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Diane Ravitch's Blog - Education & Personal Development
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Andru Volinsky: The New Danger to Children of Immigrants | Diane Ravitch's blog
Andru Volinsky lives in New Hampshire, where he has been active in politics and protecting public schools. He served on the state's Executive Council, he successfully litigated a challenge to the state's system for funding public schoools. He ran for Governor in 2020 and unfortunately was not elected. He writes here about the risks that…
Jamelle Bouie: Trump Got a Rude Awakening | Diane Ravitch's blog
Over the past week, the nation was treated to the return of Trump chaos. Congress needed to pass a "continuing resolution" to fund the federal government or it would shut down at midnight last Friday. Because of the process that Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson used, the CR required a vote of two-thirds of the…
WSJ: Trump Threatens to Take Control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, Maybe Canada Too | Diane Ravitch's blog
May you live in interesting times! We do, and the times will grow even more interesting as Trump directs threats at other world leaders, reminding us that his "art of the deal" consists of bullying, bluster, blather and lying The Wall Street Journal reported today: President-elect Donald Trump is openly discussing provocative aspirations for U.S.…
Jamelle Bouie: Trump is in for a Rude Awakening | Diane Ravitch's blog
Jamelle Bouie is a regular opinion columnist for The New York Times. He is an original thinker. He doesn't run with the pundit crowd. I subscribe to his newsletter as part of my New York Times subscription. I am grateful for his reminder that the party in power usually loses seats in the midterm. If…
Maurice Cunningham: Why Does the Boston Globe Favor the Voices of Plutocrats? | Diane Ravitch's blog
Maurice Cunningham, a retired professor of political science, reviewed the Boston Globe's bad habit of treating billionaire-funded groups as authoritative on education issues. He wrote recently, as posted on the blog of the Network for Public Education: Maurice Cunningham finds that looking at the Boston Globe tells us too much about the folks who think…
Journalist: “Farewell, Twitter! I’m Off to Bluer Skies!” | Diane Ravitch's blog
Ashton Pittman is the news editor of the Mississippi Free Press and a fine writer. I get my news about Mississippi by reading MFT, reported by people who live there. Pittman describes in this article why he debated whether to leave Twitter. When Musk bought Twitter, he knew it was going to be bad. He…
Gary Legum: Musk Bought the Power He Wants | Diane Ravitch's blog
Writing at Wonkette, Gary Legum describes what Elon Musk will get for the $250 million he invested in Trump's campaign. He may seek waivers from regulations, he may seek contracts. Trump is very grateful. No one, to our knowledge, has ever given so much money to a Presidential campaign. What will he get in return?…
Rachel Maddow: 6 Things You Should Know about Tulsi Gabbard | Diane Ravitch's blog
Rachel Maddow describes the six most important things to know about Tulsi Gabbard, nominated by Donald Trump to be Director of National Intelligence. The job requires a person with experience in national security. She has none but that's the least troubling thing about her.
Biden Announces $4.28 Billion in Student Loan Forgiveness | Diane Ravitch's blog
President Biden announced today that the government will forgive student debt for another 54,900 borrowers, all of whom took jobs in public service to qualify. The U.S. Department of Education released a statement: The Biden-Harris Administration announced today the approval of $4.28 billion in additional student loan relief for 54,900 borrowers across the country who…
UnitedHealth Cuts Coverage for Autistic Children | Diane Ravitch's blog
In the wake of the brutal murder of United Healthcare's CEO, there has been an outpouring of stories about UnitedHealthcare's strategy of denying claims to increase profits. ProPublica wrote about a mother in Louisiana who counted on UHC to pay the cost of behavioral therapy for her autistic son. The therapy offered promise of helping…
Thom Hartmann: The Failure of the U.S. Healthcare Insurance Industry | Diane Ravitch's blog
Thom Hartmann wrote an excellent description of our very expensive and often ineffective healthcare industry. Because we have swallowed the industry propaganda that "Medicare for All" would be "socialist," that it would be hobbled by bureaucracy, we have allowed for-profit companies to dominate the marketplace. As a result, we have a very expensive healthcare system,…
A Daughter’s Life vs. Profits for the Insurance Company | Diane Ravitch's blog
For five days, the public was obsessed with the search for the man who murdered the CEO of United Healthcare. For a while, he seemed to be a mastermind, evading the surveillance state that so closely monitored his movements. But then he was caught while eating breakfast at a McDonald's in Altoona, PA. There is…
Parents Fight UnitedHealth to Protect Their Son’s Coverage | Diane Ravitch's blog
Chris McNaighton was an athlete in college and led an active life until tragedy struck: he was diagnosed with a painful, debilitating disease called ulcerative colitis. He was so disabled by its symptoms that he became housebound. After trying many treatments and doctors, he finally went to the Mayo Clinic, where a specialist prescribed a…
Elon Musk Blew Up the Bipartisan Deal to Fund the Government | Diane Ravitch's blog
