The Death and Life of the Great American School System-A review: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education

My quest to understand the state of our educational system has led me to read several books that give me foundational understanding.  The latest book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System-How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education, is written by a historian who's goal is to provide a history of the American school evolution. In recent years, standardized tests have become a heated topic and he recommends reevaluating testing standards.  He also promotes implementing a national curriculum which I do not support.  However, the author lays a great foundation for understanding how the political movements of our government have affected the current system - a complicated push and pull that seems to be leading no where fast.  

When the government started on the campaign to get tough on education, the top down approach to fixing the problems led to some very ugly acts against school administrators, principals, and teachers as they were ousted for their 'non-conformist' ideologies and resistance to the new and extreme reform measures.  What we are left with are basically the linchmen-type administrators that are enforcers pressuring school staff to perform- I mean- get the test scores up at whatever the cost.  No more nice guys- if you want to keep your job, you MUST perform (read page 50).  Yes, and with less and less time and resources.

The author also criticizes charters as they excersize  'experimental' methods to get kids on track by breaking away from the public school methods, utilizing new cutting edge methods and curriculum choice.  A free market approach to fixing the problems makes sense to me as it creates competition and gives parents and students choice.  It would be a shame if the government were to go backwards and instate a one curriculum, one method approach to every institution.  What about diversity? Perhaps in a socialistic setting, diversity is not desirable.

I agree with the author's discussion of testing and how it should never be the most heavily weighted means by which we evaluate schools and students.  We are left with entire administrations and teachers AND students, stressed out.  That is the current state.  I have first hand experience of this crunch as the blame game crushed my child. Schools can get adversarial to those who cause their scores averages to go down.  The failures of the schools and curriculum (in my exerience), are not always criticized rather the blame shifts onto the student who must be broken for not fitting into the box.  Hence, my journey began...to save my child.