An awakened professor sent her sons to a $60,000-a-year private school on Manhattan’s elusive Upper East Side despite opposing charter schools, then blamed her ex-husband.
Retired NYU professor Diane Ravitch, 84, has been called a hypocrite for sending her sons, Michael and Joseph, who are now adults, to the Dalton School despite fierce opposition to the charter school in favor of the New York public school City has pronounced.
Her ex-husband, Richard Ravitch, confirmed to the New York Post that their children attended the 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, co-chair of a SUNY committee authorizing the city to build charter schools, slammed the author, telling the Post, “Anyone who sends their children to a private school while opposed to charter schools is proving the parents in do a great disservice to the city center and want to give their children a good education.’
Ravitch – who is allied 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 private school.
She also blamed her ex-husband, who was a former chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), as the reason her children went to private school.
Retired NYU professor Diane Ravitch, 84, has been called a hypocrite for sending her sons, Michael and Joseph, who are now adults, to the Dalton School despite fierce opposition to the charter school in favor of the New York public school City has pronounced
She blamed her ex-husband Richard Ravitch (pictured) for their children going to private school as he came from a long line of private students
“The question of where my middle-aged sons went to school is a no-no burger. For the past ten years, my blog bio has said that both of my sons went to private school,” she wrote in a Feb. 22 blog post. “It was never a secret that my sons went to private school. I was never forced to admit that fact.’
Why she sent her to Dalton: “In 1960 I married a New Yorker whose family had a long tradition of attending private schools.”
Ravitch said she “never despised public schools” because she attended a public institution and was “grateful for the education and the teachers I had and the opportunities they gave me.”
The author, who has written several anti-charter books, said she opposes the schools because they “pick” students and are “no better and possibly worse than public schools.”
“I enrolled my youngest child in a private school in 1965 and my second child in 1970 because I was conservative. A lot happened to me in the years between 1965 and 2023, more than I can fit into one tweet,” she 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 allied 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 private school
“From my life experiences and many years as an educationalist, I have come to the conclusion that public school teaches democracy in a who-sit-by-by way; It teaches students to live and work with others who are different from them. The public school, I realized, is the cornerstone of our diverse society. It deserves public support and funding.”
Gov. 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 ensure that predominantly Black and Hispanic students in charter schools do better and achieve higher test scores than they currently do in public schools.
Charter schools also spend almost half the money on students than traditional public schools.
Ravitch slammed the governor, saying the move would harm the “vast majority of students who are in public schools.”
Earlier this month, Ravitch was called out on Twitter after interrupting her usual school choice tweets to discuss how public schools bring people together.
Ed Cox, co-chair of a SUNY committee authorizing the city to build charter schools, slammed the author, telling the Post, “Anyone who sends their children to a private school while opposed to charter schools is proving the parents in do a great disservice to the city center and want to give their children a good education
Why she sent her to Dalton: “In 1960 I married a New Yorker whose family had a long history of going to private schools” (pictured: she and her son Joe)
“The best choice is your local public school,” Ravitch wrote. It welcomes everyone. It unites the community. It is the glue of democracy.”
Pushaw, who worked on Gov. DeSantis’ reelection campaign, responded to Ravitch’s tweet by uploading a bio of the educational writer to her blog, revealing that her sons attended private school in the Big Apple.
“Why didn’t you send your sons to the local public school?” Pushaw asked. “You didn’t want the best for her? So you paid for private school in NYC? Make it meaningful.’
To which Ravitch replied, “I paid for it. I didn’t ask taxpayers to pay for my private choice.’
Ravitch, who attended public school herself, has written several books about her rejection of charter schools
Pushaw then questioned the author’s logic that parents would make the “best choice” in determining where to send their children to school.
“So what about parents who can’t afford to pay for a private school but want to make the best choice for their children? You don’t deserve the same opportunities as your sons?’
Ravitch did not immediately respond to Pushaw – but the Florida adviser further commented: “Behold the logic of a liberal. “I paid for my sons to go to private school because it’s the worst choice. It excludes the poor. It unsticks democracy.”
She later denounced the dispute in a blog post.