Diane Ravitch Praises Randi Weingarten on Her Blog and All Hell Breaks Loose

[HiPointDem]

25. Ravitch started her blog in April 2012. That was when she became a prominent voice against

Last edited Sat Jul 13, 2013, 02:15 AM - Edit history (1)

at least some aspects of education deform.

People like Mad Floridian were posting at DU against ed deform at least by 2009, & there were anti ed-deform, anti-NCLB bloggers and others out there for years before that.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/5034

When did ravitch become a critic of NCLB (after supporting it heartily when it was developed)?

2010.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124209100

Her book came out in 2011.

She worked for the education-deform-promoting Fordham Foundation & the education-deform-promoting Koret Task Force at the Hoover Institution until 2009.

She suddenly became a critic after HW's son was safely out of office.

Seems like she's always a day late & a dollar short. And then -- "oh woe is me who could have known that the policy I supported would turn out to be so fucked up?"

Nothing like jumping in front of a parade.

But we're supposed to think ravitch is smarter than we are. No, we're smarter than she is, because we could see what a fucking sham the whole thing was before she did. She, who had a major role in developing & promoting the sham.

By Diane Ravitch and Randi Weingarten
Published: March 18, 2004

Two years ago, the State Legislature gave Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg nearly unlimited control of New York City's public schools. It abolished the central Board of Education and created a Panel on Education Policy (with eight members appointed by the mayor, five by the borough presidents) that is largely advisory. The move was a sharp departure from the American tradition of placing education policy in the hands of an independent public board that is not directly controlled by elected officials.

Hoping that this change would reduce bureaucratic inertia, we were among those who supported the measure in Albany. And we certainly commend Mayor Bloomberg for his willingness to take responsibility for improving the public schools. In recent days, however, many of us have realized that the legislation went too far by consolidating all power in the hands of one elected official.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/18/opinion/public-schools-minus-the-public.html

It's people like madflo that got ravitch involved, imo, & not the other way around. why is the $64K question.

In fact, if I were to use one word to describe ravitch's associations & career until she 'got religion,' it would be 'neoconservative'.