I have mixed feelings about whether I should continue devoting so many posts to the multiple transgressions of Trump.
On one hand, this is a blog devoted to education.
On the other, I believe we are in the midst of a historic and unprecedented national crisis. We have elected a man who is angry, bitter, ignorant, vengeful, unstable, and tied to the white-supremacist alt-right and the Kremlin.
He has already turned our country into an international laughing stock.
He has appointed a cabinet composed mostly of incompetent, unqualified, or mean-spirited people at odds with the agency they are supposed to lead.
He refuses to divest himself of his conflicts of interest, and several of his appointees–including Betsy DeVos–have followed his example. He has demonstrated contempt for the norms of ethics and transparency in government.
What is the reason for his admiration for Putin? Putin is the richest man in the world. Does Trump owe him billions?
******
I love my country. I vote in every election. I am patriotic. I hate what Trump is doing to our country.
*********
My question to you:
Should I stick to education or continue to speak out on the issues of national significance, as well as education?
I find it hard to separate the two. Should I?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Please continue!. The problems/assaults on public education are the results of the massively unequal distribution of income and wealth in our society allowing the wealthy to “buy” political influence. Trump won by claiming to give voice to the voiceless that have been ignored. His actions and appointments (Devos) have shown he will continue serving the billionaire class including using the president’s office to further enrich himself and his family. I guess the Republicans are more interested in power than doing the right thing such as dealing with Trump’s violations of the emoluments clause. Certainly we can expect to see the assault on public education continue.
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Diane,
Each day I open my email and scan the subject lines of all the messages sent to me. It takes time, but it is time well spent in that I am able to prioritize some messages over others. I choose what to read and skip over that I don’t want to read immediately, or at all.
I do that with your blog as well, and I think that the headers you chose for your blog posts are clear enough for anyone to discern if it is strictly political, strictly educational, or both.
I think you should continue as you have been posting over the last 6 months or so. While most interested in your posts on education (I can find political blogs everywhere), there is a lot of confluence between the two subjects, and your perspective is especially useful.
Stay the course.
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Agreed
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For my part, Diane, I get most of the material re: Trump and the movements in Washington from other sources. I have sometimes learned some very important things from you that I did not see elsewhere. But I really need your education monitoring, your passing on of blogs and messages from other sources, and your detailed keeping up with what is happening in other states across the country. The dismantling of the public education system, and the growing advocacy and wisdom and heartfelt support of so many, is the narrative which you provide which no one else is providing. I need to you continue and expand that. No one else is doing it.
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Couldn’t have said it better. Thank you, Diane Ravitch.
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Agree with Ben Campbell. I need to hear your voice as it relates to education while fully realizing the impact politics will have on it.
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I agree. Continue on with the detailed keeping up with what is happening throughout our country and in so many states. Even just for the historical impact of our public education reform movement as a country. Your blog will be giving great evidence for our country’s long-standing efforts to cite how people have or haven’t tried to move the public education system forward. Your thoughts and excerpts will be so important what people will think 100 years from now.
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Education has always been political. It would be nice if it weren’t but those who think it isn’t political are fooling themselves. I read your blog not just for your ideas about education trends, but for all you ideas. Everything this disgusting administration does, whether directly related to education or not, affects us all, in the classroom as well as out of it. We need your voice of reason in these days of alternate facts and alternate truths. I wouldn’t have you change a word you’ve written all these years, including the last few months. Keep doing what you’ve been doing.
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Continue doing what you’re doing
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Our greatest concern with education, right now, is the fact that we are facing a Secretary with little understanding of public (emphasis) education. There needs to be a focused perspective on how Ms. Devos handles the DOE and the impact on teachers and the profession.
Mr. Trump will have enough issues to distract us. Let us turn a laser focus on education and be vigilant in this arena.
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I am 100% with you on reporting on both education issues and the state of our union. They are inseparable. We are educators, but we are also citizens and our professional lives are intertwined with how government is run. We are the electors, and it requires a depth of ongoing education for us to do our jobs in influencing those we elect. That requires our best critical thinking skills. La Ronde. Please, Diane, continue to post all the issues for we cannot bury our heads and pretend that the Trump administration is not happening, and is not affecting every area of our lives.
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Friends…this one is from me, Ellen Lubic.
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Please continue with covering Trump and education. Thank you.
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So interesting that you ask because I was just thinking the very same question the other day. How long would you continue to talk about Trump and all of the related issues vs the focus on education? I agree with so many of your views about Trump but I feel like rehashing or talking about the negative aspects so many times a day has lessened the importance of the real work that needs to be done in education. I have read your blog religiously for years with great takeaway. Now I find myself skimming it because the content focus has shifted so dramatically. Is it important to hear the negatives of Betsy DeVos and the impact on education, yes. But I go other places for other stories as well. I miss your expert advise on education in general.
