About twelve years ago, as I became more interested in school policy and began reading education policy books and articles, I ran across the work of Jeanne Chall and Diane Ravitch. And my passion for education reform was born. Ravitch, especially, just made so much sense in her criticisms of the field of public education. And she was not willing to sugarcoat anything to protect teachers or any other special interest. That critical eye led her to her work in the Bush administration and her initial support of No Child Left Behind.
In recent years, however, Ravitch's views have changed, and she is not afraid of changing her mind. Despite a lot of criticism, Ravitch has some very sound arguments against the current state of education reform. If you haven't Diane Ravitch's criticism of No Child Left Behind, you should consider her ideas. In countless articles and speeches, Diane has exposed the problems of high stakes testing and free market reform efforts led by groups such as the Gates Foundation and the Walton Foundation. Ravitch published an extensive expose of the issue in her book - The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Undermined Public Education.
For a more succinct version of her criticism, check out this piece published on the NEA website. I ran across this link while reading Darren's post at RightOntheLeftCoast. Darren is not a fan of Ravitch - though I'm not exactly sure why. Regardless, Ravitch has a lifetime of credibility in education and education reform. And even if you don't agree with all her points, she is definitely worth reading and her views are worthy of respect.
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