Nancy Flanagan, a retired music teacher in Michigan, NBCT, 30+ years of experience, is one of our best teacher-bloggers. Unlike the pundits who observe the schools from 30,000 feet above ground, Nancy knows whereof she speaks.
In this post, she tries to understand what is behind all the snarky comments and previews of my book, which will debut tomorrow. Some people who never read it denounced it. Some who did said, “yes-but,” and some who know they will definitely not like it nonetheless say they are my “friend” or that I was their “mentor.”
This is her punchline:
I am guessing that on Tuesday there will be an outpouring of positive reviews (spoiler: mine), but right now, the conversation is focused on a kind of general unwillingness to say: this book calls it as Ravitch sees it, and there are a lot of practitioners who increasingly believe she sees it as it is.
Nancy writes:
“If I had read Ravitch’s book five years ago, I may have thought it harsh. When you’re going off to school every day, critiques of education policy take a backseat to lesson plans, and what’s coming downstream from administrators and the school board. But the mass of evidence Ravitch collected in the very recent past, and her conclusions, are stunning.
It’s clear that have [we have] moved precipitously into an entirely new era of public education. People are scrambling to take sides, and it’s pretty clear that lots of publishers, organizations, nonprofits, thought leaders and decision-makers don’t want to come down too hard on their funding streams and future prospects. There’s been a sea change in thinking about the core value of public education in American life–swings in civic opinion, changes in revenue sources, an open invitation to make a foundational public good “entrepreneurial.”
Nancy’s review of the book will appear in the next day or two. But she is right here. I could not have written “Reign of Error” five years ago because circumstances were very different. What has happened since 2009 has indeed been breathtaking. Some of our political leaders welcome the introduction of venture capital into public education. Some sneer at teachers openly, treating them as bottom-feeders, although those who sneer would not last an hour in a classroom.
Five years ago, I would not have said that the future of public education is on the line. Today, it is.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Reblogged this on Blog of an e-marketer by Main Uddin.
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It doesn’t matter whether critics like this book or not; it will be a bestseller. That’s because Diane Ravitch has the support of the people who really do put students first: teachers.
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Those who are now denouncing the book before they even read it, do so out of ideology and not based on the efficacy of her research. When someone makes personal denunciations, their arguments are weak. Do these reformers believe their own lies? I think not. This is an ideological driven movement orchestrated by the top one percent of this society to destroy a democratic institution in order to cement social stratification. They want to create a politically ignorant electorate who will continually vote in to office flunkies that will support their agenda of economic, social and political inequality. We must buy Diane’s book and spread its word because the mainstream media will do its best to shut out the opposition. Unfortunately, when those in power do not listen, one must make them hear us and it is often not pretty.
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I agree completely. Prepare yourself to hear a surfeit of righteous claptrap about the “lack of civility” among people who see the Privatization Agenda for what it is, and object to it strenuously.
Personally, I promise to be more “civil” when the elected officials and hedge funders and media manipulators start behaving in a way that merits “civility”.
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It’s an old debate trick to shift the discussion from your weaknesses to your strengths. When you can’t argue on the basis of evidence and logic, shift to tone and personality.
Snark becomes a way to derail useful and productive conversations. It is also used to shame and silence.
I am sure that it is difficult to have one’s good name and reputation dragged in the mud, but Diane has refused to be cowed into inaction. It is obvious that the leading charterites/privatizers and their edu-underlings are increasingly frustrated that she won’t put masking tape on her own mouth:
“Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.” [Mahatma Gandhi]
No coward she. Truth will out. Sept. 17 is just around the corner.
🙂
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It’s something I learned a long ago: speak truth to power, and you will be called shrill.
Defend yourself against the abuse of sociopaths, and you will be called the aggressor.
Speak up against the infinite greed and smash-and-grab behavior of the Overclass, and you will be accused of practicing “class warfare.”
War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.
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I wonder why all the snark too. I was a follower of another education blog, that I enjoyed from time to time, though not as consistently as this one and they didn’t have time to read the book..hmmm? They felt they had been hearing all the same issues too long, they were tired from their day at work with 23 little kids (BTW I have 35 little kids, in one class but I will find time to read it the minute it gets here…women are good at multi-tasking that way). But I wonder if the writer took into account that the book was, maybe, written for people who are not as deep in the trenches as we are. For the people we have to argue with about summers off, and the decline of public ed. It will be an aid for all the arguments I have to have at family gatherings, meetings and yes even at church picnics. I will be thankful for the book, to have a backup because it is darn hard to get people to go to a blog they don’t agree with but they often will pick up and flip through a book. I will put down Unnatural Creatures (stories selected by Neil Gaiman) the minute I get Diane’s book and I will read it cover to cover, even though I’ve been reading this blog cover to cover for months…and I will enjoy it!
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You wrote: “SOME of our political leaders welcome the introduction of venture capital into public education.” What I find disturbing is that NONE of our political leaders have taken on the test-and-punish model agreed to in NCLB. We’re stuck until we can find one political leader who will shed light on the impact of turning over “failing schools” to private enterprise.
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Yes on wgersen’s comment as we really are in search and in need of that political leader. Perhaps that individual will stand up and speak out after reading Diane’s book – Mouth Wide Open follows Eyes Wide Open.
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“Five years ago, I would not have said that the future of public education is on the line. Today, it is.”
And it has been in peril since the whole “gubmint” schools mantra came around in the 80’s, picked up steam in the 90’s with the neo-liberal Clinton at the helm and now has been full speed ahead in this century..
And we’re glad that you did come around to understand that educational malpractices are being foisted upon the public schools specifically to make it appear that they are “FAILING”. And glad that you are giving those of us “peon” teachers a voice in the national conversation as many of us have been fighting this “data driven” nonsense for many years and have paid the price, the worse of which is not being given any credence for our analysis of some of the myriad problems that there were and are now compounded by the whole privatization movement.
The most egregious problem being the sorting and separating, the “grading” of students that is so fundamentally instilled into our heads/beings from the get go of schooling. I have interacted with countless students and adults who have been brainwashed into believing that they are “stupid” mainly because of their educational experiences, the basis of which starts out something like “Oh, I wasn’t a very good student, I was a D student, etc. . .” And many of those folks are way smarter and more skilled than I am when it comes to all kinds of learning and doing things that I have no clue about or ability to do.
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