Who elected Elon Musk? Yesterday he fired off 100+ tweets demanding that Republicans reject a budget deal that House Speaker Mike Johnson negotiated to keep the government funded until March. Musk ridiculed the deal. He called it calling it “terrible,” "horrible," “criminal,” “outrageous,” “unconscionable,” “crazy” and “an insane crime.” Trump and Vance came out against…
Carol Burris: West Virginia Starves Its Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog
Carol Burris, executive director of the Betwork for Public Education, describes the devastating advance of privatization in West Virginia. In 2019, the teachers of West Virginia banded together and went on strike, closing down every school in the state. Burris writes: West Virginia is closing its public schools. Seven schools will close in the next few…
Robert Hubbell: What You Need to Know About the Budget Impasse | Diane Ravitch's blog
In this post, Robert Hubbell explains the budget impasse and its implications. This is really worth a read. It is very informative. He writes: On Wednesday, Elon Musk instructed congressional Republicans to walk away from a bipartisan agreement to fund government operations through March 2025. Congressional Republicans dutifully obeyed Musk even though he hasn’t a…
Heather Cox Richardson: Republicans Play Politics with Jan 6 and the Budget | Diane Ravitch's blog
Heather Cox Richardson ably sums up the Republicans' irresponsibility yesterday, as they tried to rewrite the events of January 6 and cowered at the feet of Elon Musk. Loudermilk was himself involved in the story of that day after video turned up of him giving a tour of the Capitol on January 5 despite its…
Don’t Believe RFK, Jr.: Vaccines Eradicated These Deadly Diseases | Diane Ravitch's blog
Emily Baumgaertner is a science writer for the New York Times. She wrote this article about the deadly diseases that have been vastly diminished--almost eliminated-- because of vaccines that targeted them. She notes that resistance to vaccines has created a resurgence in these diseases. If RFK Jr. encourages fear of vaccines as Director of the…
Kristy Greenberg: Biden Was Right to Pardon His Son Hunter | Diane Ravitch's blog
Kristy Greenberg is a veteran prosecutor in the U. S. Attorney's office in New York. She is the former deputy chief of the criminal division of the Southern District of New York. She is currently a legal analyst for MSNBC. She explains why President Biden was right to pardon his son Hunter. I agree with her.…
Ohio: Laws Advance to Protect Voucher Schools While Punishing Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog
David Pepper blasts the Republican legislators in Ohio for relieving private voucher schools of any burdens associated with transparency and accountability, while simultaneously threatening to close the public schools with the lowest test scores every year. He writes about the dangerous shenanigans of the gang in the Legislature that hates public schools: So the bill…
Texas: Dan Patrick Wants to Replace Public Schools with Christian Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog
Dan Patrick is the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, a powerful position in the state. He used to be a rightwing radio talk show host, a little Rush Limbaugh. Now he's in a position to do real damage, not just blow off steam. He recently told the superintendents of rural schools that the state couldn't afford…
Margaret Sullivan: ABC News Should Not Have Settled with Trump for $15 Million | Diane Ravitch's blog
Margaret Sullivan, the last public ombudsman for The New York Times, wrote on her blog that ABC News was wrong to settle with Trump for $15 million for "defaming" him. On television, ABC's George Stefanopolous said that Trump had been found liable for raping E. Jean Carroll. Trump said that was wrong and malicious because…
Tom Ultican: Denver Charter School Study Is Shoddy Research | Diane Ravitch's blog
Tom Ultican is a retired teacher of advanced mathematics and physics. Before joining the teaching profession, he worked in the corporate sector. He writes here about a shoddy piece of research on charter schools in Denver. Ultican writes: Another education study financed by Arnold Ventures and the Walton Family Foundation blurs education reality. Their 2022 model did…
The Guardian: Will Elon Musk Get a Top-Security Clearance? | Diane Ravitch's blog
The Guardian reports that Elon Musk may not get the highest security clearance, due to his drug use and contacts with foreign nationals. The space entrepreneur Elon Musk is unlikely to receive government security clearances if he so applied, even as his SpaceX launch company blasts military and spy agency payloads into orbit, according to a report…
Great News for NYC Retirees! | Diane Ravitch's blog
For years, the City of New York has tried to force its public service retirees to give up their Medicare and move to a private Medicare Advantage plan. Many retirees understood that MA means privatization. Any serious medical needs required prior approval by the insurance company; it also meant that the insurance company could decline…
President Biden: Our Economic Accomplishments | Diane Ravitch's blog
During the Presidential campaign, Republican fear tactics drowned out the powerful economic record of the Biden administration. Voters heard nonstop lies about crime, immigration, inflation, and bogus claims that Biden and Harris were "socialists," "communists," "radicals" who were destroying the country. Biden had a clear economic vision, and he was able to implement most of…
Jan Resseger: How Privatization Of Public Services Undermines Democracy | Diane Ravitch's blog
Jan Resseger lives in Ohio. Before retiring, Jan staffed advocacy and programming to support public education justice in the national setting of the United Church of Christ—working to improve the public schools that serve 50 million of our children; reduce standardized testing; ensure attention to vast opportunity gaps; advocate for schools that welcome all children; and speak…
