The Death and Life of the Great American School System
How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education
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Narrated by:
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Eliza Foss
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By:
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Diane Ravitch
About this listen
In this best-selling expose of national policy gone wrong, America's foremost historian of education, Diane Ravitch, renounces her support for reform policies implemented over the past decade that she says are wrecking America's cherished tradition of public education. Strategies like accountability schemes based on questionable standardized tests, merit pay for teachers based on gains on the same unreliable tests, vouchers, and charter schools have been oversold as solutions for our educational problems. Policymakers pushing a market model of reform and charter schools are on the wrong track, ignoring classroom realities. The more they push these policies, Ravitch says, the more they will harm our nation's school system and undermine the quality of education.
The bipartisan No Child Left Behind program ("NCLB") implemented with a heavy political hand nationwide, has failed to improve education. It has turned our schools into testing factories to train children how to take standardized tests instead of giving them the knowledge and skills that are necessary components of a good education. The federal "sanctions" and "remedies" now mandated nationwide have unfairly stigmatized thousands of schools, putting them at risk of being closed and privatized.
The "miracles" touted by districts under the new policies vanish on close examination. Test scores in many states and districts are inflated by statistical game-playing and lowered standards. The over-emphasis on testing has all but eliminated the essential elements of a solid education, including history, civics, science, the arts, geography, literature, physical education, health education, and foreign languages. Privatization and deregulation has led predictably to some good and some bad but, on average, charters do not get better results than regular public schools-just new federal subsidies. Teacher evaluation by student test scores is a deeply flawed approach to hiring and job tenure that is driving good teachers out of public education.
The future of public education is at stake. A democratic society needs a healthy, vibrant public education system with good public schools in every neighborhood. On our current course, the schools will be privatized, deregulated, and turned over to entrepreneurs. Based on a careful review of the evidence, Ravitch says that this course of action is unlikely to improve American education.
©2011 Diane Ravitch (P)2012 Diane RavitchListeners also enjoyed...
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Most people think the way to write a best seller is to have a lot of talent and even more luck. As you will learn, there is a recipe for success, and luck may be the least important ingredient in creating a best seller. No one has cracked the code better than James Scott Bell. A best-selling author himself, and the author of the number-one best seller for writers, Plot & Structure, Mr. Bell has been teaching the principles of best-selling fiction for over 20 years, principles that apply to any genre or style.
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I'm a writer and this course is to blame.
- By accentrique on 07-22-19
By: James Scott Bell, and others
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English Grammar Boot Camp
- By: Anne Curzan, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Anne Curzan
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Original Recording
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Grammar! For many of us, the word triggers memories of finger-wagging schoolteachers, and of wrestling with the ambiguous and complicated rules of using formal language. But what is grammar? In fact, it's the integral basis of how we speak and write. As such, a refined awareness of grammar opens a world of possibilities for both your pleasure in the English language and your skill in using it, in both speech and the written word.
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Spectacular
- By Quaker on 09-24-16
By: Anne Curzan, and others
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Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue
- The Untold History of English
- By: John McWhorter
- Narrated by: John McWhorter
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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A survey of the quirks and quandaries of the English language, focusing on our strange and wonderful grammar. Why do we say "I am reading a catalog" instead of "I read a catalog"? Why do we say "do" at all? Is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values? Delving into these provocative topics and more, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue distills hundreds of years of fascinating lore into one lively history.
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Great for casual linguists
- By Bertie on 01-11-10
By: John McWhorter
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Easy Spanish Step-by-Step
- By: Barbara Bregstein
- Narrated by: Rachel Story
- Length: 37 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Easy Spanish Step-by-Step is designed in such a way that each section builds upon the last to help your brain progressively create lasting and meaningful connections to each new word and grammar concept. Simply by listening and speaking out loud with us, you will naturally progress, step-by-step, toward Spanish communication and fluency.
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Best so far . . .
- By Medusa in Akron on 07-20-21
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Survival Theory
- A Preparedness Guide
- By: Jonathan Hollerman
- Narrated by: Jim Pelletier
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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This preparedness guide will help you develop a plan to escape the deadly rioting and looting, showing you where you can take your family to keep them safe, even if you can't afford a fully-stocked survival retreat. Jonathan Hollerman's in-depth expertise and recommendations will cover many topics including bug-out bags, SHTF Weapons, tactical gear, survival tools, knives, long-term food storage, livestock, bug-out locations, survival retreat recommendations, and much more.
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Literally a half decent book.
- By LA on 09-29-16
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How to Boost Your Credit Score 100+ Points in 30 Days Without Credit Repair!
