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

Diane Ravitch has emerged as an iconic figure on America's political landscape. What Daniel Ellsberg was to the Vietnam War, Ravitch has become to the battle raging over public education - a truth-teller with the knowledge that comes from decades on the inside of the education "reform" movement. Her new book, Reign of Error, The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools, goes on sale Tuesday, and reveals a great deal about the nature of the epic struggle raging over the future of public education in America - and beyond.Ravitch's previous book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System, was a breakthrough. An "establishment" figure reviewed the evidence and categorically rejected the dominant reform strategies then on the ascent. What's more, Ravitch called out what she termed the "billionaire boys club" for their heavy-handed attempts to privatize the public schools.Reign of Error picks up where Death and Life left off. Over the past three years the patterns of corruption and influence have become clear, as has the evidence. Her prose is precise and accurate, and devastating. She does not mince words. The third chapter, "Who are the Corporate Reformers," provides a thumbnail portrait of the titans and their proxies. From Gates to Jeb Bush to Barack Obama, we see the web connected by the power of wealth.Some have suggested that Ravitch applies too broad a brush in her indictment. Here is what she writes:"Some in the reform movement, believing that American education is obsolete and failing, think they are promoting a necessary but painful redesign of the nation's ailing schools. Some sincerely believe they are helping poor black and brown children escape from failing public schools. Some think they are on the side of modernization and innovation. But others see an opportunity to make money in a large, risk-free, government-funded sector or an opportunity for personal advancement and power. Some believe they are acting rationally by treating the public education sector as an investment opportunity."Ravitch is not vilifying. She allows for good intentions as well as selfish ones. We do not need to look into the hearts of corporate reformers to determine that they are wrong for our schools. We just need to look at the results of their policies.And that is where Reign of Error is most useful.True to the title, the book takes on the errors that are central to the corporate reform narrative.* While we hear that schools are failing, the truth is test scores and graduation rates have never been higher.* Poverty is not an excuse for low achievement. It is a significant obstacle which must be dealt with.* Using test scores to identify and get rid of "bad" teachers will do more to harm students than help them.* Merit pay for test scores likewise has never worked.* Schools are not improved by closing them.On Teach For America, her analysis corresponds to my experiences working as a mentor teacher in Oakland:"By its design, TFA exacerbates teacher turnover or "churn." No other profession would admire and reward a program that replenished its ranks with untrained people who expected to move on to a new career in a few years. Our schools already have too much churn. Nationally, about 40 percent of teachers leave within the first five years; in high-poverty schools, the rate is 50 percent or so. Few members of TFA stay in the classroom as long as five years. Researchers have found that experience matters; the weakest teachers are in their first two years of teaching, which is understandable because they are learning how to teach and manage their classes. Researchers have also found that staff stability matters. The more that teachers come and go, the worse it is for the schools and their students. One recent study determined that teacher turnover depressed achievement in both mathematics and reading, especially in schools with more low-performing and black students. The disruption was harmful to students whose teachers left, as well as to other students in the school. Turnover itself is harmful, possibly because it undermines the cohesion and collegiality of the community of educators."On the subject of charter schools, Ravitch does not issue the blanket condemnation she has been accused of. Instead, she makes specific observations of the practices of charters around the country, and their impact on the local communities they inhabit. And she raises some critical questions:"Will charter schools contribute to the increasing segregation of American society along lines of race and class? Will the motivated students congregate in charter schools while the unmotivated cluster in what remains of the public schools? Will the concentration of charter schools in urban districts sound a death knell for urban public education? Why do the elites support the increased stratification of American society? If charter schools are not more successful on average than the public schools they replace, what is accomplished by demolishing public education? What is the rationale for authorizing for-profit charters or charter management organizations with high-paid executives, since taxpayers will pay their salaries, with no benefit to their own children?"On the subject of online education, Ravitch describes recent boondoggles, and observes,"Online technology surely holds immense potential to enliven the classroom. But the story of cyber charters warns us that the profit motive operates in conflict with the imperative for high quality education."When Ravitch discusses vouchers, her dedication to quality education shines through."If the market were always right, the best products would always be the most successful, but that is not necessarily the case. If the market were always right, only the highest quality books, movies, and television programs would top the charts, but that is not necessarily the case.""Would the free market produce better education? Should the state subsidize schools where teachers are not certified and meet no particular standard of professionalism? Should taxpayers fund religious schools whose beliefs do not accord with modern science or history?"Ravitch was faulted for her last book's lack of solutions to the problems she identified. The last third of Reign of Error is devoted to concrete policy solutions, and evidence that they are sound. Prenatal care, early childhood education, and, of course, a solid, well-rounded education for every child. Smaller class size and wraparound social services are also endorsed.The issue of testing is of critical importance, because this, more than anything, has emerged as the linchpin of corporate reform. Her seventh solution is:"Eliminate high-stakes standardized testing and rely instead on assessments that allow students to demonstrate what they know and can do."Every time we decry the effects of standardized tests, we are told that this is the only way to hold schools and teachers accountable. Ravitch offers another idea."Just imagine that every school district and state had a team of expert educators who regularly visited and inspected schools. They would review student work and meet with the principal, teachers, parents and students. They would analyze the demographics, the curriculum, the staff, the resources, and the condition of the school. They would interview educators to gauge the progress of students who advanced to the next level of schooling, from elementary school to middle school, from middle school to high school, and from high school to postsecondary studies. Schools that are struggling to meet the needs of their students would get frequent visits, no less than annually. Schools that are successful would require fewer inspections. The evaluation team would make recommendations to help the school improve and send in support personnel when needed. It would prod the authorities to make sure the school got the resources and support it needed. The goal of the evaluation should be continuous improvement, not a letter grade or a threat of closure."In the final chapters of Reign of Error, Ravitch explains the pernicious effect of privatization:"But as school choice becomes the basis for public policy, the school becomes not a community institution but an institution that meets the needs of its customers. The school reaches across district lines to find customers; it markets its offerings to potential students. Districts poach students from each other, in hopes of getting more dollars. The customers choose or reject the school, as they would choose or reject a restaurant; it's their choice. The community no longer feels any ties to the school, because the school is not part of the community. The community no longer feels obliged to support the school, because it is not theirs."Educators feel that Diane Ravitch speaks for us in a way that few others do. That is clearest when she writes this, in bringing her book to a close:"Genuine school reform must be built on hope, not fear; on encouragement, not threats; on inspiration, not compulsion; on trust, not carrots and sticks; on belief in the dignity of the human person, not a slavish devotion to data; on support and mutual respect, not a regime of punishment and blame. To be lasting, school reform must rely on collaboration and teamwork among students, parents, teachers, principals, administrators and local communities."Ravitch's own journey, which has taken her from inside the first Bush administration to standing alongside those protesting Obama's education policies on the National Mall, is remarkable. This book provides us with a definitive study of the state of education reform in the modern age. This is a living history written by someone willing to make it, not just write about it.In the year to come there will be study groups gathering by the hundreds to talk over this book and better understand what is happening to our schools. This book was not written simply to be read. Like the best books, it was written to be discussed, wrestled with, and acted upon.

