Also by Diane Ravitch AUTHOR arpa A Glosay of Econ Terms, Phe Bacon =>? errenguage ais How Pres Grows Resi What Sadents ‘Las Lf Buck A Century ofl Schoo Reforms 1a et Gtndand m American Edvcatin: A Cite’ Gn aa we Dvr: fons om he Eductionl Crs of nr “Times “the Troubled Crusade Arian Education, 1945-1980 is Reed: A Crue ofthe Racal tack on the Soho Te Pn Sohal Was: NewYork City 1805-1973 ‘COAUTHOR, coeur 17-Yea-Ols Kw? A Report onthe Fst Nation "ase of Hisar and Literature EDITOR Pee the Fue of American Edscsion: Do We Neck Neo ‘Standards and Assesment? “The American Reader Brookings Papers on Edson Peliy ccoEDrTOR “The English Reader Ta Sif Marketing Sex nd Veneto America Chir Making Good Citizens Edvction and Cr Society Cry Sel: Lasso rom New York Se Seholfora New Century: The Redesign of ron Edvcain aa rth Pas Wha ior Tacks Usabot Schoo Reform “The Demoeracy Reader CChlenges othe Blumen Shaman Ushan People: The New York City Experience a dir, Improving he Tenchig fhe Humoniie "Amerie High Schools a dhe Cy Community Soden the Har of Americas "Edwcetlon ‘THE DEATH AND LIFE OFTHE GREAT AMERICAN SCHOOL SYSTEM How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education [REVISED AND EXPANDED EDITION DIANE RAVITCH BASIC BOOKS A Member othe Pee Boots Coup NakEPILOGUE School and Society Wan | comeusren THE FINAL DRAFT ofthis Book on November Wai 90T the wznd button with amare of joy and sadness Joao be Snished, sadness becouse ¥ couldn ep revitng ol Je Rhee, adding new materi to fle the latest ent P Heat was instore fr the book or for me. Would bg bad no oreven nouced? Would it find ts intended audience? Ang reve h oppem ifthe powerful gues ctcized in the book did aa od react | thought about the Monty Python comedy #6 renal pant shoe comes out of nowhere to squash a characte, nee jd whether that would happen me, Ferronts,L wor fied and waited ‘Wyden book nally was published in Masch 2010 ot ten sion ny because ad changed my wews, News stories clekmed! aoe ea Ut, that 1 had recanted everything once believed Ft mae, had changed my mid about means, not end ca wae ecotonal philosophy remained the same. Ihave always aa aac every child might have the same high-quality ection rea os my children and now want for my grandchildren, Over Eula deere years, had been thinking outloud. in pint and om vias sxralatng my views in public and sorting out the eee ees replated, Eventually, 1 come tothe realization tht se a aeeammpled wit tesi-based accountability would not solve Our artery and actualy esked making them worse, Ts, sup see mmenay ono polarized ola tre cha hen reer shouldbe so extraordinary. Its even more musa f 23have daconered, to say, Twas wong." Tha’ ashame. How can we learn iF we never change our views and never admit ero? ‘The book dd find its intended audience. It became a best seller [received more than a thousand incredibly moving e-mails and let. ‘ers fom teachers, patents, administrators, and other ctzens. Many re published on my Web site, some writers requested anonym, and others asked that I not post thei ete, fearful that they might be identified by thir supervisor So far the giant shoe has not man ‘aged to squash me, although Tve taken my share of etiam, some fair some not, on the air an in print. In this added chapter, I examine some ofthe significant events that heve occured since the book’s completion and review recent research about the major trends in American education, | ako audess,the changes needed 10 bring about the improvement in education that everyone desires Inthe book, I described something new that was happening in public education, something set called tse reform but looked ike A wave of deliberate desriction, sweeping away schools and educs tors and dispersing children to untied destinations It begin with [No Child Left Behind, which established a regime of anal tes ing forall students in grades three through eight and mandated a ‘utopian goal that ll stadents would achieve proficiency in reading and mathematics by 2014, IFany group in a school was no ontrack to meet that target, the entre school would be stigmatized as fal Ing and face escalating sanctions. NCLB setup the nation's public Schools to fal, and asthe magical year drew closer, more and more of them did fall. By 2011, Secretary of Educstion Arne Duncan ha warned thatthe proportion of “alling schools" would rise to 82 pe cent during the year’ By 2014, ithe aw remained unchanged, vey feo public schools would be left standing, untouched by state inter vention and punishment In tetospect, NCLB was the worst education legslition ever passed by Congress. Is remaning supporters ae few, It was pre sumptuous, intrusive, and harmful. Ie presumed that Congress knows how to reform schools, which ie doesnot. It empowered the federal government to exend its mandates inta every public school classroom in che nation, negating the role of states and lactis