Tag: KYF

KYF- Diane Ravitch

As mentioned a few weeks ago, thepjsta.org would soon be debuting two new series on our blog.  Today we bring you the first installment of our series “Know Your Friends” (KYF).  In this series we will highlight individuals and groups who are friends of public education.

Any list highlighting the friends of public education must start with the incomparable Diane Ravitch.  Ravitch is a historian of education and Research Professor of Education at New York University.  She served as Assistant Secretary of Education and Counselor to Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993, under President George H. W. Bush.  She has authored several books, including The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education.

Diane Ravitch

Over the course of the last several years Ravitch has been an outspoken voice against the privatization of public education and all that it entails.  She has used her platform as well known figure on the national stage to defend teachers and argue against the various “reform” measures that have been put in place to try and destroy the industry that we have made our livelihoods.

Ravitch’s blog has become a must read for educators at every level.  It is something that you should be reading on a daily basis as she highlights many of the important education stories happening around the country.  Over the course of the last year this blog has linked to hers on many, many occasions.  For a PJSTA member who has not been well read on this subject matter, it will help you to begin to understand the scope of what we are up against, as well as help you find ways to network with others around the country.  If you take education into account when you go to the polls every November, you will learn a great deal about where many politicians stand just from reading Ravitch’s blog.

Below is Ravitch speaking on corporate education reform.


 

Know Your Friends… and Your Enemies!

I hope that everybody is enjoying their summer so far.  Whether you have been traveling, laying on the beach, working at another job, or just enjoying some extra family time it can be nice to have a few weeks away from the stresses of your day job.  With that idea in mind, while we are away from school the powers that be continue to look for new ways to disrespect and destroy our profession.  At the same time we have a growing number of friends looking to fight back against those powers that be.  Naturally those allies of ours will need as much help as they can get and we should be willing to provide just that.  If you are new to following this fight… or if you are not new but find the sheer volume of it overwhelming, don’t worry, thepjsta.org is here to help!

Beginning this summer, as our blog celebrates it’s first anniversary and enters it’s second year of existence, we will be looking for ways to improve how this site can benefit our members.  One of those ways will be through two new special series that we will be writing.  The purpose of these series, which will pop up throughout the year, will be to educate you on who are your friends and who are your enemies.  By this we mean who are the forces fighting to protect public education and who are the forces attempting to destroy it.  These two series will be appropriately titled, “Know Your Friends” (KYF) and “Know Your Enemies” (KYE).  We will cover people and organizations such as Bill Gates, Diane Ravitch, Michelle Rhee, Barack Obama, Arnie Duncan, Karen Lewis, Corey Booker, Teach for America, Badass Teachers Association, and many, many more.

Some of you may be surprised at who is a friend of public ed and who is not.  Understand that the lines drawn over public ed do not correlate with political party lines.  They often make for strange bed fellows as well.  However, going forward, it is essential for us to educate ourselves, know the issues, stand up for ourselves, attend rallies, engage in civil disobedience when necessary, and make our voices heard at the polls.