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Diane,
there is no way to separate education from the turmoil & chaos legislators & Billionaires continue to create…while we ignore those forces, QUIETLY protect & shield our children, blindly administer ToxicTest after ToxicTest, support loving parents, dedicate our lives to our unprotected profession, buy materials for poor children — and, wear pink glasses & ear plugs, drink wine after work, binge-watch TV and over-eat our favorite desserts, lose sleep daily…. to cope.
Embrace DENIAL as a way of life?
Diane, American education has never experienced peace, just years of uninterrupted turmoil, inadequate funding, lack of respect for teachers, inequality, and lack of unified missions in educating all of our children — however, teachers are held accountable for PERFECT OUTCOME, children must demonstrate PERFECT MASTERY, all are required to be equally skilled, and make sure that all schools are safe for children.
Well, I plan to continue to face the truth, stop the denial, and continue to read and follow dedicated educators who can’t ignore the harm done to our nation and to our children.
We have to educate children in spite of the Trump’s of the world.
Outside influences continue to forcefully impact our children, families, communities & education.
Diane, please continue to enlighten us and warn us. Ignorance is only bliss in Trumpworld.
Much appreciated!
Hanna
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Definitely continue to post on issues of national interest, including education.
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Stick with education. It is the basis for all good things in a society.
Thanks, from a fellow educator
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Diane, your blog is amazing and important. If it matters to you and is of interest to you, then I find it matters and is of interest to me. I know I am not alone in that!
Readers are always free to skip a blog post, of course.
On the other hand some may find information here, political or on education specifically, that they might otherwise not see.
Because of your history, authority and expertise in all matters education, your blogging on education issues is imperative.
But the politics of the moment are abnormal and extreme. We need our public intellectuals to speak out in defense of the public common good and shed light into the dark areas that would eviscerate it. I see it as all related so my personal vote is that you continue to do both.
Thank you for your books, your commentary, your blog, your activism.
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As a life-long Indiana (sorry Idaho, but Indiana is redder) resident and having spent eight years with Daniels as governor and the last four with VP Empty Suit, I know education and politics are tied at the hip, especially now. Please leave this blog as it is. To parrot Rockhound, “I think that the headers you chose for your blog posts are clear enough for anyone to discern if it is strictly political, strictly educational, or both.”
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I got all excited when I saw a comment coming from RED Idaho. Then I saw your comment from Indiana.
I grew up in Idaho (hoo-rah to the Borah Lions) and now live in Indiana. I’d have a hard time saying which one is redder. It’s tough being a liberal in either state.
Diane, keep reporting both education and political news. We need your expertise on what constitutes reality…real facts, not the alternative type that Trump espouses.
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We all have to keep speaking out against Trump. It would be irresponsible not to. His administration is affecting education in this country.
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I think you should definitely continue covering Trump and current political events.
First, because I value your perspective and insight. Your life experiences and your professional experiences combined with your natural intelligence and proclivities, have an intrinsic value that money just can’t buy.
And also, education is very connected to politics even at the best of times. It would seem silly to be covering issues that effect education without discussing the larger context that these issues are happening in.
The whole Trump presidency is “the elephant in the room”; so how can we discuss education, and leave out the elephant?
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Jonathan, great metaphor. Don’t forget the elephant!
When immigration police are following school buses, politics and education are intertwined.
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Exactly, Diane…I wish I could take some of these negative and biased folks to see the results in Los Angeles of the immigration sweeps going on here full blast. The American born children, citizens, are left alone while their working parents and grandparents get picked up by ICE and driven and dumped over the border into Tijuana. It is a travesty. Many teachers and legislators in LA also have immigrant parents who are subject to this massive overreach of the Trumpsters..
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Once again, sensational – but mostly wrong, Ms Lubic…
From http://ktla.com/2017/02/09/protests-erupt-in-downtown-l-a-following-reports-of-immigration-raids-at-homes-in-l-a-san-bernardino-and-ventura-counties/
ICE officials have yet to release detailed information on how many people the agency arrested Thursday and where they were taken into custody, only stating that the activities were “targeted and lead driven, prioritizing individuals who pose a risk to our communities,” according to ICE spokesperson Lori Haley.
“Examples would include known street gang members, child sex offenders, and deportable foreign nationals with significant drug trafficking convictions,” she said in an email. “To that end, ICE’s routine immigration enforcement actions are ongoing.”
