Another (Dismally, Comically, Painfully) Bad Week for Joel Klein

categories: Education And Business, Education Politics

Published April 17, 2009 @ 01:13PM PT

Joel Klein

You've got to wonder if Joel Klein, Mayor Bloomberg, Eli Broad, and the whole billionaire gang are cooking up ways, now that they've largely neutralized NYC parents, to neutralize the interwebs next. The cheeky thing just won't know its place and let Klein have the last (or only) word. It must annoy him, but it may tickle you a good bit. So enjoy

Eine "Kleine" Friday Night Schadenfreude

Read:

1. Diane Ravitch's NYTimes op-ed, "Mayor Bloomberg's Crib Sheet," correcting our affably misinformed (or dammit, is it disinforming?) "Arnie" Duncan's whoppers about Bloomberg/Klein's "NYC miracle" first; then

2. Klein's NYTimes response to Ravitch, "The Chancellor's Report Card"; then

3. Aaron "skoolboy" Pallas at Gotham Schools' cool but deadly analysis of Klein's response to Ravitch, "Why NAEP Matters"; then

4. Ravitch's own delicious and, yes, devastating response to Klein's response on the NYC Public School Parents blog. A teaser:

And then there is the strange idea that NYC kids do well on state tests because they study for them, but do poorly on national tests because they don't. Of what value is it to learn to read if one can read only for state tests? Does that mean that students can't read college textbooks or work manuals because they are prepared only to take state tests?

I read a claim recently, maybe in EdWeek, that everybody with a stake in education funding is afraid to openly criticize Duncan because he holds the purse-strings to the $5 billion in "race to the top" [sic?] funds. I just hope he can read and think about what Ravitch is trying to tell him.

I know this sounds straight from a Liz Smith article, but who says this stuff can't get juicy? Bravo to Ms. Ravitch for the work.

Klein photo by azipaybarah

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Comments (3)

It is galling to see this so called education reform as a political football, with teachers in the stands helpless as their team loses.

Posted by Hellen Harvey on 04/17/2009 @ 08:45PM PT
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A tasty teaser for Ravitch's response, Clay, and I also relished:

"The fact that NAEP is an audit test for which students do not prepare makes it more valid, as it accurately reflects reading skill and comprehension, rather than test prep. If a city or state does poorly on the audit test, then it is doing poorly. Or, whom do you trust? Madoff's accountant or the federal auditors?"

Posted by Jennifer Parker on 04/17/2009 @ 08:58PM PT
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Unfortunately, the media gives far too little attention to serious voices like Ravitch, preferring to serve as a PR valve for billionaires like Bloomberg, Gates, Broad and the Waltons.

Posted by NYC Educator on 04/19/2009 @ 02:35PM PT
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Author

Clay is an American high school Humanities teacher, technology coach, and Apple Distinguished Educator who has taught for the last eight years in Asian international schools. According to law, he's married to his wife. According to his wife, he's married to his Mac.