News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Life
Culture & Art
Hobbies
News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Culture & Art
Hobbies
- home
›- Diane Ravitch's Blog
›- Education & Personal Development
Diane Ravitch's Blog - Education & Personal Development
10 | Follower
North Carolina: Vouchers Are Great for Religious Schools! | Diane Ravitch's blog
North Carolina was once considered the most progressive state in the South. Since the Tea Party sweep in 2010, the rightwing has gerrymandered the state so that The Legislature (the General Assembly) has a super-majority of Republicans. The General Assembly is currently redrawing Congressional districts to eliminate Democratic seats before the 2026 Congressional elections. All…
Texas Farmers Can’t Find Laborers to Work Their Fields | Diane Ravitch's blog
Jack Herrera of The Texas Monthly asks whether farming can survive without laborers. His article is titled "Are We Living Through the End of Texas Farming?" Didn't anyone in the Trump administration think about the impact of their draconian deportation policies on farming, the tourist industry, and other sectors where immigrants are employed? Apparently not.…
Nancy Bailey: Remembering Why There’s Special Education Law | Diane Ravitch's blog
Nancy Bailey understands the need for special education services. She spent many years in the classroom as a teacher of students with disabilities. She was a principal and has a Masters and Ph.D. in the field. She is a relentless crusader for students, teachers and public schools. Like me, she opposes privatization of public funds.…
My Memoirs Are Now in Print! | Diane Ravitch's blog
Today is the official publication date of my memoirs. This evening, October 21, I will be in dialogue with Leonie Haimson at the Brooklyn Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, at 286 Cadman Plaza. I wrote stuff about my personal life that I have never shared with anyone. It seemed to be the right…
Trump Demands That Justice Department Pay Him $230 Million for Investigating Him | Diane Ravitch's blog
The New York Times reports that Trump has asked the Department of Justice to pay him $230 million for investigating him in the past. The decision about paying him will be made by people in the Justice Department who were Trump's defense attorneys during these investigations. President Trump is demanding that the Justice Department pay…
Trump’s “Compact” for Higher Education Flops; 7 of 9 Universities Reject It, So Far | Diane Ravitch's blog
Trump and his administration are determined to impose their rightwing agenda on the nation's colleges and universities. They have withheld federal funding for scientific and medical research, using that money to demand compliance. Trump and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, former wrestling entrepreneur, recently rolled out their "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education." The…
Trump Demolishes East Wing of the White House. This Makes Me Sick! | Diane Ravitch's blog
I have been to the White House on several occasions. I first went there for a State Dinner in 1965 when Lyndon B. Johnson was President. I was there as a guest on several other occasions. Every time, I was in awe, star-struck. I felt as though I was walking on hallowed ground. I tried…
Trump Chaos as Usual | Diane Ravitch's blog
The Meidas+ blog summarized the daily drama of the Trump administration: Donald Trump woke up to a flurry of bad headlines and poll numbers that tell a story of political collapse and economic mismanagement. The latest Gallup poll found that Americans now trust Democrats over Republicans to “keep the country prosperous,” by a margin of…
New Hampshire Refuses to Pay to Educate Its Children | Diane Ravitch's blog
Garry Rayno, veteran journalist, explains how New Hampshire's politicians of both parties have failed to approve equitable taxes to educate the state's children. The libertarians, who play a large role in the state legislature, would prefer to have no taxes at all. The Koch machine has funded candidates who oppose fair state funding. This does…
How a Cyber Charter Struck Back When It Was Fired by a School District in New Mexico | Diane Ravitch's blog
Peter Greene, the best education blogger ever, writes regularly for Forbes magazine. Hopefully, some of the nation's business executives are learning about the for-profit entrepreneurs who have entered into the education "industry,"where they are profiting without doing much for students. Greene recently wrote about the latest setback for the giant of the cybercharter industry. It's…
Republican Leaders Share Racist, Anti-Semitic, Sexist Jibes; JD Vance Doesn’t Care | Diane Ravitch's blog
Several days ago, Politico wrote about the scurrilous text messages shared by Young Republican leaders. When Vice President jD Vance was asked about the chat, he said in effect, "Boys will be boys." Other GOP bigwigs had the same reaction. But the people in the chat group were not teenagers. They were adults in their…
Trump Flies Fighter Jet Across U.S., Spewing Feces on the American People | Diane Ravitch's blog
Apparently the earlier post was not live. This is the YouTube version, showing Trump as a fighter pilot, literally dropping tons of excrement on #NoKings rallies. Note that Trump portrays himself wearing a crown. Here is the CNN version, showing the peaceful rallies.
