Today the blog reached 29 million page views (hits). That means that on that many occasions, someone opened the blog to read an entry. It doesn’t mean that there are 29 million separate individuals who read the blog daily.
I decided not to watch the number of hits (page views) on the blog because reaching a milestone is not the purpose of doing what I do, which is like a full-time job. But I happened to notice a few days ago that the blog was nearing the million mark again, and it seemed worth noting, if for no other reason, just to tell myself that the hours I put into the blog every day do not go unnoticed. You are reading, you are commenting, you do (or don’t) find the information and perspectives useful or you wouldn’t be reading this now.
So, thank you for reading the blog, adding your comments, and making this a lively destination for those who want to stay abreast about the latest developments in education and have a place to discuss what is happening in American education and around the world.
The next four years will be challenging, to say the least, for those of us who believe in the ideal of universal public education, open to all, and to our hopes for making all schools far better than they are today. In a better world, billionaires would be helping to strengthen our public schools, not trying to make them compete in a marketplace, not contributing to the growth of a dual system of schools. In a better world, the government would prohibit for-profit organizations from operating schools; the only profit in schooling should be the satisfaction of learning and mastering new ideas, new skills, new appreciations for what is good, beautiful, and just.
We need to stay informed, prepare to join with our allies to work together, and never, never, never give up hope. Hope is what keeps us going. Hope for a better future is essential or we concede defeat without putting up a resistance. Resist we shall when market forces come to take away what belongs to all of us.
Keep reading, join the Network for Public Education to find your allies in your state, and persist. Think about not just the next four years, but about the next 20 years. Plan for the future and join together to make it one that is better for all of our children.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Congratulations Diane and thank you for your advocacy and passion for public education!
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Diane — You are a true inspiration to us all!
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Diane that is amazing – especially since you are only, what, 32 years old;-) Keep them coming – your the best. Have a happy holiday.
Mike Haran
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Congratulations. Please continue to note these million-hit milestones and the purposes of the blog. You are inspiring a lot of us spend more time here than we intended to.
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Thank you for your commitment to education and for disseminating much needed information, more important now than ever!
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I agree! Thank you Diane for letting us into your living room and giving us a space for open dialigue.
Pat
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I’d like to remind you of something Diane. A number of years ago, before you started this blog and started to tweet, when I suggested to you that you blog you told me you were not going to get involved with social media. I am glad you changed your mind, because as powerfully as you speak in your books and the various things you get placed in publication, you are actually probably reaching far more people precisely because you are actively involved in social media.
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One more thing I should add – I suggested it to you because I first got people paying attention to what I had to say precisely because I was active on social media, going all the way back to the Dean blog in 2003, and then at Daily Kos and some other blogs. As for Twitter, when I live-tweeted the first Education Nation Town Hall, I picked up some 400 followers in about 2 hours. While social media can be used for nefarious purposes, it also provides a way to reach many more people far more quickly.
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Congrats Diane! That is quite an accomplishment! I hit a million on my own blog after almost two and a half years. I wrote an article about it and even said “I am no Diane Ravitch”! While I don’t always agree with everything you write, I can always count on you touching on a lot of the education news at a national level. Thank you for that!
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Congratulations Diane! Thank you for keeping us informed and allowing us to come into your living room for true dialogue.
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What Broooklynteacher said.
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ditto…
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Round it to 30M.
PS Ve-e-ery interesting (recall Laugh-In?)
https://www.google.com/amp/m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_584715c6e4b0ebac58070394/amp?client=safari
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The hours you put in are very much worth it to me. I had been watching some of the same trends as you in years past and didn’t know how to help people become aware. You have done that and more. And have given voice to those of us who know how important it is to keep public schools great for all children. Thank you!!
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Dear Diane,
You have been a north star shining, guiding, informing and facilitating the efforts of many, who like you, believe that educational systems should not exist as another vehicle that contributes to wealth inequality, while our children pay the price.
Thank you for challenging me to think deeply and inspiring me to bring those thoughts to my colleagues. Thank you for your blog today about the silence in the Colleges of Education across the country. Thank you for your insight and courage. Thank you for reminding us of our responsibilities and commitments. Thank you for caring about us, and speaking truth to power for us. Most importantly, thank you for your passion for ethical standards and behavior.
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I can’t thank you enough for doing this, Diane!
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You’re always fantastic, Diane.
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Diane,
I am very grateful for the informed and thoughtful commentary that you diligently deliver daily, (with links) and the awareness that it brings.
It’s hard to imagine the world without your blog. Especially now, in these deep, dark times, you and your work are a light.
