I was thrilled to learn last winter that I had been chosen to receive the Grawemeyer Award in Education for 2014. To me, the Grawemeyer Award is the most important recognition of work in the five fields it honors: education, music, religion, world order, and psychology.
I was especially honored because the award had previously gone to my friends Linda Darling-Hammond and Pasi Sahlberg for their outstanding books.
The awards ceremonies were the week of April 15-17. As it happened, I fell and badly damaged my knee on April 5, and the earliest date I could see my knee surgeon was April 8. He gave me permission to go to Louisville so long as I agreed to use crutches, a wheelchair, a cane, whatever it took, and to see him as soon as I returned.
So, with the help of my partner, I arrived in Louisville on April 15 and had the help of Professors Diane Kyle and Melissa Evans-Andris, who took care of both of us from start to finish. I brought a walker, and they brought a wheelchair. They were our constant companions, and attended to my every need. They even thought to bring with them to the airport a basket of goodies for the caregiver, who is often neglected.
Impressions: Louisville is a beautiful city. There is public art on almost every downtown block. The hotel we stayed in was the C21 Museum Hotel, where the art is everywhere, changes often, and is hugely engaging.
There was a wonderful grand black-tie event, where all the award winners were introduced in a large ballroom, and each of us spoke for about five minutes. My favorite line came from Antonio Damasio, the wonderful man who won the award for psychology, who said that the great thing about the Grawemeyer award is that it is an award that recognizes the idea of ideas. I loved that.
Each of the award winners had the chance to meet with their colleagues on campus and with students in their discipline, and there was time for me to give a speech to the community. Soon after I spoke, I was interviewed, and asked to summarize the main idea of my book. This was condensed into a video that is about 3 or 4 minutes. Here it is. I should mention that I received the award for The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education. I treat it as volume 1, followed by volume 2, Reign of Error.
The highlight of our visit to Louisville was getting to see this beautiful community. But there were two other highlights, and I can’t rank them. One was enjoying the companionship of Diane Kyle and Melissa Evans-Andris, who showed us what Kentucky hospitality was at its best. Next was a meeting one morning with civic and community leaders that included the superintendent of schools for Jefferson County and Mayor Greg Fisher. Before I spoke, Mayor Fisher said that his priorities were helping young children get off to a good start, attending to the needs of adolescents, and mental health. I found it refreshing to meet a smart, thoughtful mayor who understands that taking care of the health and well-being of children is the most important job for the community, not importing competition to put pressure on the schools for phony test score gains.
I can’t go on without saying that I had my first mint julep, and that we were in Louisville only two weeks before the Kentucky Derby, so the city had a festive spirit. Our hotel was only a block from the home store of the famous Louisville Slugger baseball bat. We passed Churchill Downs, where the Derby will be run. We got a sense of a city where art is treasured, and a university with the idea of honoring ideas. We encountered generous hospitality, a sense of proportion about what matters most, a caring and vibrant community, and a happy absence of that hardbitten sense that children must be tested until they cry.
What a wonderful experience it was!
Oh, and one other thing, not so small. Kentucky is one of the few states that does not permit charter schools. So every community works together to improve its public schools. What a treat to be in a place that dares to think differently, and to be reminded of an America that has not fallen into the clutches of Arne Duncan, Bill Gates, and the edu-entrepreneurs.
What a wonderful account! What was their impression of the Common Core and Common Core testing?
If they don’t accept Charters, that means they did not apy for RttT.
Jealous.
My grandmother was from Kentucky and she trained as a teacher there. I wish I knew what it is that helps their leaders realize things leaders in other states do not. Or why did they not need RttT funds, when other states were pretty sure they did?
Thank you for sharing the Kentucky experience with readers Dr Ravitch. Food for thought here.
Love the video! Great to hear that common sense, not the Common Core, reigns in Kentucky!
Well, Kentucky indeed has adopted Common Core and has drank pretty much the same kool-aid on that that most other places have. It’s charter schools and vouchers that Kentucky has rejected so far.
Kentucky can’t have a solid public education system. Impossible.