in directing thie public schoels. It assumed that scores on standard laed, multiple-choice tests are the end goal of education, which they are not The laws rigid preseriptions and humiliating, destuctive ‘ScHOOL AND soctery 24s sanctions demoralied educators across the nation, substituting the judgment of Congress for that of professionals, As T predicted in the book, this narrow-minded definition of success served manly to encourage narrowing the curiculum, gaming the sstem, teaching to bad tests, and cheating. Inthe nearly two years since the book ‘was published, cheating scandals have been uncovered in various Aistets and ities, most notably in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia. Properly designed and used, tests can provide helpful Information, but inthe era of NCLB, test scores became the sole measure of student and school achievement. ‘NCLB created a national education policy that neglected the central purpose of education: to shape good human beings, good citizens, people af good character withthe knowledge and skis to ‘make their way in the world and to jin wit others to sustain and improve our democracy. Children leam many things in the home and in their community But they go to school to learn to read, wrt, study peat Iterature, do mathematics, understand selence, lem bout history and civies, acquire a second language, and engage in the ats, while learning to work together, pay together, snd think for themseives. The broad and humanistic goals of education ought not be reduced to sores on multiple-cholce tests of basle skills. Doing 50 narrows the purposes of education and diminishes the profes ‘Sonal responsbliis of teachers and principal. [NCLB had other undesiable effets. A its prescriptions failed ‘more schools, public confidence in public education and inthe edu cation profession declined. Consequently, politcal pressure for pi vately managed schools grew, as did proposals to deprofesionlize «elucation so that inexperienced individuals could assume the roles of teacher, principal, and superintendent. Schools that had once been the heart and soul of their communities closed thee dots, he replaced by small schol, charter schools, and privately managed schools, Some very troubled inner-city school, plagued by violence and disorder, closed their dors and spread their unaddressed prob- Jems to other schools. Some schools were subjected to a process called transformation, which meant thatthe principal was fred, long vith half oral ofthe staff. Business minded reformers envisioned a market system where parents chose schools like they shopped for shoes, schools advertised their services, and school boards acted 1s though they were mangging a stack portfolio. The market would ering so much bipartisan support and media accolades, thatthe draconian nature ofthese measures was not immediatly apparent to the public, The closings, one after anothe, bothered slimost no ‘one excep the educators, parents, and students affected. Neither Congress nor the Bush or Obama administrations bstened to ther. "Not only were they ignoted, but thei eles were muffled by a well-publicized, heavily subsidized eampaign to close more schools tnd fre more teachers, nd to doit more energetically than even NCLB demanded, “Tue inst SaUvo OF THE NEW GET-TOUGH CAMPAIGN occurred in February 2010, when Frances Gallo, the school superintendent of Genttal Falls, Rhode Island—the sates smallest and poorest {istrit—announced her intention to fire every staff member of the cits only high school because of its low test scores. She had the strong support of state Education Commissioner Deborah Gist. Ifthe staffed not agree to longer working hours, everyone would be fired—noe only seveny-four teachers, but also reading special ‘sts, guidance counselors, physical education teachers, the school poychologist, the principal, and thee assistant principals. Studentsand parents defended the teachers, saying that “they treat ws with respect’ andthe stay when we need help” but to no avail? Secretary of Education Ame Duncan endorsed the proposed macs firings of the teachers (none of whom had been individu ally evaluated) and applauded state and local official for “showing ‘courage and doing the ght thing for kids." Duncan sd, "This t= hard work and chese ae tough decisions, but students only have fone chance for an education, and when schools continue to strug dle, we have a collective abligation to take action” Speaking tothe US. Chamber of Commerce a few days later, President Obama supported the Fring ofthe Central Falls staff and made a point of acknowledging former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, fone ofthe architects of NCLB, because "she helped to lead a lor of ‘the improvement thar’ been taking place and we'ebulding on." Eventually the local teachers union settled with the Cen tral Falls school district, and the immediate