#NoKings Day in Brooklyn | Diane Ravitch's blog
Thousands of people turned out to participate in the #NoKings March, which started at Grand Army Plaza and ended at the southern end of Prospect Park. We were surrounded by people carrying signs and chanting "Hey hey hi ho/Donald Trump has got to go." Many signs were very clever. I couldn't photograph them all. I…
When Science Is Stranger Than Fiction | Diane Ravitch's blog
Here's a question I never thought about: where did the oceans come from? Scientists have wondered and this is what they think, according to Science Advisor. Billions of years ago, asteroids bombarded Earth, bringing with them bits of water that coalesced into the ocean and helped make our planet habitable. But the details of how…
Join a “NO KINGS” Rally Tomorrow | Diane Ravitch's blog
Tomorrow, millions of people will join #NO KINGS rallies across the country to protest the egregious actions of the Trump administration. Find your nearest rally here. The Trump administration, enabled by complicit Republicans in Congress, has betrayed our Constitution repeatedly. Such as, sending troops to peaceful cities, against the wishes of their elected officials. Allowing…
Three More Universities Reject Trump’s “Compact” | Diane Ravitch's blog
It seems that universities have a stronger spine than large law firms or media conglomerates. Trump offered nine prestigious universities a deal: Adopt the Trumpian rightwing policies and you won't have any difficulty getting federal funds in the future. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology was first to say no. In the past few days, three…
Dan Rather: Show Up and Speak Out! | Diane Ravitch's blog
https://open.substack.com/pub/steady/p/no-kings-no-tyranny?r=rls8&utm_medium=ios To the thousands of you who comment on Steady each week, first, let me say thank you. In reading your thoughts, it is safe to say you are: a) not happy with the direction of our country, and b) really not happy with the current president. We’ve heard reports that millions of you will…
Jennifer Rubin: Why Donald Trump Will Never Win the Nobel Peace Prize | Diane Ravitch's blog
Jennifer Rubin was one of the best columnists at The Washington Post. She left soon after Jeff Bezos began meddling into the views of the editorial pages. Rubin was hired by the Post originally to be the newspaper's conservative voice. But after Trump was elected in 2016, her political views changed. Trump turned her into…
Trump and McMahon Wipe Out Special Education Staff in Education Department | Diane Ravitch's blog
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon took advantage of the federal government shutdown to impose additional cuts to the Department of Education. The deepest cuts were imposed on the Office for Civil Rights. Another office that was hard hit was the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. During the draconian budget-cutting days of Elon Musk…
Tell Linda McMahon What You Think of “Patriotic Education” | Diane Ravitch's blog
Trump and Secretary Linda McMahon want to do something that is not only wrong but illegal. They want to mess with the history and social studies that are taught in the nation's schools. They want schools to teach students only what is great about the U.S., while overlooking the shameful events of the past, like…
Ed Johnson’s Fascinating Exchange with AI About the Hypocrisy of Charter Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog
Ed Johnson is a systems thinker in Atlanta who frequently points to the error of fragmenting and privatizing public schools. He is aligned with the systems philosophy of W. Edwards Deming. Among other things, Deming wrote brilliantly about why promoting competition among colleagues is a very bad idea. For a good description of his thought,…
Azar Nafisi Will Speak at Wellesley College on October 29! You Are Invited to Attend! | Diane Ravitch's blog
The celebrated author Azar Nafisi will speak at Wellesley College on October 29 at 4 p.m. as part of the annual Diane Silvers Ravitch 1960 lecture series. She will speak in Alumnae Hall. Dr. Nafisi will answer questions after the lecture. Her topic: READ DANGEROUSLY: THE SUBVERSIVE POWER OF LITERATURE IN TROUBLED TIMES. Drawing from…
Heather Cox Richardson: As Trump Destroys FDR’s Legacy, Symbols Matter | Diane Ravitch's blog
Heather Cox Richardson points to a sad contradiction: Trump plans to build a monumental arch while tearing down the federal building that symbolizes Social security and the belief that government should serve and protect the American people. Of course, this disregard for history is of a piece with his decision to pave over the Rose…
You Are Invited to Hear Me Talk About My New Book at the Brooklyn Public Library! | Diane Ravitch's blog
My memoirs will be officially published on October 20! But the book is available now in stores and online! The book is titled AN EDUCATION: HOW I CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT SCHOOLS AND EVERYTHING ELSE. Please join me as I discuss the book with Leonie Haimson at the Brooklyn Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public…
RFK Jr. Has a Problem with Jews | Diane Ravitch's blog
It's hard to know which member of Trump's Cabinet is the most unhinged. Some might say it is Kristi Noem, who has a cruelty streak that she showed when she shot her dog in the head and when she glories in sending ICE to beat up immigrants and citizens and to tear families apart. Or…
Arkansas: 88% of Students Who Use Vouchers Never Attended Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog
Long ago, back in the 1990s, the idea of vouchers was proposed as a brand new idea. Its advocates said that vouchers would "save poor kids trapped in failing public schools." They presented themselves as champions of poor and needy kids and predicted that vouchers would change the lives of these children for the better.…