However, according to Jorge-Mario Cabrera, communication director for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of L.A., those detained were either people with deportation orders but no criminal background or family members of those sought who were home during the raids and told officials they lacked documentation.
The organization’s attorneys confirmed there is a list of more than 100 people being detained at the ICE processing center in downtown Los Angeles after immigration raids were carried out at homes in Santa Paula, Oxnard, Van Nuys, Downey and San Bernardino, Cabrera said.
Advocates say one man was detained while working at a Target in the San Fernando Valley, while an L.A. police official said the department was not aware of ICE raids taking place Thursday in that area, according to the Los Angeles Times. Roughly 60 of those taken in were Mexican nationals, the newspaper reported.
An ICE official who spoke with KTLA on condition of anonymity said the activists’ reports were “grossly exaggerated.”
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Amazing the this foreigner from the Netherlands, and religious ideologue troll, and avid Trump supporter, seems to think he knows more about Los Angeles than those of us who live and teach here. If he read more carefully he would be able to quote the President of our State Senate, Kevin de Leon, who was featured in the LA Times and on all our news and political broadcasts the other day as saying he has relatives who could be rounded up, and that his parents were undocumented.
Wish this horses ass Dutchman, who sees himself as the final arbiter on all things and often rudely insults Diane, would disappear from this blog. He is so boring, so lacking in empathy, so uninformed about the American ethos, that his words have no value.
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Actually, it was from the local news station. And as is obvious, their report is much different than yours. But is does not sound as terrible as when you tell it, adding incorrect details.
I guess you are one of those people who don’t understand that the situation is bad enough without making it seem worse than it is. That, Ms. Lubic, is how false news is created and passed on…
But I guess slinging insults at people is easier than actually checking your facts…
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The report in today’s LA Times, fact checked, indicates that about 680 immigrants have been rounded up and deported. And it indicates that at least 1/3 of them NEVER committed ANY crimes other than crossing the border without papers.
Trolls trying to discredit legit educators who deal carefully in facts, and still have empathy for those in need, show their ignorance, arrogance, and mendacity to support their own hidden agenda.
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Ellen,
The key missing ingredient is heart. Empathy. Compassion.
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Please keep informing us about all news/issues since they are very interconnected. I learn through you, and through the sources you cite and provide. Thank you!
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As Dewey said, “Democracy has to be born anew every generation, and education is its midwife.” Keep blogging on both. You insights are invaluable.
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Please continue to report both. As educators, we pay close attention to education matters because of our expertise in those areas; and you, dear lady, have a wonderful combination of expertise & the ability to explain complicated ideas to those with far less knowledge without making them feel ignorant. Sadly, education is just one area of concern under this administration. And I agree that it’s difficult to separate larger issues (national security, rule of law, respect for rights of citizens, etc) from educational matters at this time. Please use your talents to help us understand those matters as well. Your voice is powerful, use it everywhere you can.
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Diane –
Just continue on …
Jerry
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I would keep them separate. Reason: We know that there are many Trump supporters who were more anti-Hillary or anti-Duncan or anti-Wall Street-oriented Democratic Party or generally opposed to Department of Ed Diktats, etc.
I suspect there are many people who want to participate in the discussions about education that you enable, but know that it would be difficult to share them with fellow parents, colleagues, etc., if their immediate impression is that this is an anti-Trump, which many would think is pro-Hillary.
Libertarian-driven “education reform,” i.e. disrupting public schools to create demand for charter schools (which paved the way for vouchers), is thoroughly bipartisan. It is, therefore, valuable to have a bipartisan, much better yet, nonpartisan, alternative, where followers and participants don’t feel they are going to be stigmatized by a label.
On the larger national scene, we know that lots of Dems voted against DeVos only because of party allegiance (many more than Booker and Bennett) and there were many Republicans who supported her for the same reason, i.e. man\y more than Collins & Murkowski.
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I appreciate what you are doing to find reliable sources that give the actual story of what is going on. We need good information in order to be vigilant for our actions. Education will not stand a chance if the country is betrayed because we weren’t paying attention.
I think you should blog as your heart moves you. Thank you!
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For many of us, education issues were the first indication (starting about 12 years ago) of the problems our country were going to face under Republican leadership and/or Democrats that bought into the education reform ideology.
As I watched the tactics used by the ed reformers to advance their ideology, I began to see how the same were being applied to other government institutions. (This is when I went from being a die-hard, life-long Republican to being an Independent to becoming a full-fledged Democrat!)
