Diane Ravitch's Change of Mind
Diane Ravitch speaks her mind. Fearlessly. Eloquently. Formidably. She has always done so as a prominent historian of education, and she did so as a high-ranking member of the first Bush administration, when she argued strongly for high-stakes, test-based accountability systems.
And now she is on our side — the side that recognizes how much damage is being done to public education in general, and to holistic education specifically, by federal and state accountability systems that are based on cheap and narrow achievement tests.
I for one am delighted to have her as an ally. I am also impressed by her integrity. She stands out in a time when most reformers stridently defend their positions no matter what the data say. In her new book, Ravitch acknowledges she was wrong about high-stakes testing, and she forthrightly explains why. In doing so, she demolishes the rhetoric that the second Bush administration used, and the Obama administration now uses, to justify more testing and more coercive inducements for performing on those tests.
So please consider reading Diane’s book (Death and Life of the Great American School System), or following her on Twitter (at DianeRav), or joining me in thanking her for such open mindedness, honesty, and courage.
—Eric Schaps
(See this post announcing the election of Diane Ravitch to DSC's Advisory Council)
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Always great to see such a
Always great to see such a public figure explain how they have changed their mind. This is a strong American value too often forgotten; to hold one truth as dear and not be afraid to to be inconsistent with past statements when the evidence requires it. Emerson would be proud.
Those interested in learning
Those interested in learning more about her current stance might enjoy this interview: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/3/5/protests
Her EdWeek blog (a
Her EdWeek blog (a collaboration with Deborah Meier) is full of interesting insights.
There are also lots of great, punchy, nugget-sized National Journal expert responses from her on various current education topics here (such as these comments on Race to the Top from just yesterday).
Read Diane Ravitch's own
Read Diane Ravitch's own fantastic Op-Ed piece in the Wall Street journal.
Another great Ravitch Op-Ed
Another great Ravitch Op-Ed in the L.A. times.
As a public school
As a public school administrator, I've had the task of witnessing first hand the damages done to young children and teachers as the curriculum focus narrowed more and more each year toward high stake testing. Teachers in schools across the nations have become afraid to allow discussion time in their classrooms. They fear giving up time for lovely read alouds and reflections. They stress over precious moments that allow children play time where imaginations are allowed freedom to roam. Time for lingering and hovering with wonderful text that leads to rich writing have given way to prepration time for testing in more classrooms than we want to admit. Children's literature that would light up a room with laughter and cause children to stretch in delight has given way to 'core reading programs' that comes with its own scientific research but once in use stifles the love of reading.
Now we have a new dawning with the transformation of Diane Ravitch's beliefs. If this can happen then so can the turning of the tide in public schools across America. This is the day many of us have been waiting for! Let's hope the damage that has been done to the children (of the past decade) won't prevent them from grasping the reality that despite the practices they've experienced in their classrooms, reading is far more than answering the mindless questions where only one answer was correct.
I, for one, can't wait to read her new book and celebrate each new realization that Ravitch reveals through her words.
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