In this video, Kevin Huffman announces that we know “what works” and “we” know that “choice, accountability and high standards” work. We simply lack the will to do what he and the rest of the panel know “works”. We’re stubborn, or something.
The entire panel then agrees, or at least no one questions him in their opening statement, so of course now that we have decided “what works” we just need to fine-tune this prescription and get past “the politics” – which I guess means “people who aren’t convinced we’re right because we say we’re right”. Yucky, icky “politics” So divisive and loud. Why can’t people just accept bald assertions made by national ed reformers? They JUST SAID they know “what works”! Why isn’t that enough?
If Kentucky doesn’t have “choice” if can’t be working, right? The state is obviously missing at least one of the “what works” factors.
http://www.milkeninstitute.org/events/gcprogram.taf?function=detail&eventid=GC14&EvID=5026
I thought this was interesting:
“Cincinnati school board President Eve Bolton, who spoke at the recent community schools conference, said that community schools were first envisioned in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 for territory northwest of the Ohio River, where Cincinnati is located. The ordinance designated one square mile in each township as a place where “education forever be encouraged,” she said. The ordinance states that a certain percentage of funds from sales “shall fund our schools so that each child attend schools that were locally controlled for the benefit of the community and for the preservation of our republic.”
“Community learning centers are in our DNA,” Bolton said. “They are our history and our chosen future.”
This is on-topic because as you probably know there’s a lot of overlap between Cincinnati and Kentucky. True fact (!) so it qualifies as on-topic 🙂
http://edsource.org/2014/nonprofit-and-for-profit-partners-help-cincinnati-transform-its-failing-schools/61388#.U2ZEmK1dVH1
Yes, I think I remember that the people had to put aside a certain plot of land for education within their area.
Many thanks for sharing this with us.
😃
Chiara Duggan brings up a very good point. They self-styled “education reformers” know that “choice, accountability and high standards” work. Okey dokey. So let’s take the entire package, presented in a CCSS wrapping. Then ask ourselves: why can’t the folks in Kentucky understand what Dr. Candace McQueen is positive works in neighboring Tennessee?
Time for an “Oops!” moment. From a recent posting on this blog:
“This is an unintentionally hilarious story about Common Core in Tennessee. Dr. Candace McQueen has been dean of Lipscomb College’s school of education and also the state’s’s chief cheerleader for Common Core. However, she was named headmistress of private Lipscomb Academy, and guess what? She will not have the school adopt the Common Core! Go figure.”
Link: https://dianeravitch.net/2014/03/23/common-core-for-commoners-not-my-school/
That much of a contradiction, rheeally? Really! A money quote from Dr. McQueen concerning her new position:
“Currently, Lipscomb Academy draws from a variety of quality national and state standards selected by the school leadership and faculty to set a vision for what content, instruction and curriculum will be used at each grade level. This has proven to be effective; thus, I don’t anticipate any changes to this process now or in the future.”
[Access the quote in the above link; the linked article is entitled “Lipscomb Academy Chief Advocates for Common Core, But Not at Her School”]
But, but, but, when it comes to the leaders of the “new civil rights movement of our time” and their educrat enablers and edubully enforcers and accountabully underlings—
What about applying the same sort of “choice, accountability and high standards” that is being imposed on OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN [the vast majority], being imposed on THEIR OWN CHILDREN [the advantaged few]?
When it comes to “what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander,” even an old dead Greek guy has to cede the place of [dis]honor to one of our contemporaries—
“I reject that mind-set.” [Michelle Rhee]
😡
Congratulations and well deserved.
As I read about your Louisville experience, I felt the lightness and freedom to experience the beauty around you…then it made sense. You were in a state where public schools are the schools of choice, and it was a Gates and Duncan Free Zone.
The air must have been cleaner, birds sang brilliantly, children skipped and parents were able to celebrate family life void of CCRAP #ccss homework.
Sounded like a pilgrimage for decent Americans yearning for Finland, without going near the Arctic Circle.
Your bum knee will heal and all will be right with the world, at least in Louisville.
Again, CCSS has indeed been adopted by Kentucky and in Jefferson County Public Schools (Louisville). It’s “choice” (charters, vouchers, etc.) that has been rejected.
