| Edition |
First Edition. |
| Description |
xii, 396 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm |
|
text rdacontent |
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unmediated rdamedia |
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volume rdacarrier |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 355-378) and index. |
| Summary |
"From the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education, "whistleblower extraordinaire" (The Wall Street Journal), one of the foremost authorities on education and the history of education in the United States, author of the best-selling The Death and Life of the Great American School System; The Language Police ("Impassioned . . . Fiercely argued . . . Every bit as alarming as it is illuminating" --The New York Times); and the now-classic Great School Wars: A History of the New York City Public Schools--an incisive, comprehensive look at today's American public schools that argues persuasively against those who claim our public school system is broken, beyond repair, and obsolete; an impassioned but reasoned call to stop the rising "privatization movement" draining students--and funding--from our public schools, a book that puts forth a detailed plan of what needs to happen to schools and with public policy to insure the survival of this American institution so basic to our democracy"-- Provided by publisher. |
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"In Reign of Error, Diane Ravitch argues that the crisis in American education is not a crisis of academic achievement but a concerted effort to destroy public schools in this country. She makes clear that, contrary to the claims being made, public school test scores and graduation rates are the highest they've ever been, and dropout rates are at their lowest point. She argues that federal programs such as George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind and Barack Obama's Race to the Top set unreasonable targets for American students, punish schools, and result in teachers being fired if their students underperform, unfairly branding those educators as failures. She warns that major foundations, individual billionaires, and Wall Street hedge fund managers are encouraging the privatization of public education, some for idealistic reasons, others for profit. Many who work with equity funds are eyeing public education as an emerging market for investors. Reign of Error begins where The Death and Life of the Great American School System left off, providing a deeper argument against privatization and for public education, and in a chapter-by-chapter breakdown, putting forth a plan for what can be done to preserve and improve it. She makes clear what is right about U.S. education, how policy makers are failing to address the root causes of educational failure, and how we can fix it. For Ravitch, public school education is about knowledge, about learning, about developing character, and about creating citizens for our society. It's about helping to inspire independent thinkers, not just honing job skills or preparing people for college. Public school education is essential to our democracy, and its aim, since the founding of this country, has been to educate citizens who will help carry democracy into the future."--Publisher description. |
| Contents |
Our schools are at risk -- The context for corporate reform -- Who are the corporate reformers? -- The language of corporate reform -- The facts about test scores -- The facts about the achievement gap -- The facts about the international test scores -- The facts about high school graduation rates -- The facts about college graduation rates -- How poverty affects academic achievement -- The facts about teachers and test scores -- Why merit pay fails -- Do teachers need tenure and seniority? -- The problem with Teach For America -- The mystery of Michelle Rhee -- The contradictions of charters -- Trouble in e-land -- Parent trigger, parent tricker -- The failure of vouchers -- Schools don't improve if they are closed -- Solutions: start here -- Begin at the beginning -- The early years count -- The essentials of a good education -- Class size matters for teaching and learning -- Make charters work for all -- Wraparound services make a difference -- Measure knowledge and skills with care -- Strengthen the profession -- Protect democratic control of public schools -- The toxic mix -- Privatization of public education is wrong -- Conclusion: The pattern on the rug. |
| Subject |
Privatization in education -- United States.
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School choice -- United States.
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Education and state -- United States.
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| ISBN |
9780385350884 (hardcover) |
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0385350880 (hardcover) |
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