I am not a teacher nor do I have children. I did go to public schools. So I am pretty ignorant about public school issues. This book was designed for people like me. Though when I finished, I was baffled why so many intelligent (and rich) people who seem to care about children (I'm disregarding the greedy and the ones with political agendas - we all know they are there - another time) are so much in favor of charter schools, especially considering what I learned in this book that most are not accountable to the tax payer from whom they receive a fair amount (in some case all) funding. This lack of accountability may be good in the short run without union interfering and school boards interfering but we all know that in the long run, Capitalism will find a way to reward handsomely those in authority over the charter schools and figure out ways how to minimize what they actually have to pay for the education portion of their responsibiliy. It may not be happening in all charter schools now but if you keep shutting the doors on any intelligent/concerned oversight, that will be the future. I read a blog entry on the web posted on the Washington Post website that clarified for me why seemingly well-intentioned people seem to be so far off base according to Ravitch. For example Bill Gates. I finally have concluded it can only be due to ignorance coupled with arrogance that he and others like him think they are smarter than everyone else especially experienced award-winning teachers (not the ones that need to be fired which I know such teachers exist). With his money and status, he is not accustomed to learning through feedback that he might be wrong. This particular blog made this crystal clear for me (after having read the book). Bill Gates asks Diane Ravitch if she has a "magic bullet". He says he is "all ears". She responds by saying "there is no magic bullet". WOW! That is the most intelligent thing I've ever heard on the subject of school reform. Thank you Diane Ravitch. Wish we could clone you so the word could get out better. That is my concern. Don't know how Ravitch is going to win in a battle where the other side has billions and billions of dollars and where many politicians are finding it a convenient platform to help them avoid dealing with the real problem of poverty that has very complicated, controversial and difficult solutions (most of which we haven't figured out yet but still need to keep talking on the subject - and listen to others). If they can't and don't and won't deal with poverty in other problem areas of society, why would they be willing without a significant fight to deal with it in regards to education? I'm very depressed about any real reform happening in my lifetime. Did I say this was a wonderful book? Did have a fair amount of repetition but I appreciated the effort spent by the author to keep the narrative along a clear cut outline. This means I can easily review later if and when I feel the need. Thank you Diane Ravitch.

La autora describe y analiza minuciosamente la importancia del sistema de educación pública norteamericano para su democracia y los ataques de la mancuerna empresarial y autoridades gubernamentales para convertirlo en un negocio más. Al apuntar los principios y cimientos democráticos de la educación pública, la autora da pautas claras para reconstruirla desde una perspectiva humanista. En México estamos viendo está película destructiva con todos los trucos señalados en este gran libro, no falta ni uno, incluyendo la película con los mismos efectos especiales. Un libro muy recomendable para todos aquellos formados en escuelas públicas. Y, por qué no? También para los de la escuela privada y para aquellos que quieren destruirla y engullir a tan venerable institución.

I am very sympathetic with everything Diane Ravitch writes, but this book repeated everything many, many times more than necessary, to the point of really annoying me. On the issues, the only aspect left unaddressed and needing to be addressed is the local tax base funding the schools and making them as a result very unequal in their ability to provide a decent educational experience to all. . I am in favor of national standards...we are after all one country....and I believe schools should be funded equally on a per child basis. Local school boards have a role to play, but there can be a lot of reinventing the wheel and making important decisions about schools without the expertise available from those spending their lives studying, researching and working in schools.

This book undoes most of the myths about the current corporate educational reform agenda and exposes, in the US all the destructive policies that Michael Gove is doing in the UK.

Good book