What an honor, and you deserve not only the award, but this glorious experience in Louisville before beginning the necessary knee surgery journey.
Allow the love and strength of your readers to support and lift your spirits during your hospital stay and recovery. Not many people enter surgery with a whole team behind them, but, each and every one of your readers will be right there with you, supporting you with prayers and sending you positive energy. Let us lift you on those difficult days, just as you do for others each and every day. And as you heal, we will enjoy even more, celebrating each step forward with one amazing new knee!
After reading your post, I was curious how Kentucky did on the PISA rankings and found an interesting piece @ “Kentucky School News and Commentary” going into detail about poverty and the PISA results making a strong connection that countries with high poverty rates also don’t do well on the PISA.
http://theprincipal.blogspot.com/2013/12/pisa-data-punditry-in-full-swing.html
Scroll to the last chart where you may see the comparison of NAEP Math Grade 8 2013 scores in relation to poverty for each state in the U.S.
On the top left you may noticed that the few highest scoring states on this 8th grade NAEP math test also had the lowest ratio of poverty in the United States and on the far right …. Well, you’ll see.
A few comments to some comments here.
1. Yes, KY did apply to RttT, but didn’t receive. Yes, a big reason, I think, is because of the fact that we didn’t have charter legislation. In fact, in 2010 there was a bill submitted but it didn’t go anywhere. As I recall, it was a senator in the Education Committee that was a “no” vote. She said that she thought it important to have a discussion about the issue instead of just voting on something for an application. And, get this–she was from Louisville! We did, though, receive RttT in the third round that was used to develop a longitudinal student data system and houses instructional resources.
2. Unfortunately, we are a “Gates” state. There’s a huge push here for LDC/MDC work and grant money being used for state initiatives. Also, there’s been a lot of credence put into the MET report with our state board of education.
3. Our Commissioner, who’s now the president of CCSSO, has waivered on the whole charter school issue. Back in 2010 he came out against charters, stating that they were no better or worse than other public schools. In an article I read a few months ago in the Lexington Herald-Leader he said that KY should have charter legislation so that parents could be given a choice.
4. We did receive an NCLB accountability waiver. Of course, y’all know what that means. The new effectiveness system does include student test scores (for 4-8 ELA and math teachers only) in addition to classroom-level student growth goals combined. Other subjects are only use the classroom-level goals. The weight of these in the evaluation itself, as I understand it, is at the discretion of the individual districts. We’re have a state-wide pilot for this next year, so we’ll see how it works out in the end.
http://education.ky.gov/teachers/PGES/Pages/PGES.aspx
I’m proud to be a product of the public education in KY (both K-12 and higher education) and to teach in this state. Our state motto is “Unbridled Spirit” which, I think, describes us very well. A horse that isn’t bridled is given the freedom to go where it wants to go. I can only hope that we will be able to continue to be free of many education reforms in the future.
And, I’m glad you enjoyed Louisville, Diane. Maybe, when you’re better, you’ll have the opportunity to see other parts of our beautiful state.
Kentucky had two charter school bills in the 2014 session recently ended. HB 85 didn’t go anywhere. SB 211 passed the Senate but died in the House.
Glad you had a wonderful trip.
I like the little interview a lot. It’s outlines a clean and straightforward position with grace, authority and vision. It doesn’t have to get wound up in the arguments, references, and details, because it’s clearly referenced to two powerful volumes of those.
You can afford to take it easy for a while. It’s not like you’re really even taking time off, because all this stuff is still moving on and out.
I needed to buy a new toaster oven today, so there I was in Sears and Target looking for a basic model, and there were adorable, bright-eyed little kids everywhere, trying on sunglasses, holding hands with their cousins, getting a stroller for their new baby brothers, and chattering to their mommies and daddies and aunties in all kinds of languages. The grown ups were patient and warm, but worn out, and worried. They were having fun because Friday was payday. Lets vote everybody out of office who has opposed raising the minimum wage, okay?
