A very short open letter to President Obama
There is enormous frustration and dissatisfaction among professional educators about current educational policy. Many, especially those in the classroom and closest to the children, feel that current policy, one of closing public schools, encouraging privatization, and imposing more testing than has ever been seen on this planet, is badly misguided and will lead to tragic consequences for our children, damage that will take decades to repair.
Professional educators feel that government is not paying attention to their expert opinions, and is paying far too much attention to non-experts. The voices of respected scholars are not being heard, and highly competent professional research done over the last few decades is being ignored.
The US Department of Education must stop demoralizing professional educators and free them to teach with passion.
Rather than submit another long open letter detailing these concerns, here is a simple suggestion. Please hold a private one-on-one meeting with Dr. Diane Ravitch for a serious conversation about education.
As you may know, Dr. Ravitch is a very highly respected and dedicated professional educator, a distinguished scholar, a very clear writer and speaker, and extremely knowledgeable about the major issues in education today. She does not represent any special interest group other than our teachers and our children.
We hope you will be willing, and eager, to meet with Dr. Ravitch, who has become the spokesperson for educators in America concerned about current policy.
Stephen Krashen
Professor Emeritus
University of Southern California
Here! Here!
ReplyDeleteI'll second Stephen's motion that the president seek a conversation with Diane Ravitch. Her insight and perspective is exactly what is lacking in the education department's "race to the trough."
ReplyDeleteI concur! I also suggest that Mr. President should dump Duncan and hire Ravitch!
ReplyDeleteI concur as well, that the voice of reason is being ignored. I don't know who Diane Ravitch is personally, but someone with the right qualifications needs to the representative for education, and not politicians. I think that the teachers should be asked, what they think?
ReplyDeleteIf this foolery continues,a generation will be lost and we will all pay!