From Mike Anzelone, Professor of English, and NCCFT Secretary:
The Death and Life of the Great American School System (Basic Books, 2010) is a new book by Diane Ravitch and comes highly recommended by AFT. Check it out!
If you want to know more about the book, here’s the publisher’s synopsis, and beneath that are a few links to recent interviews with Ravitch. One is from WNYC’s Brian Lehrer show. The other is from the American Enterprise Institute.
Synopsis from the publisher:
In The Death and Life of the Great American School System, Diane Ravitch examines her career in education reform, and repudiates positions that she once fiercely defended. Evaluating broadly popular ideas for restructuring schools, she explains why they have had no positive impact on the quality of American education. Ravitch reconsiders the evolution of her own views on key issues and reveals her skepticism regarding charter schools, privatization, accountability, and the philanthropists who are trying to control school reform using business models for school planning.
Drawing on over forty years of research and observation on education, Ravitch also offers prescriptions for improving our schools. A passionate plea to promote the survival of public education, The Death and Life of the Great American School System represents a radical change of heart from one of America’s best-known education experts. It is a must-read for anyone–teachers, parents, administrators, and bureaucrats–invested in the future of our schools.
WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show interview, March 8 2010:
American Enterprise Institute discussion, March 10 2010:
