Reign of Error

Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools 

by Diane Ravitch

Two days, two books about the ills of modern American society.  Housing yesterday, and today? Education for our youth.  NYU’s own Diane Ravitch scribes the book: Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public. Ravitch presents a series of compelling arguments to fight the idea that we should move to privatizing our children’s school systems.  Her introduction offers a brief historical context of the public school system and how it appeared to get broken.  This is immediately followed by fifteen “claims” that support privatization and a counter “reality check” responding to each one.  Some of the issues she argues include: American public school test scores dropping while International test scores rise; our nation’s dropout crisis; declining graduation rates in college; the idea that test scores show a teacher’s effectiveness; merit pay for teachers improving achievement rates of students; abolishing tenure for teachers to help student success; the myth about Teach for America (which she debunks); the claim that Charter schools will revolutionize education; the idea that virtual schools for children will personalize the experience (and it’s cheaper); and finally parents seizing control of their school to make it better.  Well Ravitch has the data to prove that these claims are not accurate.  She has done her homework!  Like all good books that dispel myths, the author provides a series of recommendations to improve the system.  They are well thought out and make great sense, such as: provide good prenatal care for every pregnant woman; make high-quality early childhood education available to all children; have a well-balanced curriculum (arts and phys ed included); reduce class size; provide medical and social services to the poor; eliminate high-stakes standardized tests; ensure teachers/principals are trained; all public schools having school boards; devise strategies and goals to reduce racial segregation and poverty; and recognize that public education is a public responsibility, not a consumer good.  What a well-constructed series of arguments presented with REAL data.  I love reading books by smart and prepared NYU faculty.  This is a must read for any parent who wants their child to not be “left behind”.  Great read to learn more about the future needs of the next generation.