Diane Ravitch’s Book is a Fun and Breezy Romp Through the Maze of School Policy
Diane Ravitch’s Book is a Fun and Breezy Romp Through the Maze of School Policy
“This new book is more personal than anything I’ve seen from Ravitch on the shelves before. It’s a collection of vignettes taken from the last decade of her writing. Flashes of inspiration, snippets of thoughts, bursts of criticism and humor. They’re perfect for perusing and really quite addictive.”
The Wisdom and Wit of Diane Ravitch by Diane Ravitch is now available. Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound. Steven Singer is the author of the book Gadfly On The Wall: A Public School Teacher Speaks Out On Racism And Reform, available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound.
By Steven Singer
Imagine you could talk with Diane Ravitch for 10 to 15 minutes everyday.
That’s kind of what reading her new book, “The Wisdom and the Witt of Diane Ravitch”, is like.
You’ve probably heard of Ravitch before.
She’s the kindly grandmother you see on the news who used to think standardized tests and school privatization were the way to go but actually had the courage to pull an about face.
She’s that rare thing in public policy – a person with the honesty to admit when she was wrong — and even lead the resistance to everything she used to believe in!
Now she champions teacher autonomy, fair and equitable school funding and authentic public schools with duly-elected school boards.
Her new book is full of shorter pieces by the education historian from all over the mass media – The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Huffington Post and even her own blog.
You’ll find an article explaining why she changed her mind about school reform nestled next to a reflection on what it’s like to grow up Jewish in Texas. Here’s a succinct take down of President Obama’s Race to the Top next to an article extolling the virtues of student activism in Providence. Ever wonder what Ravitch would say to her mentor Lamar Alexander about our current Education Secretary Betsy DeVos? It’s in there. Ever wonder what books on education she would recommend? It’s in there.
This new book from Garn Press is more personal than anything I’ve seen from Ravitch on the shelves before. And that’s because it’s not part of a sustained argument like “The Life and Death of the Great American School System,” or “Reign or Error.” It’s a collection of vignettes taken from the last decade of her writing. These are flashes of inspiration, snippets of thoughts, bursts of criticism and humor.
They’re perfect for perusing and really quite addictive.
I found myself jumping from an article in the first 20 pages to one at the end to another in the middle. There’s no reason any of it needs to be read chronologically though they are organized in the order of publication.
It’s really a lot like talking to Diane, something that I’ve had the privilege to do on a few occasions. Like any conversation, topics come up organically and you go from one to another without rhyme or reason.
At least that’s how I read the book.
It would be perfect in your school’s teachers lounge. Educators could pick it up at lunch or during their planning periods and use it as a springboard to talk about almost any issue that comes up during the day.
Well, it would be perfect if we ever actually had that kind of time.
I found myself repeatedly interrupted when trying to read it. But that’s actually not a problem. Given the brevity of the articles and their impressive concision, it doesn’t matter if you have to put a bookmark in the middle of a chapter here or there. It’s easy to pick up the thread and continue later.
There are so many highlights, but one of my favorites is “Don’t Like Betsy DeVos? Blame the Democrats” where she writes:
“I contend that it is immoral, unjust, and inequitable to advocate for policies that hurt 95% of students so that 5% can go to a private school. It is even more unjust to destabilize an entire school district by introducing a welter of confusing choices, including schools that open and close like day lilies. Why don’t the advocates of school choice also advocate for funding to replace the money removed from the public schools?”
Or how about “Flunking Arne Duncan”? I must admit, the title alone made my heart give a little cheer. Ravitch gives the former Education Secretary the following report card which deserves to be blown up to poster size and displayed in every classroom in the country:
Report Card: Arne Duncan
Fidelity to the Constitution F
Doing what’s right for children F
Doing what’s right for public education F
Respecting the limits of federalism F
Doing what’s right for teachers F
Doing what’s right for education F
As a public school teacher, I must admit getting an inordinate amount of pleasure from Ravitch’s criticism of the fools and frauds writing school policy. But she has a lot to say on so many subjects – standardized testing, Common Core, even the basic greed underlying the whole political mess.
Consider this gem from “What Powerful and Greedy Elites are Hiding When They Scapegoat the Schools”:
“I have nothing against the wealthy. I don’t care that some people have more worldly goods than others. I understand that life’s not fair. I just harbor this feeling that a person ought to be able to get by on $100 million or so and not keep piling up riches while so many others don’t know how they will feed their children tonight.”
I could offer a dozen more quotes from the book. My copy looks like a rainbow with all the different colored highlights I’ve made through its 451 pages.
So if you want my advice, go out and buy “The Wisdom and Wit of Diane Ravitch.” It’s a fun and breezy romp through the maze of school policy.
Just keep a good supply of highlighters and bookmarks handy.
Buy The Wisdom and Wit of Diane Ravitch
Book: The Wisdom and Wit of Diane Ravitch
Author: Diane Ravitch
Education / Policy & Reform / Standards (Incl. Common Core) / Charter Schools
6 x 9 inches | 466 pages
Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Waterstones | Books-A-Million
More Book Reviews
“Diane’s record of scholarship and activism sets a powerful example for us to get involved and stay involved until the fight is won.” – Yohuru R. Williams, Professor of History, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota
“This book is a lively look at history as it unfolds, in the voice of the most reliable narrator of our time. Thanks to Diane for writing it.” – Anthony Cody, author of The Educator and the Oligarch
“This book gives us hope that the dream of a great American school system is alive and well and will not end no matter how choppy the waters become.” – Nancy Bailey, Nancy Bailey’s Education Website
“Wisdom and Wit collects an album of tree images, sharp and clear and close up, with the full forest in the background. It's a great introduction to some of the issues over the last decade for people who have not been paying close attention, and it's a strong, sharp reminder of some of the specific battles even if you have been paying attention.” – Peter Greene, Curmudgucation
“Ms. Ravitch…writes with enormous authority and common sense.” – New York Times
“In an age when almost everybody has an opinion about schools, Ravitch’s name must be somewhere near the top of the Rolodex of every serious education journalist in this country.” – The Nation
“Ms. Ravitch [is] the country’s soberest, most history-minded education expert.” – Wall Street Journal