The Death and Life of the Great American School System

How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education

De: Diane Ravitch

Narrado por: Eliza Foss

In this best-selling expose of national policy gone wrong, America's foremost historian of education, Diane Ravitch, renounces her support for reform policies implemented over the past decade that she says are wrecking America's cherished tradition of public education. Strategies like accountability schemes based on questionable standardized tests, merit pay for teachers based on gains on the same unreliable tests, vouchers, and charter schools have been oversold as solutions for our educational problems. Policymakers pushing a market model of reform and charter schools are on the wrong track, ignoring classroom realities. The more they push these policies, Ravitch says, the more they will harm our nation's school system and undermine the quality of education.

The bipartisan No Child Left Behind program ("NCLB") implemented with a heavy political hand nationwide, has failed to improve education. It has turned our schools into testing factories to train children how to take standardized tests instead of giving them the knowledge and skills that are necessary components of a good education. The federal "sanctions" and "remedies" now mandated nationwide have unfairly stigmatized thousands of schools, putting them at risk of being closed and privatized.

The "miracles" touted by districts under the new policies vanish on close examination. Test scores in many states and districts are inflated by statistical game-playing and lowered standards. The over-emphasis on testing has all but eliminated the essential elements of a solid education, including history, civics, science, the arts, geography, literature, physical education, health education, and foreign languages. Privatization and deregulation has led predictably to some good and some bad but, on average, charters do not get better results than regular public schools-just new federal subsidies. Teacher evaluation by student test scores is a deeply flawed approach to hiring and job tenure that is driving good teachers out of public education.

The future of public education is at stake. A democratic society needs a healthy, vibrant public education system with good public schools in every neighborhood. On our current course, the schools will be privatized, deregulated, and turned over to entrepreneurs. Based on a careful review of the evidence, Ravitch says that this course of action is unlikely to improve American education.

©2011 Diane Ravitch (P)2012 Diane Ravitch

Excellent and detailed analysis

Avoids political jargon and sticks to the facts of what is wrong with the hierarchical structure of the education system, from the federal government to corporate influence.

A must read for anyone involved in School Reform

If you could sum up The Death and Life of the Great American School System in three words, what would they be?

Revealing, Provacative, Insightful

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Death and Life of the Great American School System?

Understanding the corporate influence in policy making

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator needed to speak clearly, and louder, at times she drifted into a soft whisper, and talked too sensual for the topic.

If you could give The Death and Life of the Great American School System a new subtitle, what would it be?

An expose into the forces shaping educational policy.

Any additional comments?

You must read this book, if you are in anyway involved with education. If you are concerned about the state of students today, and want to understand why and how the problems of K-12 are now fully entrenched into Higher Education, you need to be aware of the history of decentralization of school. This book is brilliant and enlightening.

Decent

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The woman who read the book was irritating. I think it took twice as long than if I had read the text myself. Too many long pauses.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The fact that the author seemed genuinely less concerned about party politics and more concerned about the welfare of the American student.

Would you be willing to try another one of Eliza Foss’s performances?

No

Did The Death and Life of the Great American School System inspire you to do anything?

No

Informative!

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook, it was very informative and I learned a lot.

educators must read

This book should be read by every educator - especially administrators. Also, those in the political system who have any influence on how education systems work. Ms. Ravitch has taken a bold stance against current practices of testing children unfairly and using that data for evaluating teachers and assigning monetary support.
As a retired teacher of special needs kids, I saw many of the tragedies of high-stakes testing, including ignoring student needs as secondary to the curriculum.