Woke professor who opposes charter schools sent her sons to Manhattan’s $60,000-a-year Dalton Prep
A wise-cracking teacher sent her kids to a $60,000-a-year private school on Manhattan’s elusive Upper East Side, despite opposing charter schools and later blaming her ex-husband.
Retired New York University professor Diane Ravitch, 84, has been called a hypocrite for sending her sons, Michael and Joseph, now adults, to the Dalton School, despite her fierce defense against charter schools a on behalf of the New York City public schools.
Her ex-husband, Richard Ravitch, confirmed to the New York Post for their children to attend school, which cost $57,970 a year. The school has many famous alumni, including CNN host Anderson Cooper, actresses Tracee Ellis Ross and Claire Danes, and comedian Chevy Chase.
Ed Cox, who co-chairs a SUNY committee authorizing the city to build charter schools, criticized the author, telling the Post: “Anyone who sends their kids to a private school while opposing charters is doing a huge a disservice to inner-city parents who want to give their children a good education.’
Ravitch, who is aligned with the United Federation of Teachers, which opposes charter schools, denied any kind of hypocrisy and said she has always made it clear on her blog page that her children attended a private school.
She also blamed her ex-husband, who was president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), as the reason her children went to high school.
Retired New York University professor Diane Ravitch, 84, has been called a hypocrite for sending her sons, Michael and Joseph, now adults, to the Dalton School, despite her fierce defense against charter schools a on behalf of the New York City public schools.
She blamed her ex-husband Richard Ravitch (pictured) as the reason her children went to high school, as he came from a long line of privately educated students.
‘The question of where my middle-aged children went to school is nonsense. For the last decade, my blog bio has said that both of my children went to private school,” she wrote in a February 22 note. blog post. ‘It was never a secret that my children went to a private school. I was never “forced to admit” that fact.
As to why she sent them to Dalton: “I married a New Yorker in 1960 whose family had a long tradition of attending private schools.”
Ravitch said that he “never looked down on public schools” because he had attended a public institution and was “grateful for the education and teachers I had, and the opportunities they opened up for me.’
The author, who has written several books against charter schools, said she opposed the schools because they “perfectly screened” students and were “no better or possibly worse than public schools.”
‘I enrolled my youngest son in a private school in 1965 and my second son in 1970 because he was a conservative. A lot happened to me in the years between 1965 and 2023, more than I can put in a tweet,” he said in the blog post.
Her ex-husband, Richard Ravitch, confirmed that their children attended the school (pictured), which cost $57,970 a year.
Ravitch, who is aligned with the United Federation of Teachers, which opposes charter schools, denied any kind of hypocrisy and said she has always made it clear on her blog page that her children attended a private school.
‘From my life experiences and many years as a scholar of education, I have concluded that the public school teaches democracy in a “who sits next to you” way; teaches students to live and work with others who are different from themselves. The public school, I realized, is the cornerstone of our diverse society. It deserves public support and funding.’
Governor Kathy Hochul is a big supporter of charter schools in the city and has made them a big part of the 2024 budget. She wants to help predominantly Black and Latino students do better in charter schools and score higher. higher on tests than they currently get in public schools.
Charter schools also spend nearly half the money on students as traditional public schools.
Ravitch criticized the governor, saying the move would hurt the “vast majority of students who are in public schools.”
Earlier this month, Ravitch came under fire on Twitter after taking a break from her regular school choice tweet party to discuss how public schools bring people together.
Ed Cox, who co-chairs a SUNY committee authorizing the city to build charter schools, criticized the author, telling the Post: “Anyone who sends their kids to a private school while opposing charters is doing a huge a disservice to inner-city parents who want to give their children a good education’
As to why she sent them to Dalton: “I married a New Yorker in 1960 whose family had a long tradition of attending private schools” (Pictured: Joe, left, with Ravitch)
“The best option is your local public school,” Ravitch wrote. Welcome everyone. Unify the community. It is the glue of democracy.
Pushaw, who worked on Gov. DeSantis’ re-election campaign, responded to Ravitch’s tweet by attaching a screenshot from the educational writer’s biography on her blog that showed her children attended a private school in the Big Apple.
“Why didn’t you send your children to the local public school?” Pushaw questioned. Don’t you want the best for them? So you paid for a private school in New York? Make it make sense.
To which Ravitch replied: ‘I paid for it. I did not ask taxpayers to pay for my private election.
Ravitch, who attended public school, has written several books on his opposition to charter schools.
Pushaw then questioned the writer’s logic that parents make the “best choice” in determining where to send their children to school.
‘So what about parents who can’t afford a private school but want to make the best choice for their children? Don’t they deserve the same opportunities as their children?
Ravitch did not immediately respond to Pushaw, but the Florida aide commented: ‘Here’s the logic of a liberal. “I paid for my children to go to a private school because it is the worst option. It excludes the poor. Democracy takes off.”
He later denounced the altercation in a blog post.