crisis passed. But its elfects lingered and reached an audience far beyond Rhode Island. For the Rist time, teachers across the nation understood that the longestablished rules oftheir chosen carer hed changed They awakened to the possibilty tha sei school and their career right be subject tothe inexorable ticking of the NCLB clock. They began to realize, as John Donne had watten, "Never send to know For whom the bells tll for thee” For Cental Falls High School, the experience was unsettling and painful. After the détente between dishictofcals and teach 5, staff morale plummeted. Within a year, twenty-six teachers had Ieft or had been fired. New leadership atthe school hied enthusi- asic new teachers, but absenteeism by both teachers and students ‘became a chronic problem, and student discipline deteriorated, The ‘numberof in-school suspensions soared, The events of the previous year seemed to convince students thet thee teachers were incompe: tent and to blame for their on poor performance or lack of effore. In May 2011, che teaches inthe tiny district passed a resolution of no-confidence in Superintendent Frances Gallo bya vote of 244-8. Claudio Sancher of National Public Radio concluded that the dis: trices "wansformation’ plan was “in shambles.” The high school had become, he sad, “a cautionay tale about the complexities of school reform and whether the federal overnment should be dic: tating what those reforms shouldbe. In this tri, where reform scttoot. avo soctery 249 had been bluntly imposed, ust among. administrators, teachers, students, and parents was broken, There were no winner" ‘The event in Central Fills provided a perfect backdeop for the cover of Newnueek on March 15, 2010. The cover Said enticing, "The Key to Saving American Education.” Behind the bold head line, on an image af a blackboard, was writen again and agin: "We must fie bad teachers. We must fie bad teachers.” Inside the maga- zine, the story by Evan Thomas and Pat Wingert began like a ty tale. It said, ‘Once upon a time, American students tested better than any other students in che world” But now they had declined and ranked only in the middle among nations, about the same a5 Lithuania Newsweek described the performance ofthe schools asa national embarrassment as well sa threst tthe nation’ future.” “The story was indeed a fairy tal, beeause there was no time in the past when American schools were ist in the weeld on international tests When the fs international assessments were administered in the mid-1960s, our students ranked at or near the bottom of those rations terted, In the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, American stdents ‘were often in the bottom quartile or near the international average ‘ever Fistn the intemational rankings ° But the story of decline was brand to resist, and the Newnweek writers chose not to resist it "Thomas and Wingert’ story intoduced a nareative of allure nd redemption that would soon become familiar a the script for ‘he new “eform movement "Unlike dissent school reform move- ‘ments inthe pst this one had the support of che nations wealthiest foundations, corporate executives, WallStreet hedge fund manag- rs, leaders of the technology sector, andthe top elected officials of| both major politcal parties ts ranks included few working teachers, butts extraordinary wealth and political power more than compen- sated forthe lack of support within the profession. The moversent asserted chat American education was fling and that this Eee ‘was due to he large numbers of "bad teachers" who were protected from accountability by their unions and by the nefarious practice of tenie. The reformers, tho were strongly committed to free-market principles and competition, sought to replace big-city publie school systems witrn matkeeplace of choices, featuring privately managed charter schools, and to break fre of union contacts, The new char- ter schools were staffed by a regular infusion of young, enthusas 1, and inesperlenced teachers, most of whom left within two oF250_DEATI AND LIFE OF THE OREAT AMERICAN ScHOOL sYSTEM thc years; these schools relied heavily on standardized test scoves to measure the quality of teachers and schools. Certain themes were cental to the reform movement: first, that the nation’s public schools were falling, second, that students whe bave three of four or five extraordinary teacher in a row will cet ‘no mater the students’ background, while stadents who hare ace {30 weak teachers in row fall so far behind that they can never Fecover; third, that fring aeacher is almost impovsble beeaes of union rules; fourth, thatthe file of the schools was rtenalngd by those with a"defeatit mindset,” who defended the status quo and wrongly blamed poverty or families or students for low sees instead of blaming bad teachers? "Nowhere had these ideas moved faster than in New Orleans ‘here, in 