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Friday, April 5, 2013

Diane in the Evening 4-5-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Diane Ravitch points the finger of blame at the DOE during day 1 of OCCUPY DOE 2. Three more days to go. Come in down, up, or over to join us.



Here is Mitzi

I don’t know how to import photos to the blog. Maybe someone will tell me how. So I took her picture, emailed it to Twitter, and copied the link.
http://twitter.com/DianeRavitch/status/320168597035036674/photo/1





Another Photo of Mitzi

Mitzi was rescued from a kill shelter.
http://t.co/IBP5PS8MHN


John White’s Deputy Stays Five Months and Leaves: a Broad Academy Story

What happens in Louisiana is definitely different from what happens anywhere else.
It is not Louisiana culture, which is definitely unique. It seems to be something about John White, who s not a native. With the support of Governor Jindal and the state board of education controlled by Jindal, John White answers to no one.
When there are no checks or balances, as we have learned again and 


NC Legislators Decide Not to Establish a Religion

A group of Republican legislators in North Carolina decided against introducing legislation that would allow the state and its counties to establish an official religion.
They planned to argue that the Constitution prevents Congress from establishing a religion, but not states or counties.
There was enough outcry to persuade them to hold off.


An Apology to Michelle Rhee

Yesterday I participated in the first day of Occupy the DOE, where parents and teachers spoke out against DOE policies that demand high-stakes testing and school closings. In my own presentation, I urged the DOE to stop its punitive policies and instead to follow the positive agenda of the Network for Public Education.
According to an account I read later, an earlier speaker used offensive language, calling Michelle Rhee an “Asian bitch.”
I was not there to hear it, but I was appalled when I read about it here.
I want to make clear that this kind of language is unacceptable and intolerable. No one should resort to racial, ethnic, gender, or cultural slurs to express their views. It is just plain wrong.
I don’t use that kind of language, and I encourage others to have a high personal standard of civility.
We must be able disagree about ideas and policies without getting personal.


LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-5-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Atlanta’s Lessons for Reformers by dianerav This smart blogger read all the investigators’ reports from the Atlanta cheating scandal. He or she realized that Atlanta was doing everything that reformers say is important. The educators there were focusing on test scores above all else. The teachers who got higher scores got bonuses and those who did not, got humiliated. Incentivizing the workforce, yes? The teachers had no tenure, so whistleblowers had no job prote... more »