Texas: Immigrants Have Lower Crime Rates than Native-Born Citizens | Diane Ravitch's blog
A study of the crime rates of immigrants--both the documented and the undocumented--was released in September 2024. It found that undocumented immigrants had the lowest crime rates, compared to native-born citizens and documented immigrants. This is directly counter to the current claim by Republicans that undocumented immigrants are responsible for vicious crimes. The study was…
Houston: Voters Rejected a $4.4 Billion Bond Issue to Protest Mike Miles’ Arrogance | Diane Ravitch's blog
Houston's public schools were taken over in 2023 by the state because one (1) high school was persistently getting low scores. One! That school happened to have a disproportionate number of students with disabilities, students who were English learners, students who were impoverished, as compared to other high schools in the district . The Texas…
Trump Questions Need for School Vaccines | Diane Ravitch's blog
We know that Trump chose RFK Jr. to run the federal public health system as head of the Department of Health and Human Services. we know that Kennedy opposes vaccines. He has said that he would not ban vaccines outright but suggested that he might leave the decision about vaxxing to parents. We also know…
Chalkbeat: Republicans Promote Religion in the Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog
It is absolutely appropriate to study about religion in history classes in public schools. History has been deeply influenced by religious groups, for good and ill. But it is not okay to promote religion in public schools. That's indoctrination. State leaders in red states want to restore religious practice into the schools, despite the fact…
Wisconsin: Court Overturns Scott Walker’s Anti-Union Law | Diane Ravitch's blog
Good news in Wisconsin! A local court overturned a notorious piece of anti-union legislation that was passed in 2011, at the instance of then-Governor Scott Walker. At the time, union protestors encircled the Statehouse to protest. Walker was unmoved. He celebrated the defeat of the state's unions (excluding police and firefighters). The Guardian writes: As…
Rick Wilson: Trump in “Paradise Lost” | Diane Ravitch's blog
Rick Wilson was one of the founders of The Lincoln Project and one of the leaders of the fallen-away Republicans. He posted this remarkable comparison of Trumpworld to hell in Milton's Paradise Lost. I didn't post it all. To finish reading, open the link. Yesterday, Simon Heffer’s piece in The Telegraph nailed it: Milton’s Paradise Lost reads like a…
Jeff Tiedrich: Biden Should Pardon Everyone on Trump’s “Enemies List” | Diane Ravitch's blog
Jeff Tiedrich proposes in his blog that President Biden should operate a "pardon factory" to protect everyone who has been threatened by Trump or Kash Patel. One of the features of democracy is an assumption that parties will contend for power, accept their win or loss graciously, then prepare for next time. There will always…
World’s Richest Man is Scrooge! | Diane Ravitch's blog
Elon Musk recently became the first person to post a net worth of $400 billion. Tax laws require foundations to give away 5% of their assets every year. Surely, a man with that kind of fabulous wealth must be a major donor to the arts, medical research, homelessness, or education? Not him. The New York…
Florida: Candidate for Congress Wants to Cancel College Aid for Dreamers | Diane Ravitch's blog
Florida is one of 18 states that allow the children of undocumented immigrants to receive a lower tuition rate on state colleges. That law is under attack by Randy Fine, a state legislator who is running for Congress. Fine is an ardent supporter of Trump. The Orlando Sentinel reported: TALLAHASSEE — For a decade, children…
Wonkette: Trump’s New Line of Fragrances Sells Out! | Diane Ravitch's blog
Trump is marketing so many different kinds of merchandise that it's hard to keep track. Trump sneakers, the Trump Bible, Trump watches, Trump NFT cards, Trump coins, Trump guitars, and now: Trump fragrances. Some say that they are Trump's own smell, but who would pay for that? Remember that Michael Wolf, his"former lawyer, called him…
If RFK Is Confirmed, the Anti-Science Movement Will Control Medical Research | Diane Ravitch's blog
There's online speculation that the Senate is warning to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., despite his reputation as an opponent of vaccines. RFK thinks he knows more than scientists and physicians, but he is a crank and a crackpot with no medical or scientific training. He is well established in the world of phony cures for…
Texas: State Study Documents Economic Benefits of Immigrants; Gov. Abbott Wants Them Gone | Diane Ravitch's blog
A state study of the economic contributions of undocumented immigrants in 2006 concluded that they contribute to the state's economy. But Governor Greg Abbott is a leading voice for deporting them en masse. The study has never been updated, for obvious reasons. Demonizing these people, rather than recognizing their contributions, is political gold. When they…
Timothy Snyder: Tulsi Gabbard Would Be a Disaster as Director of National Intelligence | Diane Ravitch's blog
Timothy Snyder is the conscience of America. He has written books on tyranny, on democracy, and on the history of Europe. He cares passionately about the survival of democracy. He wrote recently that it would be an unmitigated disaster to confirm Trump's nominee Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. Choosing her seems to be…