The elements of this Republican tyranny began, in my mind and perhaps universally, in the ed reform movement. Now it is all out there for anyone, in any field of interest, to examine. What was once seen by many as a crazy conspiracy when we tried to show proof that it would destroy public education is now everyday fact in education, climate, health, safety, retirement, and safety net concerns.
I agree with you. One cannot separate educational concerns from the rest of the fabric. The elements (people, ideology, and tactics) being used to destroy public education are exactly those being used to destroy the rest of our democracy. By reporting it all, and especially by tying all with the demise of public education, many of us can use the education reference to better understand the various situations, and to use our knowledge to fight back!
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I absolutely agree with your well written insight. In my mind too, the roots of today’s tyranny began in the ed reform movement. Denial of this connection is absolutely not an option.
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For Sure. You are a wonderful voice of reason.
Sent from my iPhone
>
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I welcome your insight on National matters as well as educational isdues. Please continue to speak out !
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I find your posts to be an excellent filter of the many news sources on all subjects.
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Fascism has come to America. We can’t save public education if the larger issue is ignored. Education deform is one head of the hydra. We have to kill the beast.
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Dear Diane –
If these were normal times I would suggest we focus on issues specific to the healthy functioning of public education.
These are not normal times. We need to stay up to date on that man’s destructive impulses. We are all in the crosshairs and must keep the updates coming.
Please continue to update us on his latest attempts to do harm to our society.
Thank you so much!
Scott Mullin
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Please continue to share whatever information you find that will educate us in our fight to make this world a better place. Education is our passion, but we must be well informed in many areas of government to be effective. So share away! And a huge THANK-YOU for doing so!
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Dr. Ravitch, please continue to post about the dangers of 45. If democracy goes away, none of us will be allowed to write about problems with education. We need clear, strong, and intelligent voices to lead us through this difficult time. Like it or not, you are one of those people. You have an obligation to democracy to keep using your blog as a platform to spread ideas and your keen analyses. Do.Not.Stop.
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Diane every decision he makes, and his admin. make, influences our children. What influences our children, influences our schools. Children do not leave their fears, questions, or lives when they walk into school. Keep educating and keep being YOU. Adore you to the moon and stars.
Marla Kilfoyle, Executive Director BATs
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Keep speaking out, please. This unprecedented and horrifying circus cannot be ignored.
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I agree with others that it is difficult to separate the two. Also, I gain trusted information from you, because you always back it up. Thank you for all you do.
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Please continue to speak out about our national disgrace
Sent from my iPhone
>
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No need to separate…I rely on you as a factual source of information. Thankful for what you do Diane …never change!
On Wed, Feb 15, 2017 at 9:03 AM, Diane Ravitch’s blog wrote:
> dianeravitch posted: “I have mixed feelings about whether I should > continue devoting so many posts to the multiple transgressions of Trump. On > one hand, this is a blog devoted to education. On the other, I believe we > are in the midst of a historic and unprecedented nat” >
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Please continue sending all information. You are one of my most trusted sources.
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For years you have used your own judgment for your own blog. Complex issues require complex responses. Keep on doing what you have been doing by using your own judgment.
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Yes. Politics and education are related. Our government dose not wany our children to experience the joy of learning about the world and how it works. They want to indoctrinate our children. They appoint Devos as Sec of Education so that she can oversee turning our Public schools into Christian Academies. Where truths like evolution are verboten. Keep letting folks know about the different ways that these politicians are betraying the basic right ofa decent public education.
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I like that you are posting on both education and other issues that have come to the fore in this disastrous administration. Trying to speak about education as an isolated issue limits our understanding of what is going on. During my years in the classroom of an urban public school, many of my students and their families dealt with homelessness, lack of documentation, inadequate health insurance, financial insecurity, disability, and violence. Their “education” was never an isolated topic. I have always been grateful that this blog has recognized these interconnections.
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I vote for more focus on education and less general political posts. I can find political commentary everywhere but less so educational specific content. Its going to be a long four years….
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Diane — education is not some separate entity that dwells apart from the world. Continue to post as you have. When those in power are threatening the air we breathe, the water we drink, the political structure that binds us together into one society, the schools we teach/attend — your voice matters. Thanks for all you have done. Carry on!
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Dear Diane, Continue doing both. The personal is political. The true purpose of education is to be an informed citizen. The art of teaching is continually demeaned by its businefication. Our practice is politicized by forces intertwined with congress and corporations. I believe the multitude of forces fighting 45 will inform and learn from your fight to preserve well-funded, free, and public schools for all.
