“ It bears mentioning that nations with high-performing school systems—whether Korea, Singapore, Finland, or Japan—have succeeded not by privatizing their schools or closing those with low scores, but by strengthening the education profession. They also have less poverty than we do. Fewer than 5 percent of children in Finland live in poverty, as compared to 20 percent in the United States. Those who insist that poverty doesn’t matter, that only teachers matter, prefer to ignore such contrasts.

The Myth of Charter Schools by Diane Ravitch (via silas216, robot-heart-politics)

BAM.

(via marthaq)

Diane Ravitch: maybe not too little too late? Just say it louder, lady.

(via itoodislikeit)

A slight off-topic bone to pick:

Ehhhh, I wouldn’t put Korea’s education system as an example for a system that invests in teachers/education profession. With some exceptions of international programs and elite art schools, most Koreans have little to no faith in the public system, which is why parents enroll their children in several private after-school academies and hire private tutors to help with school work and school exams. Some even send their children to live in the United States, Australia, and the UK for a couple of years. And with the current failing ban on corporal punishment in schools, most students view their teachers as incompetent and overly emotional.

Not that the private academies are great either. But I’m always baffled when I see mentions of praise for Korea’s education system. It depends heavily on forms of private education and has its own set of over-extended, albeit largely uncontested, problems.

(via itoodislikeit)

they call me radish