Reign of Error - Diane Ravitch
A book in a genre you usually avoid.
This book is one I never would have picked up on my own, but thanks to my recent delve into the world of grad school, it's something that I was required to read for a class.
And I'm glad that I did.
Most non-fiction books about current events have an argument about what is going on, and they take a bias while being factual or distorting facts to support their claims. Ravitch takes a strong defense of public education, and challenges us to look inside the legislation that is pushing us towards a charter school nation rather than sitting on the sidelines and letting public schools close.
America has offered up universal education on a platter, for anyone and everyone who want it, but the charter school movement is a threat to that, one she outlines and explains as clear as she can. She covers all of her bases; from Race to the Top and No Child Left Behind, to merit pay and why standardized testing doesn't prove anything or help close the achievement gap.
She's accurate, she's precise, and she proposes solutions and gives reasons why none of the policies pushed by reformers don't (and won't) work. Then she defends public education, and why America's previous standards were so unique and led us to be a leading nation in innovation.
This is a great work, something anyone should pick up to understand why we can't just privatize schools (I'm looking at you, Betsy DeVos).
