Diane Ravitch
Diane Ravitch
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Full Name and Common Aliases
Diane Ravitch is a renowned American educational policy analyst, critic, historian, and former United States Assistant Secretary of Education.
Birth and Death Dates
Born on February 1, 1938 (still living)
Nationality and Profession(s)
Ravitch is an American citizen with expertise in education, history, and public policy. She has worked as a teacher, researcher, writer, and government official throughout her career.
Early Life and Background
Diane Ravitch was born to a family of intellectuals and activists. Her father, Joseph D. Ravitch, was a lawyer and politician who served as the mayor of St. Louis from 1949 to 1953. Her mother, Anne Ravitch (née Simon), was a high school teacher and community activist. Growing up in a household that valued education and social justice laid the foundation for Ravitch's future career.
Ravitch developed an early interest in history and education, which led her to attend Wellesley College. After graduating summa cum laude with a degree in American History, she earned her master's degree from the University of Michigan and Ph.D. in Education History from Columbia University.
Major Accomplishments
Throughout her career, Ravitch has achieved numerous milestones:
Assistant Secretary of Education (1991-1993): Under President George H.W. Bush, Ravitch served as Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning, overseeing the development of education policy.
Education Commissioner of New York State (1995-1996): Ravitch was appointed by Governor George Pataki to lead the state's education department, where she implemented reforms aimed at improving student achievement.
Author and Researcher: Ravitch has written extensively on education policy and history. Her books, including "Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms" (2000) and "The Death and Life of the Great American School System" (2010), have been widely praised for their insightful analysis.Notable Works or Actions
Ravitch's work has had a significant impact on education policy:
Reform Critique: Ravitch has been a vocal critic of high-stakes testing, teacher accountability measures, and other policies she believes undermine public education.
Voucher Opposition: She has spoken out against school voucher programs, arguing they divert funds from public schools and exacerbate existing educational inequalities.
Support for Teacher Autonomy: Ravitch advocates for greater autonomy for teachers in the classroom, recognizing their expertise as essential to effective instruction.
Impact and Legacy
Diane Ravitch's contributions to education policy have been profound:
Shaping Education Reform Debates: Ravitch has been a leading voice in shaping national conversations about education reform.
Influencing Public Policy: Her critiques of high-stakes testing, school choice initiatives, and other policies have informed the development of more effective and equitable education reforms.
Empowering Educators: Ravitch's advocacy for teacher autonomy and professional growth has inspired educators to take a more active role in shaping their practice.Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Diane Ravitch is widely recognized for her:
Expertise and Passion: As a leading expert on education policy, Ravitch brings a depth of knowledge and commitment to improving public education.
Courageous Stance-Taking: She has consistently spoken truth to power, challenging policies that she believes harm students and teachers.
Inspiring Leadership: Through her writing, speaking, and activism, Ravitch has inspired educators, policymakers, and the general public to work towards a more equitable and effective education system.
Quotes by Diane Ravitch
Diane Ravitch's insights on:
What I had come to understand was that the root cause of poor performance in schools is not ‘bad schools’ or ‘bad teachers’ but poverty. Closing schools and firing their teachers and principals does not help students. If anything, it introduces damaging instability into their lives. The privatizers hail disruption and call it ‘creative,’ but it is neither creative nor beneficial.
NAEP is central to any discussion of whether American students and the public schools they attend are doing well or badly. It has measured reading and math and other subjects over time. It is administered to samples of students; no one knows who will take it, no one can prepare to take it, no one takes the whole test. There are no stakes attached to NAEP; no student ever gets a test score.
Critics may find this hard to believe, but students in American public schools today are studying and mastering far more difficult topics in science and mathematics than their peers forty or fifty years ago. People who doubt this should review the textbooks in common use then and now or look at the tests then and now.
One of the persistent ironies of reform is the impossibility of predicting the full consequences of change...
We should totally ban for-profit charters. For-profit’s first obligation is to its stockholders, not to its children.
Privatizing our public schools makes as much sense as privatizing the fire department or or the police department.
It's an interesting development, and I would hope that the chancellor would take heed.