Mercedes Schneider teaches in Louisiana. She has repeatedly explained that there was no “New Orleans Miracle,” as the media wants us to believe.
In this post, she expresses her disappointment that John Merrow refuses to accept her invitation to meet her in New Orleans and refuses to acknowledge her existence. And she chastises him for abandoning his pursuit of the facts in DC.
Of course, anyone who thinks (as Merrow does) that KIPP is in the “messy middle,” never boasting of their miraculous successes, has a very different world view from Mercedes Schneider.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Maybe it’s just me, but I probably wouldn’t correspond with someone who was publicly attacking me on a blog if I didn’t have to. I certainly wouldn’t travel to New Orleans to meet that person.
FLERP, when you release your damaging and slanted documentary on New Orleans; insult me publicly by noting that when a “credible” source comes along, you’d listen; openly quit on exposing Michelle Rhee while insisting New Orleans is better off, then attack my mentor publicly for a kindness she shows to the beaten education community, I will be sure to remember that you will likely not answer my invitation.
I don’t know why you think Merrow was trying to insult you when he wrote that. He was referring back to his original post, in which he wrote that he would return to the Rhee story if another DCPS “insider” came forward.
He originally wrote this: “And if another insider were to come forward with more information about the cover-up, I would return to the story.”
Then you wrote your post on thechalkface, and he responded in a comment with: “As I said, if more credible sources come forward, I will be back on the story.”
He wasn’t insulting your work. (Heaven forbid!) He was restating what he said initially.
Maybe he should keep covering the Rhee story, and maybe he should pay more attention to what you’ve written. But the personal aspect of this looks petty to me.
Just one random guy’s opinion, though;)
I see your point.
My work was never acknowledged. It is full of facts. So even though his words about credibility are tied to Rhee, Merrow ignored all of my work demonstrating the mess (including colossal corruption) that is New Orleans. He does not view me as credible.
I corrected that section of the post to clarify that Merrow’s completely ignoring my work is a sign that he takes it as not being credible.
Thank you, FLERP.
Merrow was clueless and arrogant at the beginning and now he is still arrogant and clueless. No surprise.
As for John Merrow, I think it is safe to say we are officially broken up; I returned his ring when I saw him in public courting KIPP.
Good one.
Dale duro, Mercedes, dale duro al Merrow.
I am not flippant when I say that John Merrow will regret the day he decided to Rheepeat his mistake of years ago, buying into the ‘magic feather’ claims of the charterites/privatizers.
I wish it weren’t so. It gives me no pleasure to see someone wound himself so grievously.
But for every John Merrow that bends to extrinsic pressures, there is a Mercedes Schneider that stands taller because of intrinsic motivations:
“Laws control the lesser man… Right conduct controls the greater one.”
[Mark Twain]
🙂
I look forward to your book.
“Of course, anyone who thinks (as Merrow does) that KIPP is in the “messy middle,” never boasting of their miraculous successes, has a very different world view from Mercedes Schneider.”
Diane, didn’t you mean “ever boasting” instead of “never boasting”?
The fact that Merrow would buy and sell the notion proffered by KIPP that their boot camp, military style of teaching and discipline for poor children of color would be considered somewhere mid-way between Ted Cruz and Diane is ludicrous, insulting to Diane, and dismissive of civil rights concerns for African American and Hispanic children in those highly segregate schools.
If Merrow can characterize virtual chain gangs for poor children of color as “the messy middle,” no wonder he’s sticking with his description of NOLA is a “rebirth” and he feels he can give up on pursuing Michelle Rhee’s DC cheating scandal. He gave away his moral compass in favor of continuing to hang with his “chosen set of friends,” as Mercedes so aptly described
It’s really disgusting when someone in their 70s cares more about being popular than doing the right thing.
Maybe Merrow is more of a people person and sees the story as about the people. But, without a clear systemwide analysis of budgets, scores, and attrition, the whole story is not there.
Merrow is hung up on the corruption that existed in the former Orleans Parish School Board. His judgment pivots on what is “now” is a “at least” not what was then. This fallacy is the cornerstone of his judgments.
Does he actually think the charters are not fleecing the people?
“Rebirth” is his story and he’s sticking to it, regardless…
The “people” are crying out against RSD. They are caught in the middle of this corporate-benefitting, charter breeding ground.
Merrow’s opinion is based on personal observations and he had the gumption to give his own C- grade to NOLA, when the state graded most schools there D- and F.
He’s choosing to ignore converging lines of evidence. Investigative journalists and educators with doctorates should know better than to accept anecdotes and testimonials as facts, when those can often be found and propped up to support virtually anything,
“. . . educators with doctorates. . .”
Generally speaking (and there are exceptions, see MS) I try to steer clear of “educators with doctorates” when it comes to education reform-ha ha!
Merrow has a doctorate in education. Very few “reformers” have any degrees in education or, as TFAers, they got them after doing their couple of years in the classroom..