2005, Huriane Katrina had flooded lage pat of the ety killed over 1,000 people, destroyed thousands of hemes, and caused 8 dramatic exodus of residents from the cy: Many public sche were severely damaged. After the huricane, the sate closed mene ofthe public school sytem. Every teacher, every sal member of the public schools was fired, and many students moved sway per manentl This tured out tobe, in Neweek’s view, a lucly beak, because it gave New Orleans the chance to stat ever Seccany of Education Duncan later declared that Hurricane Katina nes Whe best hing that happened to che education system in New Orleans The witers in Newsweek agred, With the floundering public school system gone, the ste leaders invited pate managers to pen canter school, and in a few shore years, New Orleans bears 4 paradigm forthe corporate syle of education tearm: no public School sjstem, no union, a competitive environment, grea seule Reseatchers disagreed about the real effects ofthe new peng, whether the students were the sume pre-Ketrna and pon Reve Whether the states standards were consistent, whether the succes fulcharters excluded students with disabilities, and whethesthesey charters used the fw remaining public schools as dumping poonta for low-performing students, Whatever theultimate judgment about the changes in New Orleans closing the nation’s publi schools and stfing them with inexperienced young callege gredusterharly Seems tobe a successful recipe for national schol ona Absent a physical eatatrophe like Hurricane Katrine how could the American public system “regain” what Newsweek described 5 "it lost crown as the envy ofthe world"? Newnweck pointed so Cental Fal, where a brave lal superintendent threatened fre «ver lst teacher fess her demands re mt. Here, the name the conde, asa “notble beakthrough Hete wes the sole {on to won quam in wich incompetent and ny escher retained thetbs fo fe while the publ schoss continued thelr couse dese. “The Newest sory mated th beginning of a masvemedla ble forthe eomorte reform movement. Teall the corporate tle movement not becaiue eye who supports tee ‘petit ca les ee tn ne nc bout competion aid targets, vars and punishment, eerie eee and nscton, cd development eae condition fle ing (Such clas sie) resources, condons of tent ves that atct thr bath and motvaon snd ltrs wth fles ad Communities, To ary leaders ofthe refar movement, schisurs sreclte tl or ditracton. They nit tin ce hea are (hich ste, even though cen len ater tes andi diferent way) nda anything estan goal 10 perc pr ciency sles someone alagexcuses fr bd tacers, At ths pin the cology ofthe comport reform movement becomes innglshabl rm that of Ne Child Let Behind, th its tpn claim tha 100 pcos chen mast be price reps of hang difcslis, spec eduatin sata Condon: over which teachers ven con (has poverty and homeless) the own een the lore think hemsces & leaders of «new ell ighs ovement, which vogue om Cel considering tht many of ender come om Wal Suet and Corporat ses nd stand the pe of wealth nd poe str saul nda ihe nt earn cal none ‘peak andosely of working ova ay when el chen wiiplrscraloechcsan Wider meiehtorsshoone ‘esting nd accountability thatthe prospect ofan cellent educe ton foal dimilses the power the movement grows, What they hive engendered sna an exelent edscaton fo ll butt ‘tion dete 0 text preparation and testing, where chien ae died ad nauseam inthe naw sl of pcg the ight ener fram mulplechoie questions, No mar vbether tet Sarg spor down, dhs tsot the quitessente ofan ellen education[Nonetheless the comporate reform movement scquited national attention fr its agenda in September 2010, with the eelesse ofthe film Waiting fr “Superman.” Never has a documentary about edu cation been so munificently promoted. Not only were there ante ptory news articles many months before its release, but It was featured on the cover of Time magazine: it was highlighted twice on Oprah Winfreys popular telewsian show; NBC devoted a week of programming called "Education Nation” to showcasing its themes find heroes. Bill Gates gave the producers §2 milion to publicize the film, and twas shown to state legislatures and her influential fudience. President Obams even invited the five children featured inthe fim tows him inthe White House Like the corporate reform movement, the film present itself as «plea for liberal, enlightened political views but is infact deeply felint on free-market principles, The strong underlying message, like that of the Newsweek story, s that American public schools are ‘a disaster, In both urban and suburban districts. According to the Bim, che only hope forthe Future lies with pevatly managed charter schools, which can Bre teachers at wil. The film follows five chil dren as they seek to escape assignment to a public school and gain fentry into a charter school. The film has heroes—charter school