Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Let the handwringing stop. The US is not number one and that’s OK.

The latest Program for International Assessment (Pisa) results are out and that means another round of handwringing, lamentation, self-flagellation, finger pointing and all that other good stuff. Basic summary: Shanghai tops the overall ranking with Singapore and Hong Kong coming in at second and third place. Since 2000, the OECD has benn trying to evaluate the skills and knowledge  of…

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Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Transformation: Diane Ravitch and School Reform

“School reform today is like a freight train, and I’m out on the tracks saying, ‘You’re going the wrong way!’ ” I’ve always respected Diane Ravitch even as I have often disagreed with her.  And her on-line and ongoing exchanges with Deborah Meier Bridging Differences have been a model of intelligent debate conducted with an informed  civility conspicuously absent from most…

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Education, Politics, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Like a good debate?

Interested in education? Like a good debate? Then Bridging Differences is for you. It’s an ongoing debate between two of the most interesting minds in education – Deborah Meier and Diane Ravitch. They have been disagreeing for years but they both believe deeply in the importance of education and share a passion for improving schools.