Mercedes Schneider reposts a press release announcing that more than 2,750 students and alumni of Calvin College–Betsy DeVos’s alma mater–have signed a letter opposing her nomination as Secretary of Education.
The letter gives the reasons and lists the names.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
That one must sting. Glad they had the guts to do it.
The letter is written with care. It is not a rant but and important addition to the many forms of opposition to her nomination.
I’m sure she’s focused on the many, many more thousands who didn’t sign. The best thing about the confirmation hearing was that — possibly for the first time in her life — she was challenged.
For denominations across America, the threat of proliferation of mega churches, funded with tax dollars for their schools, should be frightening.
For communities across America, the threat of religious institutions, as major employers (with rights of hiring discrimination), should be frightening.
For those of minority faiths, isolation from the community social hub of schools, should be frightening.
For taxpayers, loss of democratic control of the money they intend for public education, should be cause for upheaval in state and national capitols.
It’s a shame that a former champion of education, Lamar Alexander, has sold his political soul in support of someone, Ms DeVos, who may have contributed lots of $$ to his campaign, but who is spectacularly unqualified to became the country’s leading education proponent. There comes a time when pay-to-play has to take a back seat to overall honesty and common sense, doesn’t it Mr. Alexander? JVK
For the first time, I did some googling of you. I notice how often you changed your mind on the education issue. And I also noticed something that I thought was interesting: You have an issue with private schools – but hold nine honorary doctorates from private institutions. You went to a private college. You never taught k-12…
It amazes me how you can dismiss my opinions because I am not a k-12 teacher – and it now seems you never were, either.
You did the a lot of research (Actually started reading one of your books). It also became clear that your on the far, far outside extreme…
So your ideas on education are colored from an extreme perspective… Interesting read
Rudy,
I went to public schools in Houston from K-12, then to Wellesley College and Columbia University.
I hold a Ph.D. in the history of American education from Columbia University. I have never been a classroom teacher in K-12, nor have I ever claimed to be. I do not tell people how to teach, but I defend the teaching profession as a profession. You can search my books and blogs and you will never find advice on how to teach. You will find discussions of history and policy.
Rudy,
What makes you think I oppose private institutions? I don’t. Anyone who wants to send their child to a private or religious institution should do so. At their own expense.
I usually skip the rantings of our resident inquisitor. For some reason my eyes rested on this one. Diane, your patience and equanimity would have impressed St. Francis to the point of considering himself vain.
FYI, Rudy, my scholarship and views are by no means “extreme,” as you put it. Except by the standards of Steve Bannon and the alt-right. You don’t get honorary degrees from distinguished liberal arts colleges and universities when you are out of the mainstream.
An objective assessment of Schellekens’ opinions, would lead him to understand why they are dismissed/rejected, by discerning blog readers, many of whom, like he and Diane, have not taught K-12.
To anyone who tries to defame Dr. Ravitch:
There is Heaven and Hell. There are spiritual leaders and Satan. Followers or believers will follow the leaders whose characters will resemble the followers.
For goodness sake and for cruelty sake, there is an aphorism that: “good deed returns good deed, evil follows evil”. As a result, please be careful with words and deeds. The curses and prayers will have its own merits.
There is no power that is above (HEAVEN) or below (HELL) to impose on human beings and animals, but the truth is that our own KARMA will follow us like a shadow. This shadow is the result of our words and actions intentionally and accidentally dependent on our own ignorance or our state of being awakened.
Our children and our parents cannot affect our thought and deed. So, please do not attack people because you are jealous or for any unknown reason in your own mind.
IMHO, please try your best to do as the spiritual leader does and to stay away from thinking like Satan does. I am sure that you will admire Dr. Ravitch for her integrity, her compassion, her dedication to American Educators and her relentless effort to advocate for American Public Education in a Whole Education Concept. Back2basic
Sorry, it is a whole CHILD education concept.
Reply to John V. Knapp’s excellent 11:48 AM comment RE: Sen. Alexander–
Jos. Welch’s (Chief Counsel to U.S. Army during Army-McCarthy Hearings):
“Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”
Also applicable to all of those legislators who would confirm these abominable Cabinet
picks.
Little known fact: After Welch made that statement, witnesses report that McCarthy leaned over to Roy Cohn and whispered, “Decency? What the hell is that?”
Cohn: “Don’t worry sir, it’s not a legal term.”
(This vignette inspired by Bob and Ray’s Commissioner Carstairs Hearings. I hope they would have approved.)
Roy Cohn was Trump’s mentor. Loathsome little man.