Just came across this commentary by Diane Ravitch on public education. It goes to a column I wrote last month on the topic.
We’ve done a remarkable amount of damage to public education in recent years, because we insist on elevating tests and degrading our teachers. It is a shame and we will pay dearly for it in the future.
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- Read poetry at The Subterranean.
- Suburban Pastoral, a chapbook by Hank Kalet, available here.
Hank Kalet 
The war against public schools and teachers (and their unions) is going swimmingly. Soon, public school teachers will be reduced to fearful trembling peons.The billionaires and the hedge fund managers are determined to privatize our school system and as a \”side benefit\” destroy the last vestiges of the teachers' unions. All the politicians are on board for charter schools, school vouchers and that phoney baloney crap bucket of blood meaningless verbiage known as school choice. If you aren't for school choice then you're a commie terrorist America hater, don't you know.
But don't you see that the problem is the whole concept of \”public education\”? Do you buy shoes in one size fits all? Even more on point, do you let Anonymous pick your shoes and tell me to pay for them? Of course not. \”That's silly, fjohn.\” Isn't it just a silly for you to entrust your legacy, your children, to be taught what Anonymous thinks is important and tell me I have to pay for it?That's why we fight over schools. They are immoral (e.g., teaching someone's kids stuff they don't agree with; stealing wealth from others to pay for it). They are ineffective (e.g., children \”graduate\” who are illiterate or worse). They are inefficient (e.g., they waste money in gobs; don't deliver it where it's needed; create cannon fodder factory workers to be led byt he elite).Stop \”public education\”, charter schools, vouchers, and all that \”barbara streisand\”. Return the responsibility for education to the parents. They made the decision to have children, they are responsile; not me!
I so agree with the basics of this interview. I taught for 38 years in a local school district and have seen the impact of high stakes testing on education. That, and the accompanying \”No Child Left Behind\” laws inhibit quality, creative teaching and learning. It is refreshing to hear someone who supported both now recognize what a bad idea both are.
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