Mayor Rahm Emanuel memorably said on video that the Noble Street charters in Chicago have a “secret sauce” that makes them successful. They have high test scores and high graduation rates. They are each named for rich and powerful sponsors.
Count on EduShyster to discover the secret in the secret sauce..
She gets many tips, which enables her to scoop many reporters. The secret of her success is two-fold: one, she has a wicked sense of wit, and two, she protects her anonymity, so she doesn’t have to worry about reprisals. And I should add a third very important part of her success: she documents what she writes, as in this post.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Hi Diane,
I’ve been reading your blog since Newtown. I write about education issues from time to time and thought you’d be interested in the piece I have up now about Michelle Rhee’s report card. (I mention you in the piece.)
Thanks,
Mark
http://www.governing.com/gov-institute/funkhouser/col-michelle-rhee-studentsfirst-state-education-policy-grades.html
Mark Funkhouser, Ph. D. Director, The Governing Institute GOVERNING | governing.com <http://governing.com > A division of e.Republic | Smart Media for Public Sector Innovation 1100 Connecticut Ave. NW., Suite 1300 Washington, DC 20036 Office: 202-862-1438 Mobile: 816-820-9752
Mark,
That’s a good and thoughtful post, but you would have a hard time demonstrating that Rhee is what she claims to be (a Democrat) or that she is not trying to privatize public education. There are facts here (her close connection to the most rightwing Republican governors, for example), not just opinion. If you think that no one is trying to destroy public education, please take a close look at what is happening in Michigan. “Destroy” is the correct word.
Diane
Mark,
Have you taught in a K-12 public school? If so how long and what subjects?
Thanks,
Duane
And I invite you to read why using any educational standard or standardized test to evaluate anything is bogus, as shown by the myriad errors identified by N. Wilson. See: “Educational Standards and the Problem of Error” found at:
http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/577/700
“A Little Less than Valid: An Essay Review” found at:
http://www.edrev.info/essays/v10n5index.html
Click to access v10n5.pdf
You know what’s really sad here is that if they have solved an age old problem in education, they should be sharing their results with the world. All students everywhere ought to benefit from their discoveries in the charter schools. Right? Isn’t that what Shanker proposed?
It is enough that the charter school proponents simple create the illusion that they have the magic fairy dust. This provides a smoke screen while they siphon public funds and “reclassify” undesirable students. Truly reprehensible.
Yeah I think greed is only one reason why charters don’t share their “secrets.”
If you choose to believe the charter school bullshit then yes. But I think your too smart to believe that excrement of bovine origin.
you’re not your
Well this is the problem really. If a solution only works if kept secret, then it isn’t scalable. Which is the heart of the problem when charters claim remarkable successes.
Same charter bs going on everywhere. Phony gimmicks, fake graduation rates, and a ton of money being made. Could someone tell me why there is a $5 “administrative cost” offset? Thank you Edushyster. Keep telling the truth.
Pssst, Diane: this article is by Dailykos, not Edushyster.
Scratch that: the link wasn’t correct.