Jonathan Kozol Reviews”Reign of Error” in Sunday New York Times

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1. Carol Gamm says:

   September 27, 2013 at 7:20 am

   Great to see this review by Jonathan Kozol ! Much of the media seems to be intimidated by the corporate education raiders and the big-money foundations who are trying to take over our schools (with the help of Arne Duncan). We need to hear more people in the media speaking up to save our schools.

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2. Shirley Ende-Saxe says:

   September 27, 2013 at 8:01 am

   Cogent, eloquent and the truth. Doesn’t get any better than that.

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3. paula says:

   September 27, 2013 at 9:01 am

   Great review by an educator who knows. We have your book and wish you good luck because we know the message is true. Together in solidarity.

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4. Mary says:

   September 27, 2013 at 9:13 am

   Jonathon Kozol is an honest man who has always spoken the truth about the state of our public schools and the effects of political / business interests and their interference in education. His books have also dwelt on the inequality of schools due to poverty. I have had the pleasure of reading his books as well as yours. In addition I have been able to hear both Mr. Kozol and Dr. Ravitch speak. In my opinion, you are both eloquent and well informed about the issues facing education today. Unlike many so called educators, you both back up your words and conclusions with research and valid data. I am not surprised that Mr. Kozol wrote such a wonderful review of your new book.

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5. John Owens says:

   September 27, 2013 at 9:54 am

   Fabulous! Congratulations!

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6. Jeannette says:

   September 27, 2013 at 10:07 am

   Bravo!!! That’s a share for sure! I’ll be looking for Kozol books. Diane, if you tell anyone your favorite flower, you’d get a ton of bouquets for sure! 🙂

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7. john abramson says:

   September 27, 2013 at 11:07 am

   Kozol,in his first book, recounted his year of teaching in the Boston Public Schools. In this vein, with props to Kozol, I offer this short video of a young man, at a poetry slam, offering his own thoughts about ‘No Child Left Behind”. Quite incredible. I say no more. Merely watch this short video.

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8. KrazyTA says:

   September 27, 2013 at 11:30 am

   From my knowledge of Jonathan Kozol, he doesn’t play favorites.

   He speaks his mind. He is not the type to favor or disfavor any particular individual. He says when he means and he means what he says about education issues. And lets the chips fall where they may…

   Congratulations to the owner of this blog for earning such a laudatory review from someone who knows whereof what he speaks.

   🙂

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   • ronee groff says:

     September 28, 2013 at 1:28 am

     Jonathan Kozol has climbed the mountain and with every move up he has shouted the Truth we are all facing, which is Poverty is the problem to be tackled by our nation, not its public schools (they reflect the reality of poverty). They can be improved and should not be obliterated for the coffers of a few.

     He reached the top and began shouting to the heavens and what he received was an answer of awakening by a shrinking middle-class who are fast becoming the working poor, and so, they are now understanding the plight of the poor. An awakening of an educated society to the facts that it was quickly being usurped for a fast moving replacement of jobs and values designed by the global titans of commerce, government, and the unseen managers and manipulators of greed and power. Their audacity and disrespect of those outside of themselves is greater then imagined.

     Jonathan Kozol has been a voice in the wilderness for a very long time but his time and his message is now ringing in the ears of educators who find themselves being told their obsolete, parents who find their children being measured and tested beyond or understood by themselves or their own concerns or wishes, children strained against a government that has engaged in a marriage between itself and corporate interests with an objective for superiority (believing it has the paternalistic power to ignore the People as insignificant while espousing American ideals). It is a confused and self deluding time in history and what is emerging is an abandonment of the masses for an elite separation of others for ownership and authority.

     Our government seems to have turned on itself with both sides of the isle acting without maturity, business has redefined our finances and has tipped the balance of wealth to the mega wealthy,to the struggling, to the soup kitchen. The global rending of whole areas of our planet is becoming scorched earth with people in flight and bloodshed spilling into everyday existence. This is not imagined!
     It is happening and people are trying to make sense of this. Diane Ravitch has taken the knowledge and research of the past and combined the knowledge of the present, with an eye on the future, and has exposed the Truth for all to see and decide what each should do. She may not have started out to be a disciple of Kozol but in my eyes she certainly has found his light.

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9. Middle school teacher says:

   September 28, 2013 at 8:36 am

   We got our Saturday NYT (which is delivered with some of the Sunday supplements); it’s nice to settle down with a real paper newspaper. I knew the review would be there because of this post. I hadn’t had time to read it yesterday. What a pleasure to read this articulate laudatory review by Mr.Kozol. I especially responded to the last line stating that Reign of Error is “a fearless book, a manifesto and a call to battle.” Fearless…a great word. That’s what we all must be.

   I must add that I tried to do my small part to promote this important book. UConn circulated a survey to those of us “lucky” enough to teach in one of the 10 districts piloting CT’s new reformy teacher evaluation system. We had to answer questions on how the new system had affected our practice. They left a tiny box for additional comments. I used my space to suggest that they should have based their “reform” plans on actual peer-reviewed scholarly research rather than Gates’s phony agenda. I also urged them to read Reign of Error if they were genuinely interested in public schools.

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10. Robert D. Shepherd says:

    September 28, 2013 at 10:26 am

    Kozol and Ravitch. Heroes, both. How very moving to see this essay from Kozol on Dr. Ravitch’s new book. Wonderful. Wonderful.

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