparently that is past history at CNN. The goal is now more sensationalism and choosing sides on issues to bring up the ratings. On this issue of education, CNN has taken to support Michelle Rhee and her supporters and CNN is not open to other opinions on education. Low ratings have created panic at CNN. However, you stand to lose more viewers as CNN tries to repair them with pretty faces such as on The Situation Room, removal of trusted reporters (such as John King’s new role) and a move to self promotion on social media with “sensational” comments from your reporters. Randi Kaye should be embarrassed and so should her superiors at CNN. How long will these comments remain here?

August 27, 2012 at 12:00 pm |
G.M.
I watched the video when it was broadcast and I am dismayed by the way Dr. Ravitch was not interviewed – but rather questioned which did not produce a balanced interview. I hope CNN considers doing another interview with Prof. Ravitch but with someone who is knowledgeable and without a hidden agenda. I expect better interviews/news reporting than the one I saw.

August 27, 2012 at 12:01 pm |
Linda
CNN…what gives? This is the THIRD time you have reopened comments and deleted the past two times.

WHY? WHY? WHY?WHY? WHY? WHY?WHY? WHY? WHY?WHY? WHY? WHY?WHY? WHY? WHY?

August 27, 2012 at 12:02 pm |
Shelley Ritala
I am so disappointed in Randi Kaye’s interview with Diane Ravitch. C’mon, Randi, you can do better, and did, when you were a Minnesota reporter. And I’m disappointed that CNN keeps deleting the comments. Seriously, folks, do you think people don’t notice? Can you really not handle the criticism of your biased interview?

August 27, 2012 at 12:03 pm |
Linda

THIS is the THIRD time I have posted this comment:I actually would like to thank Randi Kaye because some of my 7th graders have a hard time grasping the concept of bias. Once this video is linked I will save it in my Smartboard video folder and use this as an example of a biased interview hosted by a corporation posing as a news network.For a class project we will choose a local issue and a few local officials. We will create biased vs. unbiased questions and role play the possible answers/scenarios. Possibly we can contact an adult who is willing to take on some savvy middle schoolers.For the non-educator reformy types…..this would be considered an authentic assessment.

August 27, 2012 at 12:06 pm |
Educator
I wonder if Ms. Kaye would like us to pick out just one of her interviews and use that as an example of her success as an interviewer. Certainly, if I wanted to show her in a positive way, I would pick out the best one, but if I wanted the opposite, I would look for the worst one she ever did. I doubt that Ms. Kaye would be happy about the latter. But, that’s what she did by pointing out one anonymous student and one school district with the idea that the viewers would be duped into thinking that these were representative of all education in the U.S. I hope the public picked up on this kind of prejudicial reporting.

Too bad Ms. Kaye failed to ask Ms. Rhee for proof of success for all her so-called reforms. While Ms. Rhee would never put herself into a situation where these kinds of questions are asked or her agenda is challenged, Dr. Ravitch was not afraid to defend herself, even when confronted with an obviously combative situation.

August 27, 2012 at 12:08 pm |
J.M. Tumbleson
I work in a city with significant amounts of poverty. I see teachers who work hard, who think hard and who try to collaborate with others in order to constantly improve their practice. Never have I heard any teacher argue for merit pay. They will argue for more planning time, they might argue for more services for their students with various social, emotional or cognitive needs, they might argue for more money for special classroom projects, they might even argue for a longer lunch, but never once have I heard a teacher argue for merit pay. The hundreds of teachers I have known want to work collaboratively and see themselves as having a shared mission in which they play an essential role for the community and for the children. The interviewer has been fed disinformation on what most teachers want, most likely from sources that will monetarily profit from the destruction of the public schools.

August 27, 2012 at 12:24 pm |
schoolgal
There are better ways to evaluate teachers that don’t involve either merit pay or testing. Look at Montgomery County, Maryland. They have a fair and balanced evaluation plan that involves many components among them peer evaluation and staff development for struggling teachers. As a result, student performance is improving.

