Demonizing teachers is wrong, Ravitch says

Education historian Diane Ravitch on her Bridging Differences blog, which she co-authors with Deborah Meier on the Education Week website, wrote the following to Meier about what matters most in education. Ravitch, a research professor at New York University, is the author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System, a critique of the flaws in the modern school reform movement.

"You asked what keeps me running, which I assume means how I find the energy to stay on the road week after week, speaking to teachers, parents, school board members, and concerned citizens. These days, I am running because of an inner rage at the attacks on teachers and public education. I see one of our most important public institutions under siege by people who want to privatize it, turn it into profit centers, and treat children as data points on a chart. This is wrong, and it will end badly. Critics say I defend the status quo, but nothing could be further from the truth. The status quo is awful, but the demonizing of teachers and the vilification of public education are even worse."

Read more on Valerie Strauss's The Answer Sheet blog in The Washington Post online.