Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast Why A Prominent Voice For School Choice Changed Her Mind
Dec 3, 2025
Diane Ravitch, a historian of education and former research professor, shares her journey from supporting school vouchers to advocating for public education. She reflects on how her childhood in segregated Houston shaped her views. Ravitch discusses the failures of charter schools, highlighting issues like fraud and exclusion, and emphasizes the importance of addressing systemic problems like poverty and segregation. Her memoir outlines her transformation and newfound belief in inclusive educational practices like affirmative action and DEI.
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Segregated Houston Schools Shaped Her View
- Diane Ravitch recounts attending segregated public schools in Houston and challenging her principal about integration.
- Her childhood experience shaped a lifelong commitment to public schooling and opposition to returning to that segregated past.
Working At The New Leader Shaped Skepticism
- Diane describes working at the socialist magazine The New Leader as an informal 'master's degree' that taught skepticism and democratic debate.
- That early job shaped her habit of questioning simple panaceas in education policy.
Choice Looked Promising — Then Evidence Changed That
- Ravitch once championed choice because she believed competition would spur school improvement.
- She later concluded empirical results did not support that optimistic theory.
