Diane Ravitch’s New Book Opens Heated Dialogue
‘Reign of Error’ draws pre-publication criticism, but why are Diane and others being monitored and ignored?
Diane Ravitch’s new book will not be released for another month, but already we are seeing a glimpse of the dialogue it may open up. After Peter Cunningam (Assistant Secretary for Communications and Outreach in the U.S. Department of Education) published ‘Ravitch Redux‘ online, many of Diane and NPE’s supporters popped up immediately to decry Cunningham’s piece in blog posts and other social media (we have a list of links to particularly great pieces below).
More importantly than being “shoddy and unsubstantiated,” Cunningham’s piece points to a significant truth: Diane and other members of the fight to save our schools are being systematically monitored and ignored by education officials. Cunningham and others are clearly hearing the critiques posed by Diane and other members of the genuine education reform community. However, instead of listening to any opposing opinions, Cunningham and others are choosing to monitor dissenters and attack any criticisms of their corporately backed policies.
In his piece ‘Monitored and Ignored–Ravitch and the Rest of Us,’ Anthony Cody suggests one way that we can fight this phenomenon: preorder Diane’s book now, and when you do so, order an extra copy and send it to your Congress person or state legislator. We must raise our voices and change the status quo, go from from being ‘monitored and ignored’ to watched and listened to.
Here are some more well-written and provocative pieces we encourage you to read about the attack on Diane’s book:
- ‘Fifty Shades of Ravitch: A Book Review‘ by Reclaim Reform
- ‘Just When You Think It’s Safe to Go Back into the Media‘ by Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face
- ‘Arne Duncan Sics His Flying Monkeys on Diane Ravitch‘ by NYC Educator