Ravitch on Obama charter school accountability Race To The Top 1% public education reform vs

Diane Ravitch on Arne Duncan, 1% Obama charter public education school reform teacher bashing no child left behind race to the top. She did not say the SEGREGATION word but spoke of a two tier education system when charter schools exclude low performing kids poor kids and needy kids with disabilities. Billionaires blame teachers for the poverty billionaires tax code created: "its (billionaires #edrform teachers evaluation blame game) a red herring, a diversion, to get our eyes away from the poverty n racial isolation in which so many of our childrens' live... absolves the conscience of the billionaires boys club..."
United Teachers of Los Angeles UTLA
CA 9-24-2010

• Category

  News & Politics

[feloniousbutterfly]

Schools suck, they should be abolished. I can't believe we've allowed our kids to be locked up in these concentration camps for so long. Can you imagine how much more civilized and functional our society would be if they hadn't introduced public schools? The mind boggles.

[MrGidgid4u]

my grandparents were murdered in a concentration camp and I am asking that you rethink this if you want to use the word "civilized". I am a public school teacher and I work hard, and i see a lot of good things happening at my school and in other schools. The attacks upon the basic idea of public education undermines teachers. Please read Ravitch book about the "Death and Life" of public education so you'd become a positive participant in this legitimate debate.

[MrGidgid4u]

She got into a public spat with Bill Gates who wants schools to be running like the viruses on Windows ... he really means well but his idea of getting rid of the unions and tenure takes away much of the incentive of any decent candidate going into teaching as the money is ok but not great.

[sandinista138]

Speaking TRUTH to Power!!!! Thank you.

[MrGidgid4u]

After proper training and on the job evaluation lasting two years teachers should be trusted to make some decisions without fear of the local politicians or administrators. That is the idea about tenure... its not that you can't get rid of a bad one,,, its just that it has to be a clear case of either law or code of conduct or several parent complaints along with a couple of years of negative evaluations...

[MrGidgid4u]

One last thing... the best schools are in the north east and guess what... they also have the strongest unions... the south?... not that good as far as schools and yeah... weak unions...

[petulia67]

Finally, someone who knows what she is talking about. Diane Ravitch has studied the issue of charters vs. Public schools and she speaks the truth! Unfortunately her low key modest style isn't enough to counter liars like Chris Christie and uninformed charter school fans like Oprah Winfrey. Charters are a tax shelter for multimillionaires and the country should realize it.

[xZOMBIETAGx]

youre an idiot, did you listen to this at all? shes not promoting charter schools at all on any level haha

[harry balzac]

Shes a fucking idiot.Study after study is now showing charter schools are testing no better than public schools nationwide.In districts controlled by republican legislatures and/or governors charters doing worst are getting exemptions from standardized testing.She is in a long line of shills promoting privatizing public education to give the federal funds to the criminals on wall st.

[ENGUNI]

Not only do I have teaching credentials... I went through the teaching program in Sweden where I live now. PISA (2009) "Overcoming Social Background", educational equity and equality IS possible! If you really want a good read... google, "OECD Reviews of Evaluation: and Assessment in Education SWEDEN". It's in English and it stresses the importance of teacher assessment etc. There is way too much "empirical" evidence floating around in cyber-space for accurate "studies".

[sandinista138]

Nope- how is that a teacher that spends less than 1 hour a day with a student will have complete power to impact that students life?....They don't....there are way too many factors affecting student performance that you need to stop blaming teachers for...if you believe otherwise get a teaching credential and try teaching in any middle to lower class neighborhood in the U.S.

[onzilla1]

Ok.. Let's just keep everything the same and have our kids fail. "insanity is doing the same thing but expecting different results"

[ENGUNI]

She said, Study after study has shown that, “Teachers are not solely or even primarily responsible for students test scores”. Are you joking? Teachers ARE primarily responsible! Today's teachers have way too many excuses for their own failures. I should know I am one and I can't believe how much other teachers are blaming the parents, lack of resources and 50 other reasons why the do not need to be held accountable.

[Clickety Keys]

"Teachers only know how to do show and tell." Really?

[Sfireblue]

Sorry for the delay. My daughter has always been a learner and knows what it takes to be one. Teachers only know how to do show and tell. Kids learn to temporarily memorize from that and maybe learn just a little, but it's not likely to stay with them unless it is something that sparks their interest, or can be applied in their lives. I believe only questioning people can be great "teachers".