As for the poorly-written letter by the student you aired: If spelling and grammar were not taking out of the curriculum, you would see a better letter. Teachers don’t make curriculum choices, but we complain vehemently about the lack of math and writing skills we are NOT allowed to teach. Not that I am saying this was acceptable. This student would have been told to circle any words he did not know how to spell and look them up. He would have also been asked to read his letter to “a partner” aloud. In doing so, the student or his partner would discuss the revisions needed. There would be more than one draft of his piece before it would be given to the teacher. That’s the “writing workshop model” we are told to follow. It is a process. The piece you put up never went through that process.

Merit pay doesn’t work. It’s been tried in so many areas and failed. Also charters are not a miracle cure. More information on how charters “selects” and “counsels out” students in order to fix the scores is now on record.

Perhaps Ms. Kaye can interview the superintendent of the Montgomery School County to see for herself the reforms Michelle Rhee believes in are NOT the answer. This county resisted RTTT funding in order to keep their evaluation system in place. That’s a story that needs to be told. And if you ignore it, you ignore the facts.

August 27, 2012 at 12:31 pm |
NYC TEACHER
I once felt that being a teacher was an honorable profession…..Non educators have targeted teachers sooooo badly and soooooo often that’s it’s almost embarrassing to say that you ARE a teacher! …….when will people on the outside and in the media understand that it really does take a village to educate a child?……Its not just the teacher……I can do bur so much during the school day!…..PARENTS NEED TO STEP UP AND SPEAK UP……Another real issue especially in the NYC DOE is the abuse of power given to principals…..It is CRIMINAL how a principal or supervisor could wake up one day, decide you are no longer effective although you have 10 or more years of successful teaching experience, more than 1 masters degree and begin targeting you…..They themselves are inexperienced educators with little or NO teaching experience. …..You now find yourself fighting for your job!……SOMEONE NEEDS TO DO AN EXPO ON THIS PRACTICE…….AS WELL AS THE UFT IN NYC , who time after time stand by and watch as it’s union dues paying members’ lives are ruined……Funny how teachers are the most educated of just about ALL city workers but the Big Wigs paint us incompetent….DianeRav keep fighting and speaking up for ALL educators!

August 27, 2012 at 1:01 pm |
itisisoyyo
Whatever happened to presenting both sides of the story? News is supposed to be about actual tangible, happenings. A good reporter, interviewer, will ensure that they have real facts to back up their story, even in an opinion piece. There is a big difference between real reporting, and airbrushed puff pieces. The media has a responsibility to the readers. When this responsibility isn’t met, it makes one question the credibility of the media that perpetuates this type of story. It is apparent that we as a society should not only be concerned about the privatization agenda as pertaining to public schools; we ought to be very concerned about the irresponsible way the media is using the podium.

August 27, 2012 at 1:14 pm |
Alan
This is the third time now that I am posting comments about the Ravitch interview after the comment thread has been deleted TWICE without explanation. CNN’s journalistic integrity is eroding rapidly; first due to the apalling bias of this interview, and secondly due to the repeated deleting of appropiate comment threads.

If CNN were truly interested in balanced coverage, it would conduct objective interviews of Ravitch and Rhee et al., or maybe even host a conversation between representatives from both sides of the debate.

As it is, I can only conclude that CNN is merely a shill for the corporate interests behind Rhee and the privatization movement. You really ought to be able to do better than this.

August 27, 2012 at 1:17 pm |
James McClain
Ms. Kaye, it would have shown great courage and integrity to interview Dr. Ravitch with the same courtesy as you did Ms. Rhee. It’s unfortunate that you treated Dr. Ravitch so poorly and with little preparation. Neither you nor your producers displayed much in the way of even cursory knowledge of the subject or of educational research (the P in NAEP does NOT stand for process). CNN, the continued deletion of comments that do not violate the Terms of Service is really baffling.