founders, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, and Michelle Rhee, then chancellor of the District af Columbia Public Schools, whose trademark was her enthusiasm for fring teachers and principal. ‘And it has villins—princtplly the teaches unions, which prosect “bad” teachers, Since 1971, the fm says, spending has more than doubled but test scores hive remained flat. The viewer i tld that 70 percent of eighth-grade students are "below grade level” in read ing and « map shows the small proportion of students—between 20 percent and 30 percent—in each state who are "proficient" A ‘char shows how poorly American students score on international tests, and Stanford Universy economist Eric Hanushek claims the United States would rise tothe top of the intematonal standings if 5=10 percent of teachers were fred every year, based on their tw dents’ test scores. The charter schools shown in the film are cheer- ful places. Nota single succesful public school is portrayed, The public schoo is clearly a dreadful and sleroue institution, one shat, wl certainly doom a generation of children, with die implications for our nations future. Inevitably the audience becomes emotion scilooL AND sociEy 253 lly involved with the adoreble chien, hoping they win the lottery admitting them toa charter schoo! Tis was certainly an appalling and alarming story. But like the [Newsweek story, Waiting for “Superman” was 2 fairy tale, based on halfteuhs, exaggerations and misrepresentations TsAmedean education in freefall, declining from a ime of glory half e century earlier (as Neusweok said) or forty years earlier (as aisng for ‘Superman’ claimed)? No, On the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the only longtudinal measure of student achievement, American students in fourth grade and celghth grade have made significant tet-sore gains in reading and mathematics since 1978, when the teste were first administered ‘Richard Rothitein wrote, “On these exams, American students have Improved substandally, in some cases phenomenally. In general, the improvements have been greatest for Akican-American stu dens, and among these, for che most disadvantaged" Furthermore, there has been major progress in reducing the achievement gap between black and white students; however, most of that progress joccureed inthe 1970s and 1980s, probably in response to deseg- regtion, inreased economic opportunity for Afeean-American families, federal investment in erly childhood education, and class see reduction? 2 Cites of American publi schools hark buck to « supposed golden age of public schooling forty rity yeas ago. Very likly, they dont recall the three major changes that have occured since the 1960s: First, legally sanctioned racial segregation ended. The ecive Intervention of the courts and the federal government broke den ‘system that wa unjust and oppressive. But the guns fr deseg- Tegition prompted white fight and black middle-caee fight from urban schools, producing dstriets with concentrated racial isolation and poverty. Second, the cours and Congress required the public schools to open ther doors to student with dsabiles, a move chat was necessary, expensive, and challenging forthe sehoos, especially when students with severe behavioral problems were mainstreamed swith motivated students. Thid, changes in federal immiration policy brought maillons of non-Englsh-speaking students into the ‘nation’s public schools. This was also an era that saw the weaken: {ng of two-parent Families and the rise of digital technology, with its power for Both education and distraction‘Those who clam our schools have deteriorated refer o along lost time when public schools were segregated, excluded most st dents with disabilities, and had relatively few non-Englsh-speaking students. I'vas also atime when teschers had near-complete author ity in her classrooms. Anyone witha sense of history should adie the resilience ofthis engine of democracy, which has surmounted a political obstacle course over the pst half-century. One could reason ably age thatthe erica bistory and English have Been watered eluate aches by thet uent et soe; ost down ot anf lw-perfoing cho ands ler mer pyc toch ers who rte et scr None of there ates had Seg dence research 0 support In any exer the ls Imposed pooty designed conceived poles enacted sly to be ele Taree eer fining dings budget rs, ot cose fo fence ey might Inpro eduction, Sone ofthe sts had lady ben put into plac in Chi cage when Arne Dinan at spender. His progam, called Renasance 2010, reled on cling low-poming schools and opening new chose, expec charer sl Whey 2010 ered nay ane hundred new schoce had een opened to replace or transform lowpetfoming shel. Cheer’ Independent ec ten oul, Car faked the progam on many ound Tse of every fur aude in Chicago ple schol sl tended Towering schol the ditt Bad ofened no new schol i neatly al of the neihbed withthe highest