The death and life of the great american school system
AK
Mr. Anthony Kibet 4 views English
The author argues that the focus on markets and choice in education, such as charter schools and accountability measures, is not an effective solution for improving public education. Instead, he suggests that curriculum and instruction are more important.
About this book
The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education is a non-fiction book by Diane Ravitch, originally published in 2010 by Basic Books, with revised and expanded versions reprinted over the years.
Details
Ravitch includes clear prescriptions for improving America’s schools:
leave decisions about schools to educators, not politicians or businessmen
devise a truly national curriculum that sets out what children in every grade should be learning
expect charter schools to educate the kids who need help the most, not to compete with public schools
pay teachers a fair wage for their work, not “merit pay” based on deeply flawed and unreliable test scores
encourage family involvement in education from an early age
The Death and Life of the Great American School System is more than just an analysis of the state of play of the American education system. It is a must-read for any stakeholder in the future of American schooling.