In solidarity,
Greg Fuchs
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Please continue to speak out on both education and the Trump administration issues. We get good information from you and you inspire us.
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Without the mainstream press giving serious coverage to educational issues or practice, I welcome your thoughtful blog as well as following your links. CNN does an excellent job of reporting on Trump’s administration and his lies and transgressions. Your blog on education and the politics of education fill a special niche.
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Don’t separate the two! It’s too important to have as many sane voices as possible weighing in on this travesty!
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Mixed feelings on this.
I kept my public persona apolitical because I don’t think it does my students any good to alienate anyone who wants to support them. However, this year, I just couldn’t stay silent and have been a vocal Trump critic. So, I absolutely understand the desire to take a stand.
But, there are lots of sources of information on Trump, so FWIW, I think you should focus on education. I don’t think you should actively avoid posts about Trump, but I don’t think there’s a need to duplicate things that are readily available elsewhere. I think it dilutes the unique voice you have here.
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We need your advocacy diane.
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I don’t know if you can separate the two. I would like to say that you should just stick to education but I believe you need to continue covering both. It is very scary times and you keep me informed and educated. Thank you, Kim VanSchoonhoven
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I don’t think you can separate education issues with all that is going on with the Trump administration. I think you should continue on as you are currently doing.
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Please, continue to lend your voice to our national conversation!
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I value all the posts you send! It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to separate the educational from the political. In fact, it is your blog that is helping me survive in these dark times: the humorous posts, the posts about the current absurdities, the posts about the state of education around the country, as well as the posts that help each of us become involved to fight back. NPE was very helpful to me as I made my first tentative steps of advocacy trying to fend off the confirmation of the unprepared, uneducated, unappropriate (going with the “un” theme) secretary of education. Thank you for all your efforts and please keeping doing this in the exact same way you’ve been doing. I have learned a tremendous amount from your blog!
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I very much enjoy reading your comments , articles and thoughts on education and Trump. Your perspective is valuable… keep it up.
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Is it possible to start a companion blog on politics? Trump related posts could be cross posted, but for those who just want one or the other could follow the blog of their choice.
If so, I’d definitely follow both.
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Can’t run two blogs
People can delete at will
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Keep talking about Trump. He is a clear and present danger.
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NO! Stay political. Your voice is important.
Education is political. Very political. It certainly shouldn’t be. We should always ask: what’s best for the kids? and stay the course.
There are people who use education for terrible purposes: as a money scheme (charters) or as a way to keep minorities powerless.
A perfect example: why didn’t DeVos – a gazillionaire who supposedly cares so much about America that she was willing to take on a huge job for peanuts – step aside when it was clear that her nomination was so divisive? A truly caring person would have realized that it was best. She and Trump are up to something – and I am sure it will benefit them greatly. Noticeably, neither are willing to divest.
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Keep posting the way you do. I am reminded of a friend who was challenged by birders when he recorded a red-bellied woodpecker. “It’s my own damned list,” he responded.
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I agree with John. Trump news is available all over the place. However, any of it that applies to education, I welcome your post as the beginning of a discussion.
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Dear Diane, Continue to speak out on issues of national significance please!!!
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I would like to see you continue on these issues — all of them. It is , as you have mentioned, a serious crisis. We won’t have traditional public education if these individuals in the oval office and now the Dept. of Ed have anything to say about it so we need to focus on all of the extremes (like Russia etc). Also, your historical perspective has covered a lot of the goings on in the Washington D.C. politics and you have valuable insights that are not available to all of us (those who haven’t been part of that scene). We need valued and reliable information sources and I see you as an outstanding figure in that regard. By all means continue; we can always “get back to education” but there are some priorities uppermost in the ongoing dialogue and there is a lot of fear that you can help to ease by the way that you identify issues and review what is happening along the way. So . my vote? Definitely continue with the crises that is uppermost as we also continue to examine the ALEC , Devos, and threats to traditional public education.
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I share your mixed feelings. Democracy (small ‘d’) is at risk. If you limit, and I understand some benefits to that, I would keep a lot; so much affects our ability to teach effectively and our students ability to learn. Labor Dept can impact education unions, wages of parents, HUD impacts many students’ housing, ACA impacts millions (students, families, including benefits for those who have employer provided insurance), ….
Thanks for your column. Retired but not too tired
to advocate.
Sent from my iPhone
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I appreciate the updates on Donald Trump and education. He is setting a hostile climate in education. We need as much information as possible!
Thank you for all you do!
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I treat your blog like a very informed teacher’s lounge. We may talk about every aspect of the world but we always maintain the perspective of educators. Thank you for providing this forum and, just like I do in my teacher’s lounge, I can filter the conversations and engage in the topics that interest me. So, feel free to post anything.