Imagine if we had wonderful schools for them all, with happy kindergartens and lots of beautiful books and crayons, xylophones and blocks and a garden project. Maybe even easels and real paint, they love those. I remember when Michael asked for one, he said “weasel” and I had to explain to him that those are not good for little kids because they might bite.
When I typed in com… just now, Google thought I might want “common core”, but no I do not. I was searching for this memory.
“Imagine if we had wonderful schools for them all, with happy kindergartens and lots of beautiful books and crayons, xylophones and blocks and a garden project.”
This vision isn’t totally gone. There are still wonderful schools regardless of the meddling from Washington DC with their NCLB, Race to the Top and Common Core torture.
The reason there are still some schools like this is becasue there are still teachers who spend their own money for materials, principals who support them along with superintendents and elected school boards.
There are 13,600 public school districts in the US and some of them are resiting and fighting back against President Obama’s draconian agenda to destroy the public schools so Hedge Funds and Wall Street can make more money.
I wonder how much these Hedge Fund billionaires and Wall Street titans will pay Obama for his memoir and live, on stage lectures after he leaves the White House.
Buffalo is fighting back. The school board election is this week – 13 individuals are running and the money is behind the pro charter school group. The BTF has funds to back the candidates against the charters, plus man the phones and drive voters to the polls.
The direction of the Buffalo Schools will be determined by the results.
We can hope that the local turn out will tip the scale. For smaller school-board elections, it’s possible to go door to door and beat the lobbyists and big PR and AD money. For wider elections in big cities, states and federal, it’s more difficult to use a grassroots door to door method.
Lloyd – seven of the nine board positions are voted by district, two are at large. You can bet there’s a lot of door to door, especially by those running without funding. There are also lawn signs put up throughout the city. The candidates backed with funds have mailings and billboards (those are the pro charter school candidates). The Buffalo News is supporting this all white slate. The black community is incensed – they are speaking out in churches and arranging transportation (a lot of churches have buses) to the polls. Buffalo is only 20% white, mainly in the south of Buffalo.
The turn out is usually less than ten percent of the population. The outcome will be determined by increasing that number. The teacher’s union is going all out to get their anti charter school candidates elected.
It will be interesting to see the results. It will definitely determine the direction of Buffalo’s Public Schools.
It would be good to know the outcome of the election but will it do any good if the state’s governor steps in and takes over—and that seems to be what’s happening across the country when the democratic process doesn’t do what the fake ed reformer billionaire oligarchs want.
Of course, then we have the courts as another battle field and if the resistance wins in the courts, will the oligarchs and their bought and paid for politicians ignore those verdicts and order in the troops and police to force their agenda on the people?
I wouldn’t be surprised.
Lloyd, The City of Buffalo was already under the thumb of a control board (thus the three year wage freeze for all public employees, including teachers). That’s one reason we don’t have a contract, it would never have been approved by this board. Now the control board is only advisory.
At the moment we are not concerned about Cuomo or King taking over the entire school district, although they have threatened to take over underperforming schools (such as the International School full of refugees). Of course, their ridiculous policies of including special ed and ESL students in the school “ratings” is ludicrous and counterproductive.
I will say that John King seems to give Buffalo a hard time over every policy they wish to implement to try to improve instruction. It’s as if he has some sort of grudge. Egos should not get in the way of educating our children.
Buffalo is the second largest city in New York State – often called the Queen City (vs NYC which must be King). The Buffalo public schools have about 36,000 students and 3600 employees. It used to be 40,000 and the number might be less due to Charter Schools and families (usually white) moving to the suburbs. Not a million, but still a significant number.
I was in Buffalo for a few days one summer back in the mid 1970s visiting one of the Marines who was in my unit in Vietnam who married a friend of my first wife. Don’t laugh, but this former Marine’s family manufactured toilets. I think my fellow jar head was third or fourth generation in this business.
Lloyd, We have glorious summers here in Buffalo. Lots of parks (many of them designed by Frederick Law Olmsted), beaches, access to two of the Great Lakes (Erie and Ontario) and the Niagara River, bass and other types of fishing, lots of ethnic and cultural festivals, outdoor concerts, minor league baseball – affordable, unique architecture – including works by Frank Lloyd Wright, an outlet mall, thirty minutes from Niagara Falls, art Park in the gorgeous Niagara a gorge. an hour away from hiking and white water rafting, plus at least one bar on every corner (with access to Canadian and locally made beer). The Allentown Arts Festival and Taste of Buffalo are not to be missed.
