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Education Opinion

(Almost) Time for Our Summer Break

By Diane Ravitch — July 29, 2008 1 min read
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Dear Deborah,

Time for our summer break. We’ll be back again blogging and thinking out loud when school opens at the end of August. When I was in school, it always started after Labor Day, and I have never understood why schools open in August, especially when so many lack air-conditioning.

So, I leave you with absolutely nothing to think about. Rest, relax, read some good books. If you want to read some page-turners, pick up some novels by Harlan Coben. He is a terrific writer who really knows how to hook the reader. But don’t start reading them at night, or you might be up all night!

Oh, one thing to think about: Edison Schools is not closing down. It will become EdisonLearning, will continue to operate schools, and will open cyber-charter schools in the near future. Edison is betting that bricks-and-mortar schools are a thing of the past, and that new technologies will offer new possibilities for mass education.

I am planning to read Daniel Koretz’s book, “Measuring Up.” I have a shelf full of other books about charter schools, accountability, and other topics of interest to me. I have started work on a new book about the current era of school reform, and I am very excited about it. In fact, I have already finished four chapters! This morning, I woke up at 3:30 a.m. knowing exactly how to rewrite the beginning of the chapter. Nothing quite as exciting as getting a new book started and knowing that it is heading in the right direction.

Have an enjoyable August. We’ll be online again in a few weeks. Readers, don’t forget us!

Diane

Editor’s note: Deborah Meier’s reply will appear this Thursday, July 31, and then Bridges Differences will take a brief summer publishing hiatus.

The opinions expressed in Bridging Differences are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.