On Friday, October 18 at 1:00 pm ET, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) and the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education (BBA) will hold a forum featuring education policy expert Diane Ravitch, who will present her new book Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools.  Ravitch will be joined by Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers, and Elaine Weiss, national coordinator, BBA. They will discuss the state of U.S. public education, the problems with federal programs, including No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, and Ravitch’s plan to preserve and improve public education.  Lawrence Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute, will moderate.

In Reign of Error, Ravitch argues that the crisis in American education is not a crisis of academic achievement; she argues that the real crisis is a concerted effort to destroy public schools.  Federal programs like No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, “set unreasonable targets for American students, punish schools, and result in teachers being fired if their students underperform.”

Copies of the book will be available for purchase.

What: Discussion on Ravitch’s new book Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools

Who:
Moderator: Lawrence Mishel, president, Economic Policy Institute
Diane Ravitch, professor, New York University
Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers
Elaine Weiss, national coordinator, Bolder and Broader Approach to Education

Where: Economic Policy Institute (Wellstone Conference Room)
1333 H Street, NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005

When: Friday, October 18, 2013 at 1:00 – 2:30 pm ET