August 27, 2012 at 1:47 pm |
Jon
I don’t want to spend too much time on this comment, because I am fairly certain it will be deleted within a few hours.

Randi, your interview was terrible. I could find high school journalism students capable of asking better questions and not highlighting their own bias for the world to see. I do not know if you alone were responsible for the questioning or if producers at CNN created a list of questions that you had to ask; regardless, anyone with integrity and an ounce of common sense would refuse to go along with a line of questioning that was clearly meant to sabotage Diane Ravitch. Shame.

August 27, 2012 at 1:47 pm |
Kim
Wow, what biased and trashy reporting Randi Kaye. I would expect that your questions would actually attempt to elicit a response rather than simply iterate your obvious point of view – the teachers are the problem. You have apparently bought in to the privatization agenda of the charter folks – in order to get an ever larger piece of the many many billion education dollars, they must say public schools are failing and say it frequently enough that it begins to be true for some. Shame on CNN for buying the garbage, and not permitting Ms. Ravitch from an opportunity to actually share some of her vast knowledge.

August 27, 2012 at 2:06 pm |
WordsMatter
Posts keep disappearing! I posted earlier today and it is no longer here. Why is that CNN?

This interview certainly was biased and and insulting to viewers, Diane Ravitch, and every hard working educator. And by deleting posts, the insults seem to be continuing.

August 27, 2012 at 2:18 pm |
Chas
Randi Kaye, I believe you are working for the wrong network. I see FOX news in your future.

August 27, 2012 at 2:19 pm |
Steve Troy
Bad. Bad. Bad.

It’s truly shameful that CNN is apparently unwilling to allow Americans to hear The Other Narrative about our supposedly “failing” public schools.

Our schools are NOT “failing”. If you control for the 20% of students who come from the lowest income families, US students most recently scored Number One in the world for reading. So much for our “struggling” schools.

Our schools are working well-very well. But CNN has bought the “Establishment Narrative” on education, which is driven by private, for-profit interests that want to seize control of our public schools and turn them into the latest “investment bubble”. (And we can see how well that worked in the past.)

I respectfully urge CNN to dig deeper-ironically do YOUR homework!-and find out what is REALLY going on with our public schools and how they are probably getting better results than at any time since they were first created as an integral part of our Republic.

August 27, 2012 at 2:28 pm |
edlawfaqs
I am shocked and dismayed that the interviewer with a clear pro charter, anti-teacher bias was treated so well by Dr. Ravitch. There is little doubt that the education “reformers” want to privatize education despite public education’s successes.

August 27, 2012 at 3:06 pm |
Ted Lewis
CNN can do better than mimick the cliches and sound bites (“public schools are failing,” “merit pay will improve education,” “poverty is no excuse…”) with which Diane Ravitch quickly and efficiently dispatches one at a time. The interview would have been much more meaningful if the interviewer, instead of using shoddy antecdotal gimmicks and questions intended to put Ms. Ravitch on the defensive, allowed her subject a real opportunity to explain her thoughts about education.

August 27, 2012 at 3:16 pm |
Bill
I am greatly disappointed with CNN. I always saw them, maybe naively, as fair and unbiased. After watching Michelle Rhee on CNN earlier in August and Rativich later in the month, I realized I was wrong. I was a regular viewer of CNN programs, and I know their higher-ups wont care, but I refuse to watch any more of CNN’s programs until the sitution is corrected, including an apology from Kaye for trying to “get” Dr. Rativich during her interview (a clear sign of bias) and a chance for Rativich to offer her viewpoints fairly (esp. since Michelle Rhee had that same opportunity). Its a shame when I have to honestly say The Daily Show and Colbert Report are the two only news sources I feel I can trust to deliver the news to me…

August 27, 2012 at 3:20 pm |
Linda
The third time’s a charm:

Randi,

I was wondering why your ” interview” was stacked with questions and comments only meant to refute or catch the speaker. You treat Rhee with such respect and you display nothing but disdain for Ravitch. Were you coached by
Rhee. You stated that there were both negative and positive comments posted after Ravitch analyzed the Rhee Interview, but you only had a negative comment to share. Why? You held up a writing sample providing no information about the student. Did you know if he was learning disabled, ELL? Did you have his school attendance records?