nec the new hares received signal ote rts ung than el Pl ic ye ny ne poy ls, ar wes tn the ches rod that ofthe els lowest peroming teglat ‘in nd on enh tev new ech a the sate average nt sores Jalsa Coe complained ‘tothe chr’ wnspacny gh hy eee a “tl pc nig thy aed ge ena es td enplymens ifr npetio, cing they were ot publi rie Ao by tinged Conran on Ces School Research determine tht ot stents fom cog schol had been shifted ote ow performing col There were sey some ight spas some god new hol and te penny ou improvement Butt wasardo understand why Reralsance 210 ‘his unimpresibe ets—soul sone aoa med” seH001 AND soctErY 261 Despite the laws of Race tothe Top, the media loved the idea of race, wit states competing to adopt the reforms identified as transformative by the U.S, Department of Education. There was high dramo, with winners and losers. The reform movement com bined the federal govemments vast fancial resources and bully pulpit with the sizable nancial power of some ofthe nation’ ig- igestphilanthropies. Matters such as research, evidence, and expe Fience took a backseat to public eelatons as the corporate reform ‘movement shifted into igh gear. Kt presented its favored ideas as the ‘ery definition of schoo reform. Anyone who questioned the char fer movement was “against reform,” regardless of research on char ters over miding results o¢ revelations of financial se-ealing at ‘ome. Anyone who challenged the idea of using test scores to eva late teaches, close schools, and hand oat bonuses was denounced {2 defender ofthe status quo. The reform movement gave Demo trate endorsement to traditional Republican ideas of accountability tnd choice, and the result wat called bipartisan. Secretary Duncan tren sa here was zero opposition to his agenda." "et despite the magical combination of federal spending, foun- ation backing, and Hellywood glamour, the corporate reform move ‘ment experienced unexpected setbacks. "Eloquent and principled opposition came from an unexpected ‘quarter On July 26, 2010, seven civil ights groups rlessed a joint Statement excorsting the Obama administrations Race tothe Top tnd its Blueprint a proposal that would rename NCLB and resutho rice the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.” “The tatement, called th "Framework for Providing All Students an Opportunity to Leam Through Reauthorization ofthe Elemen tiny and Secondary Education Act,” was endorsed bythe Lawyers ‘Commitee for Chl Rights Under Law the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the NAACP Legal Delense and Educational Fund Ine, the National Council for Ed cating Black Children, the National Urban League, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, andthe Schott Foundation fr Public Education, “The goups lambasted the administration for relying on competi- tive grant stead of distlbuting federal dollars on the basis of need land reform plans, "If education isa elil ght,” they sid, “children in winning states should not be che only ones who have the opper- tunity o learn in high-quality environments. Such an approach rein- states the antiquated and highly politicized frame for distributing262. DEATH AND LIFE OF THE GREAT AMERICAN SCHOOL sySrEst oo ini90s Thy sath" ch te esi uae local community, and teachers, and without first providing the su we are concerned abou the oeepresentation of charter schools ofthis approach” - sa ‘The civil rights groups made a plea for ble f ee ‘ScH001 AND SOCIETY 263 Thane was Mont TROUBLE FoR the corporate reform narrative in 2010. Even a the movement began to enjoy the flash of publicity Gand media admization, some of ts stars lost thee luster ‘A ena Featue of the corporate reform narrative was the Neve ork City miracle. After Mayor Michael Bloomberg teok contol of the schools and insaled tough accountability measures, the citys raion rates went upand up and the achievement gap between tadent of ifferent racial groups seemed to be closing But in July 2010, the miracle disappeared when the New York State Bducition Department announced thatthe state’ proficiency Fates had been vastly inflated State education leaders knew that she Aromatic leaps in state scores over the yeas were not matched by Curlent ries on NAEP. After many complaints, the state com sioned Daniel Koretz of Harvard Univesity and Jennifer Jer rings of New York University to conduct an independent evaluation Uf the state tests. The eseatchers found thatthe state's exams had become easier overtime, According to a summary of thei findings *Stadenta who received the minimum score to pass the sate math teste n 2007 were inthe 36th percentile of all students nationally, thu in 2008 they had dropped othe 19th percentile.” ‘When the state recaibrated the scores for 2010, pass rates “dropped seros the state. Nowhere was the drop in proficiency fater mote shocking than in New York City In 2007, based on i Taping tate