Right now I am starting to re-read the book The Death and Life of the Great American School System by Diane Ravitch, the former U.S. assistant secretary of education. It is the next book in the ongoing book discussion series organized by Atlanta Communities for Excellent Schools. I was invited to speak on a panel to help kick off the discussion of this book on March 27th. The book came out in 2010, and, at the time when I first read it, I found myself agreeing with much (but not all) of what Ravitch had to say. As I dig into it again, I cannot help but think about where we are today, four years after the book came out, in the tone and focus of debates about K-12 education in the United States.
In her 2010 book, Ravitch presented her ideas and opinions sensibly and thoughtfully. Yet, these days, her tone has become much more strident and her opinions often couched in somewhat personal attacks on high-profile figures who share different views. This can be seen most clearly on the blog she maintains. Many of Ravitch’s ideas now remain similar or the same as they were four years ago, but the way they are presented seems to have changed. Worse, the way these ideas then get carried forward by supporters—especially in social media—makes it hard sometimes to be convinced that these are good ideas worth supporting when attached to such harsh attacks.
Often these days, supporters of Ravitch are seen as being in opposition to what are called “corporate-style education reformers” focused on high external accountability measures for schools and teachers as based on standardized tests among other reforms. One of the most visible of these reformers is Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of the Washington, D.C. public schools and now director of an organization called StudentsFirst.
Unfortunately, like Ravitch, Rhee herself often expresses her views with disdain for those who don’t agree. And, like Ravitch, supporters of Rhee often take it to another level to the point where there seems to be no way but theirs. In fact, a recent article highlighted the supposed battle between Ravitch and Rhee and their supporters.
Whether Ravitch or Rhee are as extreme in their tone as I perceive them to sometimes be, I worry that there seems to be little room for productive, meaningful discussion and debate of how to create good public schools. It’s certainly not Ravitch’s ideas or Rhee’s ideas alone that will lead to good schools for students, but, increasingly, it seems to be the case that you must always pick a side. I’m not sure we’ll ever get to real reform (where it is needed) of how we approach teaching and learning if we continue down this path of shouting matches—in person and online. I certainly don’t the answer about what to do, but finding some areas of common agreement (I’m sure there must be some) and working together on solutions to them seems like a way forward. I hope we can get there.