Two educators, Deborah Meier and Diane Ravitch, are starting an interesting dialogue on the Education Week blog, Bridging Differences. Meier approaches education from a more progressive point of view and Ravitch from a more conservative one. As their dialogue develops, I’m sure they will encapsulate much of the discussions we are having here in Madison about the future of our schools. Check it out here and check back often.
And while you are at it, you should read what both women have to say, in different pieces, on the role of teacher unions in education — Deborah Meier’s “On Unions and Education,” from the Winter 2004 issue of Dissent, and Diane Ravitch’s “Why Teacher Unions Are Good for Teachers and the Public,” in the Winter 2006-2007 issue of the AFT’s American Educator.
Robert Godfrey
AMPS 