Diane Ravitch - More Comments on Public Education

Another thoughtful comment on our public education system. For the new reader, i have closely followed the Peoria Public School system since 1994 when I ran for the board. At that time there were 6 applicants for one position.

I have posted many factual blogs based on my experience. I also taught in the public school system. I read widely about public schools all over the world. This is a comment by Michael Goldenberg on Diane Ravitch that is worth reading for those interested in improving our local and national systems.

Merle


[http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/Bridging-Differences/2011/01/dear_deborah_i_have_been.html#comments]
that was earlier posted. Mr. Goldenberg sent this comment to the
MathTalk list, Wednesday, January 5, 2011.
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I'd say that today's post by Diane Ravitch is an excellent summary of
a host of bad ideas floating around from the usual anti-public ed,
school deform/privatization crowd, along with some of the best recent
articles, opinion pieces, and research results that give the lie to
the nonsense we're constantly being bombarded with by enemies of
public education.

To be clear, I make NO excuses for bad teachers, bad principals, or
bad district administrators. Neither does Diane Ravitch or Deborah
Meier, or anyone else I respect in this debate. But there's a big
difference between what I generally term criticism from the Left and
criticism from the Right when it comes to public education - the
former criticizes that with which it may disagree in specific ways
and instances, whereas the latter looks to pick and choose examples
with which to destroy the entire system.

Thus, the problems of inner city and rural poor schools are used to
bash the entire teaching profession, teachers' unions as a whole,
public education EVERYWHERE, etc. I have argued that the primary
motives for such a move are not humanitarian concern but greed and
self-interest. I stand by that position and believe that much of what
Ravitch says and cites supports my beliefs.

That doesn't mean we don't try every day to do our best and to
improve matters as best we can no matter what the obstacles (within
human limitations - everyone has better and worse days, after all).
We don't use the problems as an excuse. But neither do we sit by
passively and let others, most of whom have little or no experience
in or contact with the communities and schools they're routinely
bashing, pretend that there are no problems that wouldn't be fixed
(with no money!) by
firing teachers, doing merit pay, breaking unions, going to all
direct instruction all the time, more tests, and a host of other
dead-headed ideas, all of which will fail and pave the way for
vouchers, more charters, and the control by Wall Street of all US
public schools.

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Jerry P. Becker
Dept. of Curriculum & Instruction
Southern Illinois University
625 Wham Drive
Mail Code 4610
Carbondale, IL 62901-4610
Phone: (618) 453-4241 [O]
(618) 457-8903 [H]
Fax: (618) 453-4244
E-mail: jbecker