As readers know, the corporate reform smear machine went after activist Leonie Haimson last week.
She has been an outspoken champion for class size reduction. She has been NYC’s leading critic of the Bloomberg administration’s policy, most especially, its love of testing and closing schools. She has also been relentless in challenging charter school co-locations in public space.
Last week, Gotham Schools ran an article questioning whether she can continue to be an advocate because her son is entering a private school. The next day, a story about the flap appeared in the Wall Street Journal.
Jersey Jazzman puts an end to the speculation. He say Leonie is an American hero. Her hundreds of followers have said the same.
Game over. Reformer smear machine failed.
Thanks, Jazzman and Diane for helping to separate a real double standard from a manufactured one. A couple months ago I went on an internet search for a friend I’d lost touch with who is an administrator at a Catholic high school. In the process, I found several examples of private schools seeking to attract students with the promise that they wouldn’t be “taught to the test” and other such sentiments. I’m sure tha warms the hearts of Rhee, Broad and company.
How can the deformers think there is any possible comparison between Leonie Haimson’s decision to send her son to a private school while she fights to preserve public education and their attempts to destroy public schools in favor of corporate control of education? Jersey Jazzman, as always, does a thorough job of lambasting the faux reformers.
Thank you to Leonie. She has kept me informed and I read her research and blogs all the time. She is a valuable resource to all of us.
Leonie Haimson is warrior; a true leader and mentor for those of us who have but a fraction of her intellect, passion and dedication. She devotes her life to protect educational opportunities for every child in NY and beyond.
Those who seek to attack and discredit Ms. Haimson diminish their own integrity. She speaks the truth and truth is what makes reformers uncomfortable. As the adage goes, “If you’re making them angry, you’re doing something right.”
Keep up the fight Leonie!
I am pretty sure this quote came from Michael Fiorillo and I saved it because I loved it:
Opposition does not bother to smear what it deems insignificant.
That guy Michael Fiorillo is quite the wordsmith. I wish I could hang out with him.
Linda: Michael Fiorillo does have a way with words but this is what I found when I googled that quote: M. Schneider in a response on this blog to the posting by Diane called “The Smear Tactics of the Corporate Reformers.” M. Schneider quote follows:
Excellent advice.
I have learned to see the “compliment” in having someone bother to “smear” me: It means that I am having an influence. Opposition does not bother to smear what it deems insignificant.
Link: https://dianeravitch.net/2013/03/05/are-smear-tactics-part-of-corporate-reform/
Turns out that the KrazyMathLady not only has a way with numbers but with words too.
🙂
Thank you KTA….I am in awe of Michael, Mercedes and you. Thanks for your research. Have a great week! Spring is here! 🙂
Kathryn S. Wylde is president & CEO of the Partnership for New York City said:
[It isn’t clear why Diane Ravitch is so intent on discrediting the policies she once championed.]
I remember hearing Eric Hanushek said he proved himself wrong. What would Wylde say to that?
If Diane recognized a problem & didn’t speak out would that have been better?
The most successful people are those who can acknowledge they’re wrong. That’s what keeps them striving to learn more/improve policies.
http://m.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/item_Y2qvDU1e5yO08h2m50j9WJ
I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Linda, I love your quote from Roosevelt. It’s been ages since I’ve heard it, but it does not get more powerful and true than that.
For more than 20 years now I have had retributed teachers, parents, students, employees and the public come to me for help. I completely understand why she put her child in a private school. It was for the security of her child against a vicious school district. First, she owes her own child safety and no one else. In order to do the work she does she needs to not worry about her own child. Now she has secured that situation. If any of you do not believe this I have more than a few real situations which will make you sick and cause nightmares. I have personally been threatened more than a few times. A friend of mine had 15 of the most powerful construction management firms in the world represented by 9 of the larges law firms in the world try to take his house away. He went down so far I have had to literally physically carry him into the court room and the judge said to him “If you need the bathroom, you can use mine and if you need water you can use mine.” Eventually, he did not lose his house just his sanity. I have way too much experience helping people in these situations as I am one who is known to know how to deal with this. It is disgusting what really goes on.
So, I praise her for taking care of her own child so that she can continue with her important work of class size and all that goes along with that for a good education for all. I tell people this “You do not want to know what I know, it will hurt your head.”
Leonie is not only an honorable and venerable woman, she is a walking, active, 24/7 encyclopedia of facts, statistics, and justice.
May she always continue to be in our court. May she thrive and grow even more.
While Gotham Schools seeks to undermine Leonie’s stature, it reports the doings of the Gates-funded astroturf/fifth columnist Educators for Excellence, whose entire reason for existence is to destroy seniority and tenure, as if it was a bona fide organization of teachers.
It also uses loaded language when referring to the UFT that it would never consider using when referring to the mayor or chancellor, whose dissemblings are invariably reported with a straight face.
Gotham Schools largely functions as a stenography service for so-called education reform; that it would try to call into question someone like Leonie, while avoiding investigative reporting on the hostile takeover of public education, is to be expected.
Michael Fiorillo: well said!
It just occurred to me… In the interests of “fairness” and “balance” how about Gotham Schools do a full court press on Chris Christie and Michelle Rhee on the same issue?
Except, of course, first they have to get them to go on the public record about whether their children (some or all) go to public or private schools and just what kind of schools they are [you know, itsy bitsy details like teacher to student ratios and enriched curricula that include the arts and music]. Since they literally are nationally known celebrities in positions of authority and influence to mandate what kind of education OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN receive [in stark contrast to Leonie], even if they are not legally obligated to answer they should [in the best of all possible worlds] feel morally obligated to declare, well, remember this quote from John Dewey in a February 22, 2013 posting here on this blog:
“What the best and wisest parent wants for his child, that must we want for all the children of the community. Anything less is unlovely, and left unchecked, destroys our democracy.”
So in the interests of the Civil Rights Issue of Our Time: Michelle? Chris?
Please hurry up, I don’t think I can hold my breath much longer waiting for an answer.
🙂