seores and the apparent narowing ofthe achieve: rrent gap New York City won the Broad Prize asthe most improved Urban distiet in the nation, Tn 2009, the mayor persuaded the cly Court reverse term-limits Iw so he could run for a third term ‘office, and his victory was based in parton the et’ soaring est fore, But when the state reagusted the scores, the proportion EE Now York City public schools students reaching proficiency on State tests i reading dropped from 69 percent to 42 percent and Jaathemates from 82 percent t9 54 percent. One school in the Brom sow its third-grade pase rte drop fom 81 percent to 18 per ont Principal, teachers, parents, and students were dismayed ‘Mayor Bloomberg hed testified to Congress in 2008 that is reforms bad substanilly narrowed the blackoshite achievement ap, tome cases reducing it by hell But with the new scores in Recthemates and reading, the New York Tames reported, “the pro- Eeieney gap between minority and white student has returned 9 bout te some level as when the mayor azcived.”*264 DEATH AND LIFE OF THE GREAT AMERICAN ScHOOL SYSTEM A few mionths after the scores plummeted, Mayor Bloomberg, rade a surprise announcement: Chancellor Joel Klein was stepping ‘dove and would be replaced by publshing executive Cathie Black, Klein departed to work for Rupert Murdoch’ News Corporation, where he would sell educational technology tothe schools (News Corporation paid $360 millon to purchase an educational tech- nology company, Wireless Generation, that had worked for Klein's Department of Education; he soon became chief adviser to Mur Ach and News Corporation na lurid phone-hackng seandal nthe United Kingdom, Black had no experience in education, but the mayor sid reas: suringly that she was a “superstar manager” Black lasted only three ‘months. Shortly after an opinion poll showed that only 17 percent of| the public approved of her jb performance—and thatthe mayor's approval ratings were also fllig—the mayor replaced her with trusted deputy mayor, Dennis Walcott Under Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein, New York Cty his Become the acme ofthe data-driven corporate syle of eduction reform. But the data themselves were no good. By relying so heavily ‘on NCLB-style testing and accountability the cy system had down faded everthing in the curriculum other than reading and math fematis. They mattered mest, because they determined whether a school was suecessfl, By 2011, the graduation rate had risen to 61 percent, but remediation rates in basi sil for the cis graduates who entered the City University of New Yar remained stubbornly high: 49 percent of thore who entered sry CUNY college, and 75 percent of freshmen at community colleges. The State Education Department developed new measures showing tet only 41 percent of high school graduates in the state were ready for college or a good carer; in New York City, che Figure was only 23 percent, not count Ing speca-education students. Despite these discouraging returns, despite years of continually esting, testprepping, grading evaluat. ing, and issuing letter ades and school report cards, school ffi ‘id not reconsider thei inordinate reliance on test-based account. ablty They planned to collet more data ‘The 2010 mayoral election in the District of Columbia was nother setback for the corporat reform movement. When Adsian Fenty was elected meyor in 2006, he decided to model his school reform plans on New York City becaure of ts impressive (and later discredited) test score gains. Like Mayor Bloomberg. he won control Sctt00t, a8 0c as efthe publ scols and promi major evehal With he adie Soe! Ken, Fey selected Michelle Rhee o ed the D.C. school Sytem Re an lana Teach for Ames ad founder sine itgantion the New Teacher Projet quick tok chr She loved underttied buldings, red prea and teaches, baled the teacher union anche» perermance pa plan, ad besome Soe nw i bh anon ‘Won Mayor Fegan fr eclestion inthe Democrat nay against ey coucl president Vincent Gray in September 5h1d, Recs cone ems were a aor nthe les ton, Gey beat Fey by «margin of 54 to #4. Fenty won a oe “tcl joy of eee pein white ward Gry won rovers majority of woes predominant lack wads cause whe students account a abot 5 percent ofthe public schol envallmen nthe di, seers pla that back pres Steed Fenty he resigned oh fer the election. She ee Sted an orinaton,SudstPa,hose man ebjectves wee (0 hadtcachet ene ad senoy ato carb ple sector aleve ‘pining is She worked clsely wth conerntve Republican evs New Jy dan Ohio tie se, Arapngo dove ther educa pede "DE ee sores came under seriy when USA Tay reveled 4 mujor cheating scandal in the BC. publ achols ws pat ofa Savona bvesigatin, Hconic scars detected satay nprbable ene cesaners changed fom wong. 1ght— {nore than hal he publ shots nthe sic. The nest ftom found a sng number of easter the Crosby 8. Noyes Elucationa Campus, Students