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I use a lot of your posts for inspiration to open commentary in st. louis….which badly needs it….Sometimes I go to the source you site, sometimes I take what you post here. I am never sure just what is allowed to be posted there so I have started tweeting links to them…I don’t have many followers….it is a work in progress…..joe prichard @kjoe77 22h22 hours ago
I think the PD education reporting is a variation of fake news. http://interact.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1201330#p16435357 …
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Yaaaaayyyyy!
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Congrats, Diane! Thank you for all you’re doing for public education!
I share your website address and info that you post at school, and especially at our union meetings! Next step: start sharing your blog address and info at our larger, quarterly IFT Senate Meetings!
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Dearest Dr. Ravitch:
If there is an average of 10 views per day per person, then there would be roughly 3 millions people in the past 3 years or 1000 days. Therefore, there should be a minimum of 30,000 actual people who enjoy communicating in this website.
Hopefully, you would repeat the membership registration in two categories: voluntary in monetary or time membership support and annual fixed amount membership support (= to hire lawyers in the time of needs). However, both categories of membership will unite to support your OFFICIAL call or movement to sustain American Public Education.
This will be similar to ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). You and all educators in 50 states will be ANPE (American National Public Education) and will start on January 1st, 2017. This will give all “paid annual membership” educators a much stronger force in INDEPENDENTLY protecting Educators’ tenure rights WITHOUT THE NEED of corrupted union.
I hope that the majority of educators will confidently join “ANPE” for a better and stronger voice in protesting their teaching tenure’s rights.
Very respectfully yours,
May King
NB:
Date Time Location Description Retail Location Signatory Name
2016/12/07 07:58 11415, USA Item is now available for pickup “No pick up yet”
2016/12/07 06:44 114159997, USA Item has arrived at the delivery office in the destination country
Please note that my check paid to your name re: dinner to honor you had arrived on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 at 7:58 am EST to location P.O Box 150266 Kew Gardens NY 11415-0266, addressing to the name of Dr. Carol Burris.
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Yes, a North Star, the heart of the resistance to privatization, the channel through which hundreds of other voices are helped to be heard. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
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It’s maybe a good time to be a public school supporter 🙂
Ed reform has embraced DeVos/Trump.
The “agnostics” are marginalized and irrelevant- the privatization zealots are now “the movement”. They don’t even discuss public schools anymore- they fight over when privatization should be regulated or unregulated.
It’s a huge opportunity. They’ve abandoned 90% of schools and it’s such an echo chamber they don’t even see it.
So privatization will have 100 Senators, The President, the USDOE, hundreds of House members and 10% of students and families.
Public schools will have no representation or advocates at the federal level, but public schools will have 90% of students and families. Just think about how nuts that is and you see the opportunity.
There’s an opening for some entity or group(s) to represent the interests of 90% of children and families. That COULD be new people with appealing and practical ideas that actually BENEFIT existing public schools. Imagine that! 🙂
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I like the way you think.
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It seems the new administration wants to privatize all aspects of our lives. Where there’s a buck to be made a businessman will find it.
Anyways – kudos on another milestone representing all the work you do to keep us informed. Knowledge is power and together we need to show our might.
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“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.” [Helen Keller]
IMHO, whether it’s in the light or in the dark—
Always a pleasure to walk with the owner of this blog.
And the hits keep coming…
😎
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“In a better world, the government would prohibit for-profit organizations from operating schools;”
Can’t agree with that statement.
I have no problem with for-profit schools, however they should have to follow all rules and regulations as public schools and they should not receive any tax monies. Let the vaunted free market decide-ha ha!
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“Silvers”…babe…that’s your bad ass, kick-ass fantastic nickname in my head. Silvers will beat Gates in the long run.
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I’ve mentioned this before but I hope you have consulted with someone — a librarian, an archivist? — who can help you preserve the blog for posterity. Maybe on rag paper?
The technicalities are really out of my league but I am certain that many years from now, this blog will be an essential primary source for historians and educators. There is nothing else like it, anywhere, that combines and expert’s views and reports from all over the US on what is happening “on the ground” during this critical era.
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Ohio Mom,
I don’t know how to archive the blog. I have written over 15,000 posts. Readers have left over 400,000 comments. I hope everything is saved somewhere in a cloud.
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Congratulations! Thank you so much for shedding light on so many important issues involving education. The worst part of these upcoming years will be the needed attention on fighting privatization with less talk about improving public education (I will always believe in the essence of Common Core — NOT standardized tests — and grateful I teach in a state that still has it). But I completely understand and am grateful that the focus against charters exists.
Good luck, and here’s to another 29 million hits!
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CONGRATULATIONS, Diane. You make a difference. THANK YOU.
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Felicitaciones y gracias por tu trabajo tremendo.
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Love ya Lady D!
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