I will protect your pensions. Nothing about your pension is going to change when I am governor. - Chris Christie, "An Open Letter to the Teachers of NJ" October, 2009

Monday, September 9, 2013

Preview: Short Excerpt from @DianeRavitch's "Reign Of Error"

I wrote a review of Diane Ravitch's new book, Reign of Error, this weekend. I was honored to receive an advance copy, and I'll let you know when and where my review appears. Diane's book is available to the public September 17th.

As part of the review, I transcribed a paragraph:
But the wounds caused by centuries of slavery, segregation, and discrimination cannot be healed by testing, standards, accountability, merit pay, and choice. Even if test scores go up in a public or charter school, the structural inequity of society and systematic inequities in our schools remain undisturbed. For every “miracle” school celebrated by the media, there are scores of “Dumpster schools,” where the low-performing students are unceremoniously hidden away. This is not school reform, nor is it social reform. It is social neglect. It is a purposeful abandonment of public responsibility to address deep-seated problems that only public policy can overcome.”
Imagine another 350 pages or so just as well-written, just as fearless, just as dead-on accurate. That's Reign of Error.

Trust me on this one: pre-order it now.



12 comments:

Mrs. King's music students said...

Public policy? OMG you're gonna make me cry! After all his pallaver about union busting and weeding out bad teachers, Christie just gave your girlfriend (NJEA and all her subsidiaries) another year to hold untenured teachers (good or bad) hostage - shake them down while rendering no service, barter away their rights in exchange for perks and promotions. And what are the odds you're gonna find out something @ performance/attendance/certification in the 4th year you didn't know in the 1st month? Zero! Because these are not the "causes" that bureaucrats in politics and thr union need to address in the ed profession. The 'with or without cause' thing targets troublemakers and boatrockers in the profession that keep reminding bureaucrats of THEIR obligations to these kids regardless of the consequences to themselves - even if it means they won't get tenure or merit pay or any other bait held out by "policy makers" to prevent real reforms from happening.

The evidence could not be more clear than it is in Newark right now where Facebook $ is not Christie's to give nor ours to take and the rightful owners are aging out and dropping out while their opportunities are squandered by bureaucrats.

Sorry for the tone. Your blog is a forum for the silent 47 1/2%.

Duke said...

MKMS, anyone can say whatever they want here, within reason. Don't be sick, don't sell crap that has nothing to do with the post. And I'm really not interested in hearing someone tell me what a racist I am. Get your own blog.

Otherwise, anything goes. Have fun.

giuseppe said...

What the heck is MKMS's problem with the NJEA. The NJEA isn't perfect but I think it is one of the better teacher unions. The NJEA can't work miracles, it's fighting a very well funded and very powerful pro privatization cabal. "Your blog is a forum for the silent 47 1/2%." Maybe I'm stupid, but what does that even mean. Thank Jove for people like JJ and Diane Ravitch who do all the incredible research and sift through the mountain of data. Duke is an Internet celebrity for the depth and quality of all his hard work and conscientious research. He is often cited on the Ravitch blog.

Mrs. King's music students said...

I don't think you're a racist Jazzman. I don't even know how anything I said pointed to that. But you're right about getting my own blog. It's time

Duke said...

MKMS, that was a general comment, not intended for you specifically.

Mrs. King's music students said...

Thanks for clearing that up Jazzman.

G - the 47 1/2% refers to the rate of teacher attrition in the NJEA every 4 years. As an untenured teacher of 13 years, terminated for "other" every three years in NJ, you can understand my problem with this union. I think the loss of nearly half it's membership (forced by law to join and pay dues) is the NJEA's indictment against itself.

Giuseppe said...

MKMS: How is the NJEA in any way responsible for you not having attained tenure in 13 years? It makes no sense that you keep blaming the NJEA for your problems. You should be blaming the administrators or principals who would not give you tenure, the NJEA had nothing to do with this. The NJEA is not all powerful, the local school boards, administrators and principals have more power; they can fire a non tenured teacher for no reason or any reason and it's been that way for a long time. Unless you can prove that you were unfairly terminated, then there's nothing that the NJEA can do for you. It makes no sense that you are blaming the NJEA for the sins of some principals or administrators that you have had to deal with. Forced by law to join and pay dues??? Are you anti-union or what? Why should non union semi scabs get to reap all the benefits that the union fights for and wins? The union fights for good working conditions, better pay and benefits and you are against that? So you do not want to pay union dues but you would be perfectly happy to accept the pay raise that the union wins at the negotiating table.

Giuseppe said...

If Mrs. K hates the NJEA so much she should apply for a job at a private school or a charter school which are about 99% non union.

Giuseppe said...

There are right to work (FOR LESS) states which allow workers to opt out of the union. These free riders pay no union dues but reap all the benefits that the unions win at the negotiating table. And if these non union teachers have problems with the principal, then the union by law still has to defend these scabs. These people are nothing but free loaders and parasites on the union and teachers who do pay union dues. This is a way to destroy the union.

Mrs. King's music students said...

Whoa G-you're going so fast I can't get in a word. However, you've hit a bunch of nails right on the head like why don't I blame incompetent admins and corrupt BOEs for popping me out for "other" one day short of tenure, etc - which I HAVE. I don't know how you missed all that. As for blaming the union, I've been pretty specific there too-naming names etc. For example, in Camden I forwarded texts from my principal straight to LaVerne Harvey (union pres) who did not respond. Then when I went to 201 N Front Street to confront the RAC boy (retired from the neck up former principal) with my proof that none of the 3 reasons he gave me for termination applied to me, LaVerne took one look at me and scampered into his office and shut the door. Based on what he said to me aftetwards, I'm guessing she wasn't in there advocating for dues-paying members like me.

I've written a letter to Christie about my termination in Camden, and about Laverne's part in it, and received his reply. If I can figure out how to upload these to Jazzman, I will. Somehow, it supports both of our assertions even where have opposing opinions

Giuseppe said...

Mrs. K., I am so sorry that you have been ignored or stonewalled by so many people. But I congratulate you for fighting the good fight and not giving up.

Mrs. King's music students said...

Thanks G. That means a lot to me. And I have no intention of giving up.