Next time you want to interview an eduational historian do some research first and be prepared to have a dialogue not just one rapid fire gotcha question (provided to you by Rhee) after anotherl. Listen to what the historian says and learn something.

Also, since you were willing to hold up one student paper as an example of failing schools, we will “hold up” your interview as an example of failing journalism.  CNN….please offer your employees a quick refresher in Journalism 101. You are a disgrace.

August 27, 2012 at 3:41 pm |
kevin mcivor
I wonder if you considered pointing out that Michelle Rhee ran out of Washington D.C. before the cheating scandals were uncovered at her “highly successful schools”?

August 27, 2012 at 4:03 pm |
Neal Madnick
CNN’s treatment of Diane Ravitch was deplorable and not up to the standards of good journalism. It is what one would expect of Fox News, but not CNN. Really disgraceful, but more than that tragic that journalism in America has fallen so far.

August 27, 2012 at 4:09 pm |
Peg Metzger
Education professionals know what works – and when the state lives up to its responsibility to fund basic education those education administrators and classroom professionals in collaboration with elected schools boards and communities are able to help all students succeed.
. Public schools educate all children – special ed, gifted, poverty, typical, etc. Too many charters are not inclusive of real student populations.
Just testing how long this ( the third) lasts today. Other 2 were zapped by CNN ( now known as Closet Nefarious Numbskulls)

August 27, 2012 at 4:22 pm |
Linda Burnett
Randi Kaye, You seriously need to do your homework before tackling an issue you know little about. Aside from the obviously biased ‘attack’ questions posed to Diane Ravitch, the most troubling part of your interview was the student work example you presented as ‘proof’ that public educators are ineffective. Did you really think the student work sample you presented was representative of all students in Highland Park? Did you stop to think that perhaps this student had a learning disability? Or that the student had an attendance problem? Did you consider any other factors that may have contributed to this student’s writing difficulties? No, because the true motive was a (failed) attempt to discredit Diane Ravitch and the facts she presented in support of public education, as well as to continue the unwarranted attack on our country’s public school teachers. I would have expected better from CNN.

August 27, 2012 at 4:30 pm |
K. Green
Why do you keep deleting posts? Is it because you aren’t interested in reading opposing views? Is it because you are embarrassed about your hack job on Dr. Ravitch?

August 27, 2012 at 4:31 pm |
kplacido
CNN can delete people’s comments, but WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED!

August 27, 2012 at 5:10 pm |
Denise McDermott
My post was deleted! CNN you are a disappointment. I used to believe that CNN reported fairly and with integrity. CNN has joined the privatization movement without researching. Shame on you.

August 27, 2012 at 5:25 pm

          readingexchange

  1. How about doing the interview over and letting Diane fully express her views and facts?
    I am amazed at her wealth of knowledge. A fair interview would educate us all.

    August 27, 2012 at 6:01 pm |

  2. I am so disappointed that even CNN is willing to compromise its journalistic integrity. This “interview” was a blatant display of bias. Dr. Ravitch’s professionalism is a testament to her dedication to public education, and the future of this country. CNN- you should consider damage control beyond the ‘delete’ button to avoid classification with Fox News going forward.

    August 27, 2012 at 6:15 pm |
  3. Maggie A
    Third time I have posted. Why are they deleting comments? Do they do this often? Anyway, my comment was that Dr. Ravitch is an expert and Randi, obviously is not. CNN is playing the FOX game; things that no longer matter include the truth, integrity, honesty, and JOURNALISM!

    August 27, 2012 at 6:59 pm |

 

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