Debating the Future of American Education: Do We Need National Standards and Assessments? (Brookings Dialogues on Public Policy)
by Diane Ravitch
Brookings Dialogues on Public Policy
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What is the outlook for educational reform in the United States? One of the most striking proposals has been to establish a system of national standards, which has raised many complex questions: Is it possible for the United States, with its history of extreme decentralization, to establish and enforce national standards for what students should know? Who will create these standards? What would be the role of the federal, state, and local governments? While the idea of national standards has show more been widely supported, many respected educators doubt their value from fear that such standards will institutionalize the lowest common denominator. Others cite the poor performance of U.S. students on international tests and insist that the U.S. will suffer because of this poor performance. The debate becomes even more intense when the question of assessment is posed. Is it possible to develop a national examination system tied to new standards? Should such tests be used to influence entry to colleges and jobs? Would the motivation of students to learn be increased if they knew that their performance would be reviewed by colleges and employers? Is it fair to set standards for students without setting standards for schools? To address these and other questions, this book, the result of a Brookings conference, brings together representatives of various viewpoints on the utility and equity of increasing the use of tests for students, teachers, and schools. The contributors are Chester Finn, Jr., the Edison Project; Daniel Koretz, RAND; Andrew Porter, Wisconsin Center for Education Research; Lauren Resnick, University of Pittsburgh; Roy Romer, Governor of Colorado; Albert Shanker, American Federation of Teachers; Theodore R. Sizer, Brown University; Marshall C. Smith, U.S. Department of Education; and Donald M. Stewart, The College Board. Brookings Dialogues on Public Policy. show lessTags
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32+ Works 3,175 Members
Diane Ravitch is the Research Professor of Education at New York University and a historian of education. She is the former assistant secretary of education and a former member of the National Assessment Governing Board. The author of ten books, including Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public show more Schools, Ravitch lives in Brooklyn, New York. show less
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- Genre
- Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 379.1 — Society, government, & culture Education Public policy issues in education Public school system
- LCC
- LB3060.83 .D43 — Education Theory and practice of education Theory and practice of education School administration and organization School management and discipline Educational tests, measurements, evaluations
- BISAC
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- English
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