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Diane Ravitch is a lightning rod in American Society. She is a fearless defender of public education as the foundation stone of democracy. In this unique collection of her most important writings, Diane Ravitch provides remarkable insights into her seminal thinking on public education, and on the dangers to democracy of treating parents as consumers, students as products, and teachers as compliant followers of commercial scripts.
In the Foreword, Yohuru Williams writes that by reading these essays, we all can harness the power of her insights for the fight ahead. He states:
Those currently in the struggle, for example, may appreciate the opportunity for reflection on how far we have come and the road we have left to travel. Those new to the struggle may find a source for imitation and inspiration as well as a blueprint for engagement. It is as important and necessary now as it was a decade ago. Finally for the veterans, the book can offer new stimulation and encouragement to carry on, despite the feelings of being worn down and perhaps a bit bitter from so many years of fighting the good fight.
In the following pages, you will encounter some of Diane’s most inspired and insightful writings full of the wit and wisdom that have made her an icon among teachers, community leaders, students, and activists concerned with preserving public education.
Diane’s unwavering support of public education has made her a national treasure. Public school teachers love her. In The Wisdom and Wit of Diane Ravitch Diane shines a light on their courage and endurance. She inspires them. But through her writing she also strikes fear into the hearts of all those - oligarchs, politicians, hedge fund financiers, and corporate reformers - who are intent on dismantling public schools and turning them into corporate money makers.
Similarly, through her pen, Diane confronts the detractors of public education and exposes the nefarious purposes of the Common Core, high stakes testing, and corporate reform. She names names - Bill Gates, Eva Moskowitz, Mark Zuckerberg, David Coleman, Charles and David Koch, and the Waltons.
Essentially, Diane has a most extraordinary talent for encouraging readers to inhabit what’s happening in the texts that she is writing. We stand beside her and take up the challenge of resisting, persisting, and pushing down the risks to children whose public schools are in jeopardy and who are growing up in a democracy that is in peril. Her goal is to bring hope to all those educators who have been disrespected by plutocrats. In these writings, she does exactly that.
