RSSBLUSHING…
Jul 26
Diane Ravitch, Pelto Pelto, Ravitch 14 Comments
No, the red in my checks is not a sun burn. And yes, I know our society frowns on grown men blushing…
But who wouldn’t blush when confronted by the extraordinarily generous words of Diane Ravitch, a true American hero and the Patron Saint to all of us who believe in the importance of saving and improving American Education.
Diane Ravitch’s blog at http://dianeravitch.net/ is the first thing I read when I get up in the morning and the last thing I read before I go to bed. (Not to mention checking it multiple times throughout the day.)
Thanks to the blogging she has been doing over the last three months, I’ve learned more about education policy and politics then I had over 35 years of work in and around government.
There is simply nobody in the nation who is doing more to battle the forces of evil that seek to privatize and destroy what is great about our educational system. Knowledgeable and courageous, Diane consistently provides information and commentary about how we can make our schools better and what the opponents of public education are doing to undermine our country’s ability to provide all of our children with the knowledge and skills they need to live fuller and more productive lives.
Today, Diane posted a piece about me and my blog at Wait, What?
As a tribute to all of those who have helped me with my advocacy journalism, I post it below. I am truly honored beyond words.
http://dianeravitch.net/2012/07/26/the-connecticut-watchdog-for-the-public-interest/
The Connecticut Watchdog for the Public Interest
A reader reminded me of a post by blogger Jonathan Pelto about Hartford, Connecticut, that shows how districts can “game the system” to meet testing target.
And that reminded me that Jon Pelto is someone you should know about. Subscribe to his blog if you want an insider’s view of education reform in Connecticut.
Pelto was a legislator for several years and cares passionately about public education. He knows how to follow the money and watches for conflict of interest and hidden lobbyists.
He has written many posts in opposition to Governor Dannel Malloy’s alliance with the hedge fund managers’ group called ConnCAN (now operating in other states as 50CAN). Pelto has called out all the players in the corporate camp, including the other Wall Street group called Democrats for Education Reform, the charter chain Achievement First, Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst, and Teach for America, all of which took a role in shaping and pushing Governor Malloy’s “reform” bill to funnel more money to charters than to the state’s poorest districts and to strip teachers of tenure. It’s all “for the children,” remember. Malloy said he would be happy to see more “teaching to the test,” and also said the achievement gap in his state made it necessary to take away teacher tenure. This is absurd; Connecticut has a large achievement gap because it has outsized income inequality, with large concentrations of urban poverty and intense concentrations of extreme wealth. But let’s not talk about that.
Pelto has been critical of State Commissioner Stefan Pryor, who was a founder of a Connecticut charter school, Amistad Academy, and chairman of its board for five years. That charter school is the flagship in the Achievement First charter chain. Pelto has been fearless in criticizing the claims of the powerful Achievement First chain, showing what a small percentage of ELLs it enrolls compared to urban districts in the state, and pointing out how Malloy’s budget showered far more money on this wealthy charter chain than on the state’s neediest students.
For the Diane’s full post go to: http://dianeravitch.net/2012/07/26/the-connecticut-watchdog-for-the-public-interest/
