tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2801225916015233134.post7064044454000706497..comments2024-01-18T22:24:21.308-08:00Comments on Let's Talk Books And Politics: Education: Diane Ravitch on International Test ScoresRichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03814017074835418332noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2801225916015233134.post-82151929372800349852014-07-12T15:14:25.001-07:002014-07-12T15:14:25.001-07:00Thanks for your insights. I applaud Ravitch for h...Thanks for your insights. I applaud Ravitch for her efforts, but not necessarily for her methods and rhetoric which tend to be as extreme as those with whom she contends. I first came across her when she wrote an article titled "Why I Changed My Mind" in which she admitted to heresy, but I don't recall any admissions of guilt.Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814017074835418332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2801225916015233134.post-38047234622775106882014-07-12T00:18:44.632-07:002014-07-12T00:18:44.632-07:00Rich & Ravitch note "'Baker looked a...Rich & Ravitch note "'Baker looked at the per capita gross domestic product of the nations whose students competed in 1964. He found that ‘the higher a nation’s test score 40 years ago, the worse its economic performance on this measure of national health—the opposite of what the Chicken Littles raising the alarm over the poor test scores of U.S. children claimed would happen.’ The rate of economic growth improved, he held, as test scores dropped. There was no relation between a nation’s productivity and its test scores.”<br /><br /><br />That's not exactly accurate. My first analysis of the link between test scores & economic success used 1964 test scores and 7 different measures of economic success in 2005. My second study looked at 3 long ago tests and PPP-GDP in 2009. In every case, high scoring nations did worse than low scoring nations in their future economic success.<br /><br />Rich correctly notes that "Diane Ravitch has been the loudest and most persistent defender of our traditional public school system. Diane Ravitch has been the loudest and most persistent defender of our traditional public school system." Rich probably does not know that before realizing the truth, and becoming a defender of our schools, Ravitch was among the leading "Nation At Risk" based critics of our schools. To her credit, Ravitch finally saw the liAght, and saw the conservative Republican attack on the schools that originated with "A Nation At Risk" as the sham and falsehood that it was. <br /><br />Again, giving Ravitch full credit for her belated seeing the light, all in all, she did more damage to our schools in her years as a "Nation At Risk" proponent that she has done good with her ultimately understanding why the conservatives were, and are, wrong. But three cheers for her trying to redeem herself. We can only hope she succeeds. <br /><br />BTW: Like Ravitch, I was also suckered in by "A Nation At Risk". I didn't see it's error until 2005, and then I destroyed its basic premise-- that high test scores are good for a nation's future economic success. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com