Author: David Denby
Magazine: The New Yorker
This article by David Denby is about a woman named Diane Ravitch. Diane married Richard Ravitch, who was a lawyer and they did many things together, such as getting involved with politics. Diane is a seventy-four year old woman who has been a forceful voice in education discussions for over forty-years. Last July, the American Federation of Teachers, a large teachers' union was held at Cobo Center, in downtown Detroit. Diane Ravitch made a speech about how teaching profession is "under attack" by those who argue teachers' are not doing their job when students don't pass a standard educational test, when it is out of the teachers' control.
A decade ago, Diane was one of those people she mentioned that argued that teachers were not doing their jobs. She was a supporter for many reform goals, but the results has "disavowed" her position. Today, she is trying to make things right of what she did wrong in the past. She is starting a movement in education to be more fair to the teachers. Funding is what is needed in education to become more successful. Currently, the low-waged funded schools are the one who are hurting the most, where many drop outs are and unsafe neighborhoods. Something needs to happen to public education and Ravitch is the start of this movement.
The public-school system is an "obsolete", said by Bill Gates because America can't produce qualified workers to allow America to compete internationally. It was stated in the article that "Americans scored seventeenth in science and twenty-fifth in math amount students from thirty-four advanced industrial countries". This seems like a real problem because it is true that America is falling back in education in the past couple of decades. It's a bit ironic that high-school graduation rates are higher than ever before. So i asked myself this question, "what is the real problem here in American education". Should schools judge teachers' performance by a test?
I believe that teachers across the country are doing their best. A test that judges their performance is insulting and unmoral. Some things they can not control in a low-waged public school like funding for low class students. President Obama has became a supporter in this movement by trying to fund more for education by reducing funding for national defense. I believe Diane Ravitch is doing the right thing by starting a movement they can change American education. I also believe that America can reclaim their high status in education.
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