Comments on: Diane Ravitch’s conversion

By: Richard Munro

Richard Munro — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:32:09 +0000

Really this is very curious. Despite every calumny and lie, Diane Ravitch has never been an enemy of public schools or public education. She is and always has been a strong advocate of high standards, of AP testing, of strong curricula and of humane liberal learning. Diane has never been interesting in ideology but in seeking out what works. It is true that at one time she flirting with voucherism some years ago but she has always kept an open mind. She has never been a libertarian and has always been independent politically. Her new book is a great book and a truthful book that we could all learn from. As a classroom teacher I think her attack on the scientism of bubble tests is strong. I am not afriad of such tests -they tell us something. But they are not a valid instrument for English learners. They are a mere dipstick and narrow measure only. Only the classroom teacher knows the true progress of his or her students and then his or her supervisors, department chairs and administrators.
Read Ravitch’s book it is an eye opener.

Report this comment for abusive language, hate speech and profanity

By: Teacher

Teacher — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:46:26 +0000

The author of this opinion piece is the one who fails to see grey. In her book, Diane Ravitch criticizes reforms that she once advocated, but especially the reckless pursuit of such reforms. And she advocates for a strong and rich curriculum, as she has done for many years. This is the work of scholarship, experience, passion for education, and level-headed independent thought. As a teacher, I am troubled by the hasty embrace of value-added methodology–and policymakers’ dismissal of questions and cricitism. Ravitch’s work gives me hope; it challenges me to deepen my understanding and speak my mind.

Report this comment for abusive language, hate speech and profanity

By: Pondoora

Pondoora — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:44:19 +0000

Ravitch’s insights and shift in views are simply cluing in the clueless, and it’s time for them to take heed.

It is very telling that such a remarkably intelligent, prominent, and wise person is now seeing things in such a different way — especially a person who has spent a life learning about, and analyzing, US public education policy. It would only be smart for others to follow her advice and wisdom.

To the current set of ed reformers, this will all be an emotional blow because they thought they were right to use their business model way.

Their mode, however, happens to be ineffective when it comes to the nurturing and development of children’s minds. They don’t seem to fundamentally understand all that is involved with the effective rearing of children – but teachers do, and intimately. It is about building up, not tearing down.

If the heart of the reformers is one which is truly interested in making improvements toward the education of this country’s children, they should all now go into seclusion with Ravitch’s book, where they will actively reconsider their views, then emerge and concede.

If, instead, they chose to launch more aggressive attacks on teachers and public ed, then the mean and destructive ulterior motives behind today’s branded “education reform” will become perfectly clear for all to see.

Report this comment for abusive language, hate speech and profanity

By: carolineSF

carolineSF — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:43:54 +0000

Some quotes from Diane Ravitch’s book:

No Child Left Behind “was a punitive law based on erroneous assumptions about how to improve schools. It assume that reporting test scores to the public would be an effective lever for school reform. It assumed that changes in governance would lead to school improvement. It assumed that shaming schools that were unable to lift test scores every year — and the people who work in them — would lead to higher scores. It assumed that low scores are caused by lazy teachers and lazy principals, who need to be threatened with the loss of their jobs. Perhaps most naively, it assumed that higher test scores on standardized tests are synonymous with good education. Its assumptions were wrong. Testing is not a substitute for curriculum and instruction. Good education cannot be achieved by a strategy of testing children, shaming educators, and closing schools.” — pages 110-111 …

“…we must preserve American public education, because it is so intimately connected to our concepts of citizenship and democracy and to the promise of American life. In view of the money and power now arrayed on behalf of the ideas and programs that I will criticize [in the book], I hope it is not too late.” — page 14 … Ravitch has immense credibility as a longtime insider in the “education reform” world, and it took integrity and courage for her to acknowledge reality and speak out. … A few points in response to the post here on Educated Guess: Studies are mixed at best, and most appear to show that charters do not outperform public schools. Ravitch’s discussion addresses the issue of those perenially mixed results. In any case, one of her points (I’m most of the way through her book, which I had preordered and received last week) is that the “we’re gonna crush ‘em” hostility displayed by so many charter advocates against public schools is harmful and a destructive perversion of the original vision of the charter movement. … She is clear that the mistaken and harmful education policies of the Obama administration give four options for “failing” schools, so the implication that she’s not aware of that or doesn’t discuss it is inaccurate. … It’s evident why education commentators — especially those who remain at a remote distance from messy, unpredictable, illusion-shattering real-life kids and classrooms — would be stung by Ravitch’s book. But ethical, thoughtful people should be paying close attention.

Report this comment for abusive language, hate speech and profanity