The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and… (edition 2010)

In 2002, President George W. Bush signed the bill that made No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. It was a culmination of sorts of tides that had been growing for years, through both the Clinton and Bush administrations, toward sweeping reform in US schools. Standards would now be higher, market forces would operate to force weak schools, districts, and teachers to either meet the mark or be replaced. Every child would be learning more, and by the 2013-14 school year, one hundred percent of the children in American public schools would be proficient in reading and mathematics. We have only about three years to go, and it is absolutely clear that not just a few troubled, poor schools will fall short of that bar, but it may be difficult to find any that will surmount it. The failure isn't just that the federal resources that were supposed to lubricate the reform never materialized, but that the supposed data-driven business model for education is flawed. Diane Ravitch was involved in both the design and the implementation of NCLB, and she has the perspective of an insider. She worked hard to bring about the changes that NCLB demanded, but by about 2007, it had become clear to her that the train was off the rails. In this book, she provides the wisdom of a gifted teacher, the analytical skills of a CPA, and the writing skills of a journalist to make the compelling argument that the Obama administration's apparent willingness to try to rescue the NCLB vision by doing even more of the same is not likely to be good for our children and, ultimately, our country. I was surprised at how well this story was told. Ms. Ravitch uses both statistics and anecdotes to lead the reader to the same conclusions that can be obtained by talking with any public school teacher you know. ( )

Some excellent arguments for educational change are made, although overall this book has to be taken with a grain of salt. Ms. Ravitch is highly controversial having supported/constructed Bush's disastrous No Child Left Behind policy. I do give her credit for changing her viewpoint and in seeing how destructive this policy certainly has become for children in the USA.

Some of her arguments were right on point, especially in terms of how we measure proficiency in education. No one has proven many of the arguements around education that we all take for granted. For example, there is much made about Teach for America and funds are diverted to support this program. It is an excellent idea in theory but it doesn't allow for participants to truly become skilled in their work as they most often transition out of teaching right when they have gotten their bearings. Two years being the maximum enrollment period for TFA'ers.

I also appreciate her delving into research that isn't complete. To date, the idea that effective teachers can transform a school has not been proven. So many other variables come into play when we think about transforming a school such as poverty and effective school leadership. It doesn't make sense to focus energy exclusively on one area alone.

As she goes through her arguments I could agree with most and it helped me broaden my thinking and I looked at others and their writings around education just to confirm or review what she was saying.

One area that I did not agree with was her insistence that Catholic schools have always outperformed in terms of academic achievement with low-income students of color. I would have appreciated more information or data for her broad claims.

For anyone in education, it is definitely a worthy read. ( )

Ravitch is right on in her criticisms of education policies and her ideas what can be done to repair a crippled system. ( )

A great overview of the problems caused by a relentless focus on testing in American public schools. I learned a lot about the history of education; for example, charter schools started as a white response to desegregation in the South. Ravitch draws her conclusions so clearly and concisely that I don't know how anyone could argue against her case. Even when her conclusions were somewhat obvious, it was still a compelling read.

The last chapter lost me a bit, though. I agree with many of her recommendations, but they are merely that, recommendations. I think something more needs to be done than simply lists of things that schools should do. The key, I think, is parental involvement, and also finding ways of fighting against the deep-rooted anti-intellectualism that is so prevalent in the United States. I know this sounds as vague as well, but I'd like to see more books about *how* to make these things happen, not just recommend them. ( )

This was a very powerful book. It made me reflect a lot on what I am actually doing at my job, what I used to do at my job, and how they are so very different in so many ways. Many, many things rang true to my current situation. Too many.

If you are involved in any way, shape, or form in education, you should read this book. For many people I know, it is 'reading to the choir' - but there are too many hard facts from major studies to back up the 'choir's' ideas to not read it. If you don't really understand how NCLB works, read this book. If you have a child/children in any type of school (other than homeschooling), read this book. If you ever want to have a child/children in school, read this book.

Basically, it boiled down to one major point for me - my future will be determined, in large part, in how the students of TODAY are educated. In only a short period of time the students of today will be my surgeons, doctors, nurses, payroll accountants, coworkers, people who design the things I travel in/on, people who fix the things I rely upon to live, and people who make the choices that run the country's systems..

If the schooling system in America is broken, my future will be broken. Unless you are already retired, YOUR future will be broken. Read this book to see what is going on in education, and why people need to take some action and make changes. Even if you only read the first and last chapters, you will get a solid idea of the current issues. ( )