(np) merit pay

[Joseph Tracy]

Recently heard Diane Ravitch on Democracy Now, Formerly the most  
qualified, articulate, and sincere apologist for the NCLB approach  
and associated with the Brookings institute. She has changed  
dramatically, saying neither charter schools nor testing have  
improved education. She is sill for higher level curriculum but it is  
good to see an ideologue who does an about face when the facts prove  
them wrong.  Unfortunately, Obama is still going with privatization  
and testing as the answer.

She has been writing for the Huffington Post and Education Week .  On  
the merit pay issue she talks about a nuanced approach that was  
distorted by the media here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane- 
ravitch/what-randi-really-said-an_b_425849.html

I actually think there is something to Mike's idea though I know that  
there was a movement among Christian parents to use his method so it  
is not entirely original. What idea is?

When Jonathan Kozol is asked by rich neighbors whose children are in  
private schools  " can we really solve our education problems by  
throwing money at schools?", he now answers,"Well, it seems to be  
working for you." Course that was before the money disappeared. Let's  
face it the kids can move to the end of the line. We're still working  
on wars , nukes, clean coal, terror, banksters, HMOs, drug companies,  
weapons makers, the war on drugs,  and big walls through various  
deserts to separate the good people from the bad people.   The  
planet?, the children? , when do they make campaign contributions?