Keynote Address: Diane Ravitch

Diane Ravitch

“For profit and education don’t mix”

“People need to be aware that something that belongs to them is being taken away”

Today’s keynote speaker, Diane Ravitch is one of the nation’s leading advocates for public education.

Ms. Ravitch believes Public Schools have been a target of a propaganda campaign, and identifies a number of what she calls “hoaxes” that are systematically destroying public education.  She says public relations campaigns are giving public schools a bad rap with stories of low test scores and American students being outperformed internationally. 

“The reformers narrative is a hoax they say our schools are failing, broken and obsolete – but those statements are wrong.”

She cites recent studies that show our test scores are the highest they’ve been in history.  Graduation rates are also higher than ever before and drop out rates are at their lowest.

The hoaxes she describes, include: “No Child Left Behind” and “Race To The Top.” Ravitch says since its inception the same amount of children have been left behind and now there is more teaching to the test, more school closures because of poor performance, and more public money going to consultants and entrepreneurs.

“Reformers in the past wanted better schools, and better teachers…today’s reformers want to privatize and tear down public schools.  They don’t object to larger class sizes, segregation or excessive testing .”

Reformers say charter schools save failing schools, but Ravitch says charter schools cherry pick the best students, exclude students with disabilities and don’t need to comply with the law.

“Charters say they are private contractors in court”.

In fact, Ms. Ravitch calls Arizona the “Wild West of Charter Schools,” where there is no regulation, no public oversight and no requirements to get competitive bids.  Charter schools cannot be audited, yet receive public money. 

“Shouldn’t there be public audits wherever public money goes?”

Charter schools in Arizona are given their charters for 15 years.  In other states, charters need to be renewed every five years.

Ravitch believes charters should be for drop-outs, the weakest students and those who can’t make it through public schools.  “They should tout how many students they have saved.”

She also believes school choice encourages people to think as consumers, not citizens.

“Public education is a civic responsibility, not a consumer good.”

When it comes to Common Core, Ravitch believes the testing is designed for students to fail.  She says no other nation tests every child and calls the 9-10 hour Common Core test “a form of child abuse.”

“Tests should be used diagnostically not as carrots or sticks.  Standardized tests should be used sparingly, preferably on a sampling basis …test results from standardized tests come in too late to be hopeful or useful…”

Parents and students made headlines recently by walking out on the state tests.  Ravitch says the opt-out movement is growing.

“If you deny them the data they can’t do all these terrible things.”

“Public education is a public trust.  It’s entrusted in your hands in this state where it is so abused.  Protecting our public schools against privatization and saving them for future generations of American children is the Civil Rights Movement of our time.”

Irene Mahoney Paige

Gilbert Public Schools