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Continue what you are doing.
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I teach at the poorest school in one of America’s poorest counties – McDowell County, WV. Our education problem is a social problem. As long as our biggest educational issue is child poverty (and the readiness to learn issues that come with it), I do not see how education can be separated from other political issues.
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I think that now, more than ever, politics and education are intertwined. I appreciate your insights. Please keep posting whatever you can on both topics!
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Since there are changes coming for Dept. of Ed and States are legislating changes that are driven by GOP I think there needs to be updates and comments on Trump. He likes to set up distractions.
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I think you are doing the right thing. This is not a normal presidency – not because Donald Trump is Republican, but because he threatens our democracy. Please continue your wonderful posts. If we stick together, we can put a damper on his anti-democratic agenda filled with hate and fear.
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Less attention to Trump, he’ll fail on his own.
Overlaps will happen, that’s ok, just less on Trump and his clowns.
Attention to something makes it grow, I don’t want to empower Trump.
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Please continue. It is hard enough to sort out who to listen to in all the confusion. We need voices such as yours – voices of reason – to inform us about national issues. You, better than most, have lived in that world and understand how it works. I am a public school teacher in Massachusetts and the issues you discuss are connected to all we do. I live and work in a sanctuary city. What will happen to my students if the immigration order stands? And even if it doesn’t, Trump will use other means like the ICE raids that are already happening to intimidate. This is just one example. You are right: national affairs cannot be separate from education. Thank you for the work you have done and continue to do.
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I thought about encouraging my student intern to subscribe to your blog, but did not, out of concern that the topic of education has shifted to the topic of Trump and that the posts have become overwhelming in number.
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S, Your student intern is lIkely reading other sites online. Why not recommend a site that has a brilliant writer, with responders who offer thought-provoking comments?
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Speak out, Diane!!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
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Continue to speak out on the issues of national significance, as well as education.
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Post away Diane. Unprecedented times call for all voices to be raised. We all need to call out this madman.
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It is all related. The bigger picture is so big, you can’t ignore it.
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I prefer that you offer political commentary and news only when it is education-related.
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I’m certain I don’t need to fact check the information I read in your posts. So keep us informed about education and our government situation.
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Thanks, Jennifer, I try to source everything
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Report on President Trump but stay focused on education.
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The political posts seem redundant to me. I follow you primarily because of educational issues. It is your blog, however, so you should post on what you want to.
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It is your blog Diane. Write what you want. Readers are free to make choices. I find the political posts to be of interest. I enjoy most of the comments. I feel as if I have expanded my circle of acquaintanceship.
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Abigail, you belong
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I agree with Ben that both issue information streams are imperative right now. In addition, I believe that there is so much teacher/ public school hate we need as much evidence and positive examples of quality education to reach the media. I look forward to your talk at the NAEA conference!
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Personally, I believe you should do both– Post on Education issues and post about DJT as much as it affects the National and Educational forum– By filling the Cabinet with folks I consider as ‘Predators’ bound to do harm to US underserved citizens, this is dangerous and precarious, unprecedented except maybe for the example of Pres Andrew Jackson
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You’ve been a light in the darkness. I wouldn’t even know about the corporate effort to privatize America’s public schools if it wasn’t for your insights. You post stories and show connections that I otherwise would miss so please keep up the good work on informing us of both. It’s not just education that’s under attacked. It’s the entire enlightenment style of reasoning that our democratic republic is based upon that they are trying to destroy. And they know that reshaping the educational system undermines the rest of it and allows them remake America as a Christian based theocracy instead.
Educators themselves are a diverse crowd teaching a variety of subjects. We were educated to understand and therefore preserve our democratic republic from different perspectives. We are also the ones who choose to become that group of professionals responsible for passing along those concepts of an enlightenment style reasoned based democratic republic on to the next generation. Your news site for educators creates a thread that sews that diverse patchwork of knowledge together and gives us a tool to collaborate and enrich our outreach to others in each of our individual lives. I’ve gained and passed along insights not only from you, but from other readers in the comment section as well. And I’m sure that I’m not the only one referring many of the insights on this site along to friends, the comment section of news sites, and to members of Congress.
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Please continue to speak out! Educators look up to you and need you to help lead the charge!
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Well, I am ok with which ever plan you like. If it is to do both I am good and if it is to do just one I lke that too. I just want you to hold back a little on any new blogs a little bit.