John Thompson on Hanna Rosin’s Podcasts about Oklahoma Education, Part II | Diane Ravitch's blog
In part two of Hannah Rosin’s podcast about former Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters, Walters consistently responded to criticisms of his actions by calling them lies. My take on podcast part one is here. And spoiler alert! Rosin closes with recent headline-grabbing stories about Walters, setting the stage for his latest assault on public education. First, in August…
John Thompson Reviews Hanna Rosin’s Report on the Education Mess in Oklahoma: Part 1 | Diane Ravitch's blog
John Thompson, retired teacher and historian in Oklahoma, listened to a two-part podcast about Oklahoma education by Hanna Rosin of The Atlantic. He reports on what he heard, based on his in-depth knowledge of politics and education in his state. John Thompson writes: Introducing her first podcast on Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters, the Atlantic’s Hannah Rosin notes…
MIT’s President Rejects Trump “Compact” to Abandon Academic Freedom | Diane Ravitch's blog
The U.S. Department of Education invited 9 eminent universities to join a "compact" in which they would adopt Trump priorities in exchange for assurances of future federal funding. Trump priorities include abolishing any efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion; assuring that rightwing views are accorded equal time; and agreeing that students would be admitted…
A Delightful, Wise Post by Greg Olear: “Terence, This is Stupid Stuff” | Diane Ravitch's blog
Here is a Sunday special by one of my favorite writers, Greg Olear. Please open and read to the end. He takes the topic and relates it to the present moment, when many of us fear that our republic is in mortal danger, as fascism swirls around us. He writes: Dear Reader, A Shropshire Lad is…
Kristi Noem Blocks Catholic Priest from Holding Communion for ICE Detainees | Diane Ravitch's blog
This is an extraordinary video, showing ICE-DHS employees turning away a Catholic priest who wanted to hold communion for ICE detainees. These are people suffering a cruel fate. Why not allow them the comfort of their religion? https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8AamTnq/ Consider that the Supreme Court has been using the freedom of religion guarantee of the First Amendment…
M.I.T. Rejects Trump “Compact” That Offers Federal Money for Academic Freedom | Diane Ravitch's blog
The Trump administration used a threat to try to cow leading universities to abandon their independence. The administration called their offer a "Compact," but in reality it was an offer of protection money. The old way of the Mafia: "Pay us and we will make sure no one breaks your windows or vandalizes your store."…
“Trump Country Is Going Broke” | Diane Ravitch's blog
Patti Vasquez has the story that Trump voters need to hear. Their farms are failing, their property taxes are rising, their schools are closing, their hospitals are going broke...and they need to know why the cost of living is soaring. She writes: Tensions are crazy high right now. Many of us are angry at the…
Another Russian Tycoon Falls Out of His Window to His Death | Diane Ravitch's blog
Russia has a recurring mystery: very rich and prominent men keep falling to their deaths, with no explanation. Just recently, the publisher of Pravda suffered the same unfortunate fate. Vyacheslav Leontyev, 87, had been the publisher of Pravda since 1984. It is believed that he jumped from the window of his fifth-floor apartment. Police officials…
Mike DeGuire: The Big Money Behind the Denver School Board Election | Diane Ravitch's blog
Veteran educator Mike DeGuire scoured through the public list of campaign contributions to the Denver school board elections. The pro-charter funders are made up of billionaires, charter school operators, and big-money privatizers. Among the donors to school board elections are billionaire Philip Anschutz, the richest man in Colorado; he was also a funder of the…
Venezuelan Opposition Leader Wins Nobel Peace Prize | Diane Ravitch's blog
Despite Trump's relentless demand to win the Nobel Peace Prize, he did not. He says he ended 6 or 8 wars in his few months in office. Just days ago, he brokered a ceasefire in Gaza. But consider the criteria: He united the opposition; check. He resisted the militarization of his society. Fail. He has…
Paul Offit: RFK Jr.’s Obsessions Threaten the Lives of Children | Diane Ravitch's blog
Dr. Paul Offit is a medical doctor who specializes in children's infectious diseases. He is appalled by the actions and policies of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., because they endanger the health of our nation, especially children. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a disgrace to his family name. He should not have been put in charge…
Overwhelming Majority of Mass Shootings Are by Males | Diane Ravitch's blog
The Violence Prevention Project at Hamline University has compiled important data about mass shootings. As has the Rockefeller Institute. Fact one: The U.S. leads the world--by far-- in the number of mass shootings. Fact two: Perpetrators of mass shootings are overwhelmingly men and boys. 98% of Mass shootings are committed by males. 2% by females.…
ProPublica: The Department of Education Wants to Destroy Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog
When Trump selected Linda McMahon as U.S. Secretary of Education, she knew that her job was to close down the Department. She has not been able to reach that goal yet, but she has devised means to impose Trumpian policies on the public schools, by threatening to withhold federal funding unless they comply. ProPublica reports…