Will the replacement hodge-podge of a half dozen unrelated "theme schools" drawing conscripted students from all over the city, ever mean as much to the local community, or have the potential to contribute to its renaissance? If there is no silver bullet to fix the schools, Dr Ravitch reassures us that the public schools can be greatly improved, even without miracles, the heavy hand of government or direction from the mega rich and their powerful foundations.
Our reformed author contends that reformers who think "they can reform" education using freedom from the government are actually drawing false analogies between education and business. I would personally add that the educated person should be skeptical enough to question any and all data he encounters. Teachers are no longer respected as professionals to do the work they know is right for our kids. She has done her homework on the effects of NCLB and presents extensive data to prove it. And they all say just about the same things: leadership focused on teaching and learning, great teachers in every classroom, a demanding curriculum and accountability. Much of this book contains illustrations of why it is so hard to have great teachers, great leaders, a demanding curriculum and accountability.
If a student consistently fails or does not attend school, the charters are free to expel them. The neighboring public school, of course, is required by law to take these students on. But we know that great teachers no only instruct in knowledge and skills but also instill values, a love of learning and scholarship, honesty and integrity and hard work, a desire to improve ourselves and reach our full potential. These lessons are not directly measurable on multiple-choice tests, as Ravich points out eloquently.
NCLB was not a continuation of the reforms launched by A Nation at Risk, but a dangerous diversion. That transformational moment came at a conference of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, where "a dozen or so scholars" agreed that school choice, one of the principal instruments of the "NCLB toolkit," was not working.
The truth is even Jaime Escalante was not Jaime Escalante when he was challenged by a different school body with different problems and different cultural backgrounds than Mr Escalante was accustomed to. And similarly, now that I have no AP students my test scores are no longer so stellar. It's a mug's game that would be humorous if it weren't so bloody serious, for we are failing our children and limiting their future. Read the book and see what Mrs Ratliff would do; why this teacher is still so beloved by the author years later.
Along with the problem of school choice, the push for testing and accountability has been relentless, and it has taken a tremendous toll on the education of young people across the country. As it turns out, NCLB (No Child Left Behind) is one of the most damaging pieces of legislation the country has ever seen for education.
And she asks who, when there is no accountability, will take the fall if things go horribly wrong? My experience, writing about public education in New York City, suggests that many of the prescriptions imposed by the foundations have indeed resulted in spectacular failures. Diane Ravitch makes a passionate plea for how the so-called accountability movement is destroying publicly funded public education. However it is difficult to enjoy when she was in the vanguard working against teachers and students who need the most help. But like Ravitch I know that Charters ("school choice") by themselves are no answer to our societal and educational problem. And Ravitch documents the incompetence, theft and corruption associated with Charter schools such as The California Charter Academy which declared bankruptcy in 2004 stranding over 6000 students in more than 60 "storefront" schools. May those days return soon! It is always refreshing to hear when someone admits she was wrong - especially when she is considered one of the most knowledgeable in her field. However, chapter 10 was the most interesting to me. Ravitch discusses the impact foundation funding has on the national education agenda.
Our reformed author contends that reformers who think "they can reform" education using freedom from the government are actually drawing false analogies between education and business. I would personally add that the educated person should be skeptical enough to question any and all data he encounters. Teachers are no longer respected as professionals to do the work they know is right for our kids. She has done her homework on the effects of NCLB and presents extensive data to prove it. And they all say just about the same things: leadership focused on teaching and learning, great teachers in every classroom, a demanding curriculum and accountability. Much of this book contains illustrations of why it is so hard to have great teachers, great leaders, a demanding curriculum and accountability.
If a student consistently fails or does not attend school, the charters are free to expel them. The neighboring public school, of course, is required by law to take these students on. But we know that great teachers no only instruct in knowledge and skills but also instill values, a love of learning and scholarship, honesty and integrity and hard work, a desire to improve ourselves and reach our full potential. These lessons are not directly measurable on multiple-choice tests, as Ravich points out eloquently.
NCLB was not a continuation of the reforms launched by A Nation at Risk, but a dangerous diversion. That transformational moment came at a conference of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, where "a dozen or so scholars" agreed that school choice, one of the principal instruments of the "NCLB toolkit," was not working.
The truth is even Jaime Escalante was not Jaime Escalante when he was challenged by a different school body with different problems and different cultural backgrounds than Mr Escalante was accustomed to. And similarly, now that I have no AP students my test scores are no longer so stellar. It's a mug's game that would be humorous if it weren't so bloody serious, for we are failing our children and limiting their future. Read the book and see what Mrs Ratliff would do; why this teacher is still so beloved by the author years later.
Along with the problem of school choice, the push for testing and accountability has been relentless, and it has taken a tremendous toll on the education of young people across the country. As it turns out, NCLB (No Child Left Behind) is one of the most damaging pieces of legislation the country has ever seen for education.
And she asks who, when there is no accountability, will take the fall if things go horribly wrong? My experience, writing about public education in New York City, suggests that many of the prescriptions imposed by the foundations have indeed resulted in spectacular failures. Diane Ravitch makes a passionate plea for how the so-called accountability movement is destroying publicly funded public education. However it is difficult to enjoy when she was in the vanguard working against teachers and students who need the most help. But like Ravitch I know that Charters ("school choice") by themselves are no answer to our societal and educational problem. And Ravitch documents the incompetence, theft and corruption associated with Charter schools such as The California Charter Academy which declared bankruptcy in 2004 stranding over 6000 students in more than 60 "storefront" schools. May those days return soon! It is always refreshing to hear when someone admits she was wrong - especially when she is considered one of the most knowledgeable in her field. However, chapter 10 was the most interesting to me. Ravitch discusses the impact foundation funding has on the national education agenda.