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Diane, do whichever makes you feel most energized and happy and motivated to keep your wonderful blog going. I would prefer an education focus, because I do get the Trump news elsewhere, but most of all, I want you to keep doing this, and you will if you are happy with what you are doing.
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Love the broader political commentary and perspective….it is all of one piece!
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Continue doing both.
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Education is and has been for a long time wrapped up with politics, I don’t see how you can separate the two so please don’t. I so appreciate the time and energy you spend on these matters!
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As an educator, it is your duty to educate the public about Trump’s ways. Without knowledge, people cannot make intelligent decisions, opinions, and logical conclusions as to how to deal with Trump-ism in their own lives. I am a news junkie and have been for years but each day I learn something new from your columns. You have the access and insight that I could never achieve and I think you do a great service informing people–especially those who work and take care of families and don’t have the luxury to research and find out what you already can provide. But again this is just my personal opinion. You have to do what you are comfortable in -since you are knowledgeable in so many areas.Many people read only their biased local newspapers that carry Trump news and have a skewed view. Your blogs and commentaries on Trump need to be read so that people don’t believe the misinformation, half truths, distortions concerning his actions. The “alternate facts “cannot be the last thing people read & believe!
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another reason to stay with both…https://thinkprogress.org/idaho-climate-science-school-curriculum-fc81d0b6d432#.3367l2pqg I have thought about the issue some more… there have been so many teachers who say they are “neutral” and they feel they are duty bound to be “neutral”… but people carry this to extreme and it comes out “I don’t vote” that is my neighbor who is a teacher and I have brought him forms to register to vote at least 3 times… The idea of civic participation, civic virtue etc seems to be missing when we talk to some in the field of teaching. All the more important today to converse with each other and within the profession. (Totally off topic but a positive for the day — in Lowell MA right near the infamous Lawrence , I participated in guiding “new citizens” as 620 people became naturalized citizens. It was quite a rewarding experience and quite an honor to be there.)
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Democracy depends on an educated citizenry and aspiring citizenry – and that depends on talented dedicated educators… who are aware of alllllll the forces upon them. (and sadly there were too many people ignored facts and voted blindly without questioning – why – too much rote learning and critical thinking)
Keep us informed.
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Please continue doing both Sometimes I find an article such as the Andrew Sullivan article about Trump which I didn’t see anywhere else. Education and politics are now intertwined. Stay the course.
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We are living in a time when inaction and silence are completely unacceptable, and are a tacit endorsement of the actions of the people occupying all of our significant government seats.
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Write about whatever you want. I enjoy seeing all your posts. Thanks for caring.
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I find that your blog on both fronts is valuable. I can also pick and choose what I want to read. Thanks for your insight.
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Stick with it. You are perceptive and respected.
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I trust you.
(And your my wife’s favorite general news feed).
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Stick!
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Please continue your blog as it is! Teaching is a political endeavor! Your breadth and depth of knowledge (both scholarly and experiential) in education and government make you the right person to comment on the horrible situation our country is in! I am one of many many educators who rely on your wisdom.
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If Rudy grew up in Europe (and left at some point) maybe he was never educated to question or to speak truth to power? But that is not true of everyone who grew up in Europe , certainly as they have toppled monarchs (the ancient dominating systems). At any rate, we respect the student’s developing intellect and we encourage, as this Zinn Institute program describes, that we will always question the higher authorities — no matter what role they take in government.
Zinn Program: “We need to remind students that this country has been at its best when people have organized to question and challenge presidents —- opposing presidential support for slavery, war, invasion, segregation, and injustice of all kinds. Our students need stories of this resistance to inform and inspire their own activism in the years ahead.
As Presidents Day approaches, it’s a good time to reflect on how we can help students to think critically about the presidency —- and, yes, help them to question the president.
Here are a few of the many resources available at the Zinn Education Project to critically teach about the presidency. With your support, we can bring these lessons to classrooms everywhere.” (email from Zinn Education Project — more information at their site)
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Jean, let me assure you that I learned to QUESTION things. Hence my questioning of stuff on this blog when it is clearly conjecture stated as facts.
Because I was taught to question, I am not a numb-minded union supporter, but question their value – but also recognize some of the good unions have done.
Because I was taught to question, I am not a marching in line with my fellow Republicans.
Because I was taught to question, I have learned to look at things from different points, rather than follow the thought leader.
And for that self-same questioning I do, which includes things on THIS blog, you condemn me…
The Netherlands is still a monarchy, and the majority of the citizens are proud of it. The nation was excited to have a king, for the first time since more than 100 years. Of course, he will be the last one for a while, too, since he only has daughters.