Buffalo is building on our heritage (including the Erie Canal) and downtown and the waterfront are becoming destinations. We have a ways to go, but I hope you stop by Buffalo again sometime in the future.
Talking Proud.
My fellow former Marine said in the winter the snow drifts reached the roof of his two story house. I’m glad the summers make up for that.
Lloyd – Buffalo winters are a crap shoot – I pay for plow service and some years the plower has the upper hand and some years I get more than my money’s worth. I consider it insurance.
However, nothing beats a Buffalo blizzard with Lake Effect Snow. We all hunker down with our six packs of beer and our bottles of wine until the storm stops and the streets are plowed. And yes, sometimes the snow does reach the second story. Those are the times we measure not by inches or even feet, but by yards of snow.
Had my first ear of corn for the season. Sweet and juicy.
Diane, the video was nicely done. You spoke so eloquently.
As far as I’m concerned – you should get every education award.
So happy Diane had a wonderful experience in my former home town. Yes, Paul and I lived in Louisville for 20 years when the Binghams owned The Courier Journal, now Gannett owned. We both were reporters there. Then Paul became the top editor back when there was morning and afternoon newspapers. Louisville was a wonderful place to live then and perhaps even better now. So glad Diane won the award. So glad she had caring support given her knee. Southern Hospitality at its best.
Thank you Diane for your very kind words about my city. They read like a love letter and I appreciate it very much. Louisville really is a lovely city in many ways (although certainly we’re not perfect).
Anyway, congratulations again on your very well-deserved award and for your excellent participation in local media activities. I would have attended the WFPL event had I not been wrapped up with other things that day.
Kentucky indeed has continually rejected charter schools and vouchers, although the state has fully embraced CCSS. So, our state is not fully untethered from the “ed reform” sweeping the rest of the country, sad to say.
I’d like to provide a bit of insight as to why charter schools have been rejected so far. Democrats run the house, and Kentucky Democrats have never warmed to the idea of charters — so Kentucky Democrats (much more conservative than other Democrats around the country) are good for something. 🙂
But it’s not quite as simple as partisan politics that’s stopping charters. Kentucky has the second highest number of counties in the country (120), and each has its own school district. Local control and pride in community public schools runs very deep, and the idea of handing away control to charters is not something small-town Kentucky is keen about. The only reason the idea of charters gains any currency in Kentucky is because the GOP is wildly behind them, as they support anything that increases corporate wealth. But more importantly charters are promoted as a solution to education problems in Kentucky’s biggest city, Louisville. The rest of the state has historically been leery of Louisville (goes back to the Civil War), and sadly often seeks to punish it in various ways. So, it’s possible that if the GOP takes control of the House this fall, they might be able to pass charter legislation — not because small-town Kentucky wants it, but to “do something” about Louisville’s imagined “failing schools”.
Metro Issues: when I spoke to the Kentucky School Boards Association last February, I took many pictures of banners made by children from different counties and I could see tremendous community pride in each of those banners. If Kentucky Republicans pass a voucher law for Louisville, you can bet the charters there will skim kids and make the remaining public schools worse off, then set their sights on other cities and suburbs, even on small towns. Don’t expect they will be satisfied to stay in Louisville. They will sow division wherever they go and destroy community spirit.
http://www.kentucky.com/2014/05/10/3236140/time-is-now-for-charter-schools.html?sp=/99/349/589/
John – it is so annoying to read articles like this. There is a reason why inner city schools in poor neighborhoods do not do well on the assessments and a charter school is not going to fix that. They are treating the symptom and not the cause. And an inexperienced staff cannot be expected to achieve results better than schools with veteran teachers, even with longer hours and new “unproven” novel techniques.
If it were that simple we would have solved the problem ten years ago with NCLB.
But the pro charters know how to spin a good story. Too bad it is at our children’s expense.