Includes bibliographical references (pages 359-382) and index.
Contents:
Conclusion: The pattern on the rug. 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.
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.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.