I’ve written a new column for the Huffington Post on how the opponents of education reform sound a lot like the free market wing of the GOP. I’m not sure that this means that they’re wrong, per se, but it certainly means that they’re short on new ideas.
Steven Brill reports, in his book, Class Warfare: Randi Weingarten told me that she spoke with Ravitch often while she was preparing her book and urged her to take her message far and wide as soon as it was published, “because she had an important story to tell that no one else could tell.” Weingarten … Continue reading
First of all, let’s get a few things straight: I really, really, REALLY like Freddie DeBoer’s work. He writes eloquently about the ideas undergirding progressivism, which is pretty rare (in the blogosphere or on Capitol Hill). Concern about this is what pulled me to start writing outside of academia. Special note to trolls: The “Irresponsible … Continue reading
Here’s a blog exchange worth a look (h/t Whitney Tilson) if you’re interested in the education reform wars. Diane Ravitch, anti-reform hero, writes [underlining added]: A few months ago, I spoke at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. It is a Catholic university, located on a beautiful campus. After my talk, a member of … Continue reading
Perhaps it’s because I’m spending my weekend grading papers, but I found this Bob Bowdon piece especially hilarious. It can hardly be denied that there are factors outside a student’s control that might affect his grades. How smart he is, how much his parents support education, how nutritious the food in his home is, and … Continue reading
Whitney Tilson sent out this speech (full text pasted below) from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and further screwed with my education policy instincts. As I’ve written before (also here), teachers unions’ general unwillingness to take education reform (especially tenure) seriously makes it difficult to discern how a true progressive should behave. On one hand, teachers need … Continue reading
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten’s piece in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal was another piece of evidence showing the awkward political torsion that education reform inflicts on American political divisions. Think about it: Weingarten’s piece was entitled “Markets Aren’t the Education Solution.” She’s a union leader. It appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Are … Continue reading
…make it this one, from the LA Times. There’s a lot in there, but here’s the crux: Months before, [Miguel] Aguilar had been featured in a Times article as one of the most effective teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District at raising student scores on standardized tests. Many of his students, the article noted, had … Continue reading
I’m following Mike Konczal’s lead today with some extra-hip throwback-progressive (oxymoron?) rhetoric from the 1930s. Like Mike, I’m also hoping that “maybe this cool retro liberal style will give the Democrats some spine.” Hoping, but not expecting, obviously. If nothing else, this is a great way to show that our present crisis isn’t so unique … Continue reading
As a progressive and a former teacher, the hardest thing about education policy debates is balancing my ideals. As a progressive, I’m horrified by the national injustice of our education system. Our neediest students get the least-productive teachers, and attend the worst-run schools. Our wealthiest students get, well, the opposite. Teachers’ unions have been far, … Continue reading