Holland has proudly fought the Germans when they wanted to hunt down Jews. SOME helped the Germans, but the vast majority opposed in words and action.
Helping students to think critically goes BOTH ways, Jean. It means that there will be students who will learn to ask questions not only about the things THEY believe, but also what you, as a teacher, presents. My sons were taught by a left-wing liberal in high school, for whom the Democrats were too conservative. Students argued back – and he accepted the fact they they disagreed with them. No bad grade threats, either.
Dianne has a lot of good things to say, I respect that. But that does not mean she is right on all things all the time, and MY First Amendment right is to disagree with her, as her First amendment right allows her to speak poorly of trump – without fear of retaliation.
Would that one could disagree as freely hear, without emails such as yours in response…
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Late to the party, but I say keep it up, Diane. As you’d said, you will write whatever you want (& see that you have continued to do so in the posts after this). Lots of people here probably don’t have the time (as I would not have had while I was still teaching, raising a child, writing lesson plans, IEPs, grading papers, calling parents, going to classes, etc.) to read as much or to watch as much news as they would like, & it’s a real help to them to have a one-stop shop, so to speak.
I don’t think anyone here can thank you enough for your tenacity and vigor.
(I said vigor, not rigor!)
You go, girl! Would that we all had your energy at 78!
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one of rudy’s “Facts” differs from our discussion in my state. A woman in our League is in corrections and we had the discussion that they are picking up people for “misdemeanor” also when Rudy says it is felony only. There are people stopped because the taillights are out and that permits all kinds of harassment if they have a different appearance from the typical Yankee here. One man is in jail because the clerk putting the information into the computer typed in the wrong code number and he is in for rape a crime he did not commit — but the clerk typed in that code so there he sits All the paper trail says he is innocent but he is still in there . And, MA is relatively lenient compared to other states. I am assuming that people don’t realize the school to prison pipeline has existed for some time and things have gotten worse with trump’s orders — it gives permission to those who have wanted to do these things all along because of their own inner hatreds of people who look different from their relatives.
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LEGALLY, they are not allowed to ask about immigration status when picked up for a broken tail light… So, if agents are braking the law, they should be stopped. Simple as that.
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I think it’s impossible to separate education and politics. Education has become more politicized in this country than ever before. Please continue to write about both.
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Please continue. I think it is hard to separate the two at this point. The 45th president seems determined to destroy everything of value in this country. He wants an ignorant uneducated population. He needs to be watched like a hawk.
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Dr Ravitch….full speed ahead. Your voice is a clarion call to be informed, stay informed, and engage responsibly to thwart the menace the current White House is imposing on our democracy and our treasured institutions (i.e. public education).
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I would prefer education related posts only. Trump is all over social media, news outlets, etc. I get enough of him elsewhere. Please stick to education. I rely on your expertise in that area, not politics. Thank you.
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Please continue covering both it’s so necessary, at this time! It’s intertwined.
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Trump is all my immigrant students want to talk about.
Yesterday was a #DayWithoutAnImmigrant action. My students stayed home. Entire high schools walked out.
Trump is our school life.
We may not have a country left if we do not fight.
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No doubt, public school is an integral part of politics, and it is debated endlessly since political leaders everywhere try to make sure, kids in school are indoctrinated to the social and political views of the surrounding country (which equate with their own views), while parents want education to be beneficial to their kids and not to the political and economical leaders.
Writing about politics, especially about the inexhaustible subject of our frustrated little boy in the white house, I think we do have to keep in mind Lakoff’s words, and use moderation:
Language that fits that worldview activates that worldview, strengthening it, while turning off the other worldview and weakening it. The more Trump’s views are discussed in the media, the more they are activated and the stronger they get, both in the minds of hardcore conservatives and in the minds of moderate progressives.
This is true even if you are attacking Trump’s views. The reason is that negating a frame activates that frame, as I pointed out in the book Don’t Think of an Elephant! It doesn’t matter if you are promoting Trump or attacking Trump, you are helping Trump.
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Still following Lakoff’s advice on setting up our own frame and pursuing our own agenda which then would push aside the reformers’ pursuits: what do you think we should change about education in this country?
On the top of my list is the number of classroom hours. US teachers (and students) are in the classroom 60% more than the international average, almost twice as much as their colleagues in Finnland, and more than twice as much as the Russian colleagues Why?
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I eliminate my emails every day, but not yours. Keep up the good work and focus on education but also include other issues that will effect our future.
Defunding and degrading education results in a more easily manipulated electorate.
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Laurie,
Thanks. Denying climate change will ruin our lives. So will federal elimination of workers’ rights.
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