Over the recent Memorial Day weekend, NYU education historian Diane Ravitch penned a pair of angry blog posts about the parent trigger and Parent Revolution’s Ben Austin.
Among other things, Ravitch wrote that “There is a special place in Hell reserved for everyone who administers and funds this revolting organization that destroys schools and fine educators like [Weigand Avenue Elementary School principal] Irma Cobian.” She also called Austin “loathsome,” described him as the Walton Family’s “useful idiot.”
While some applauded her writing, a handful of online commentators called Ravitch out for her language. Parent Revolution sent out a series of press releases blasting Ravitch on the facts and on her tone. Austin himself wrote a deeply personal open letter to Ravitch describing difficult aspects of his own childhood as his motivation for wanting to help fix broken schools like Weigand Avenue Elementary.
On Friday, Ravitch apologized to Austin - sort of: ”I lost my temper,” she wrote, “and I have to explain why. I don’t like bullies. When I saw this woman targeted by your powerful organization, it looked like bullying.”
Ravitch also apologizes to Cobian, the principal, on behalf of Austin: “Maybe next time, he will think twice, get better information, and consider the consequences before he decides to take down another principal.”
Previous posts: Parent Revolution Reaches Out to UTLA Teachers; Parent Trigger: Times Debates Transparency, Urgency; Teachers Union Turning Back Against Parent Trigger