- By: Brian Diez
- Narrated by: Mike Norgaard
- Length: 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Did you know that you could have credit scores in the low 600s even if you never missed a bill payment in your life? That's because your payment history is only 35% of your credit score. How to Boost Your Credit Score 100+ Points in 30 Days Without Credit Repair will show credit industry secrets for maximizing the other 65%. The best part is you will see real results in just 30 days.
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Don't waste a credit on this!
- By typhoidtrish on 10-01-18
By: Brian Diez
What listeners say about The Death and Life of the Great American School System
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Ms. Ivey
- 08-22-12
Decent
Is there anything you would change about this book?
The woman who read the book was irritating. I think it took twice as long than if I had read the text myself. Too many long pauses.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
The fact that the author seemed genuinely less concerned about party politics and more concerned about the welfare of the American student.
Would you be willing to try another one of Eliza Foss’s performances?
No
Did The Death and Life of the Great American School System inspire you to do anything?
No
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- Rebecca
- 08-11-13
A must read for anyone involved in School Reform
If you could sum up The Death and Life of the Great American School System in three words, what would they be?
Revealing, Provacative, Insightful
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Death and Life of the Great American School System?
Understanding the corporate influence in policy making
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
The narrator needed to speak clearly, and louder, at times she drifted into a soft whisper, and talked too sensual for the topic.
If you could give The Death and Life of the Great American School System a new subtitle, what would it be?
An expose into the forces shaping educational policy.
Any additional comments?
You must read this book, if you are in anyway involved with education. If you are concerned about the state of students today, and want to understand why and how the problems of K-12 are now fully entrenched into Higher Education, you need to be aware of the history of decentralization of school. This book is brilliant and enlightening.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Tiffany Rose Mitchell
- 03-28-18
Informative!
I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook, it was very informative and I learned a lot.
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1 person found this helpful
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- joann Hansen
- 11-26-19
educators must read
This book should be read by every educator - especially administrators. Also, those in the political system who have any influence on how education systems work. Ms. Ravitch has taken a bold stance against current practices of testing children unfairly and using that data for evaluating teachers and assigning monetary support.
As a retired teacher of special needs kids, I saw many of the tragedies of high-stakes testing, including ignoring student needs as secondary to the curriculum.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Bruce Stubblefield
- 06-09-23
Nailed it, foresaw it
Diane nailed what I came to experience as at best, questionable decisions and practices as an educator in the last 10 years. Much like the reckoning that is occurring in reading across the nation, currently many of the things that we “tried“ under no child left behind and race to the top have mislead and soured students, parents teachers, and the nation as a whole on public education. It’s no wonder that large chunks of the population are seeking out other options for schooling, including homeschooling, micro schools, charters, and of course, private education. This book really helped serve as a good summary of the history of modern education; it also helps to diagnose the then ills of public education and an even foresaw some of the coming problems that we are currently dealing with… definitely recommend.
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- Andrea
- 08-15-12
Useful information: What's Education For?
If you could sum up The Death and Life of the Great American School System in three words, what would they be?
thought-provoking, statistical, research-based
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
The description of a business model for education, as though learning were a market commodity, and the damage that model does to useful learning in our schools.
Which scene was your favorite?
The description of the New York educational "reform", and the flawed statistics that supported the results as effective.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No! Way too dense. One disadvantage of audiobooks is that a report like this, with reference to many statistics in the narrative, is difficult to follow--hard to remember what numbers were cited a few paragraphs ago. In printed books, you can just flip back.
Any additional comments?
I appreciated the fact-based investigation and arguments Ravitch offered, and will be watching our own schools to see if they can move away from "teaching to the test", a move that both of my daughters, both schoolteachers, find is an impediment to their ability to educate their students, especially in critical thinking and problem-solving.
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5 people found this helpful
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- MG Wray Samans
- 03-04-17
A tedious book with some important information.
Woven through the tiresome repetition are facts critical to understanding the situation in American education. Slog through it.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Patricia Melise
- 07-18-15
Spot On!
Ms. Ravitch eloquently explains the issues facing today's educators. She has a first-hand knowledge of the politics that drive public education. The only thing missing are the answers.
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- mora24
- 05-22-15
A welcome voice of both reason and heart
Content: As a student of Education, this is hands down one of my favorite books on education I've read during my PhD program.
Performance: adequate narration, a touch slow for my taste. I usually listened to it at 1.5 speed, sometimes 1.25.
Overall: Whether you are an educator, policy maker, parent, or a concerned citizen, this is a book that you should read. It's not only an important but a solid writer is at the helm. A welcome voice of both heart and reason.
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- Joshua L Schneider
- 09-25-12
Interesting read for every teacher
If you could sum up The Death and Life of the Great American School System in three words, what would they be?
A short history of the American educational system, including an honest look at the causes and consequences of the current trends.
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2 people found this helpful