none sevethrgade classroom Noyes in 2009 aap 27 wongtoright erases he nave Shes, neous the merge for stent in that gra in all D.C ‘Chou’ wa lst than According to stains conse by USA Tad, "he os ae bet fo wining the Powel grand pie har hatng hat many rs y chan” ‘Michele Rex ha repeatedly lauded Noyes ad ts ent Because of the shoals amin ts score is The properton of Sdens whe were aed prof in maematics rose fom 10 cent in 2006 to 88 percent in 2008, saris were recorded veaing tests, Rhee tice awarded Bonoses to ts principe and ttahers In 209, the US. Depurtentof Education recone the ‘Shel with a Nevnal Blue Rion avd The pcp, WayneBran, was festre in recrtment advertisements forthe dst. wis ptr and the question Are you the net Wayne yan In 2010, Rhee promed yan to instrctionlsuperntendeny, where ie augers ther principals. Ryan reine thee month after the USA Tada try appeared. Rh successor, he Former ep uy Kaya Henderson, promised a ul inesgaton. in 201, unde heightened test secu scores atthe Noes chal dopped sharply in oth reading and mathematica” ‘cheating scandal in Alana was even mote momentous than the one n DC, becate war thorugh documented by inde pendent investigator After names leon of cheating, Cov Ermor Sonny Pee commioned the investigation, whith was tem in 2011 by his ucceson Governor Nathan Deal Inet {to conch that cheating wos widespread and bed occured ih Teponte othe dsc administration's pres ome nsec tages Names principle and teachers confessed to changing ‘snnwes on state tet and statics romied erminl prose ton for hoe who had cheated Soerintndent Beer Hall was“the belle of the busines com smi in Atlanta She spoke te langunge the Ingo ef et dren decion making targets metry an tun on vestnent Bisnes leaders fended her in 2008, 2003, nd 2010 when te ‘Alona Jura Contato aged qusins abot the vali of {ins on st teste The prestre to get ress bcd, enna Ingthe coos, erin behavo that its of high stake sing fd wamed about for yea Inthe orginal printing of this ook, 1 ded Bevery Halls scomplahnents olan. vasimpesed hate dst mode ‘eo giant guns on bth NAEP and state ets, When Hal sas reconized by herpes the Amen Asocaton of Shea ‘Aaminitratrs 8 Superintendent of the earn 2008, seemed Confem he ces, thy wer fled and owas ‘What have we leamed? Fis, eee soul view the sults of highstakes tetng with a mssure of sep, When tach. trv and pricpals are wd thy wl lve thet jobs they dont et higher sores, they ay ge hier scores by any means neces Including cheating When the federal government and dict of cilsst on imposible gst—100 percent piiceney—andinkt to harsh snes, they oo ate compli inthe consequences, There have been many cheating scandals since Congress passed NCLB. ScHOO1. AND SOCIETY 2 ‘Cheating is choice, and iis inexcusable. But when the system demands impossible results, when whistleblowers are punished, then the system self incentives unethical behavior. since me runucanon oF ms soot, ne research on the corpo tt efor nena fered le suppor ois ave remedies: luton of charters contin ts tha he hater se socom avrge dos no ouipef esa pub schoos. By thie ‘ire cher vary widely Some chatter diigentyserve ci Son wich igh nats und re peatewothy erlss of te st Store Some achieve const igh tes scores. But some are tox pod sous by any mestore In some sate, charter exp Shon os encouraged by cher aves camps cottons te goer and legtor Juan Gonae fhe New Yok Daly [Net invested a conhaed tht banks and equity investors tice pouring mney noche conton ake avantage of Senco fedex cei” Some chars chains cosnued o gt impel high ses scores, But charts in Det, Fl, Ching, Las Ange {es and ther drt aid not oupenm el poli schol” Brace Boke of futgrs Unversity sted New York Gy charter stil and found tht the ys chretsere serving fewer high suds sent than repr pbc schoas, hat some bad nbs Chl pte funding an tht her ocalemic outcomes on average were no beer" the US. Departnent of Edveatonrlsed Sou 2010 comperng mies caer with repr puble idle schon found po sigan diflrence between he 70 ‘tens nether cademi utomes or bear The 2008 NAEP Safed the same findings st 200, 2005, and 2007: There Sere few sigan differences between charter eens and tr {ssn rogue puble schol, wither te tients wee lack, Hipente wincome, on stan ds” Tote te Sat theca amen ws me lurmongbusnessninded reformers since the 19205, Ter py messed iene ae National Cntr on eer trans Incentives a Vandebit Unies which released a mar Srlusion in September 2010, One gop of mile school aches ih Nosh wes feed bons of $15,000 they could ae est265, DEATH AND LIFE OF THE GREAT AMERICAN SCHOOL s¥sTEM scores over athe ea pid while another group was ot ligble forthe bonus At the end of thee year, there was 20 dferenes eal beween the tet sores of stents taught yet pope of teaches. This was the most rigaous sty eee conduc ot snr pa, but it aid not impes the US. Deparment of Edson Within das of the release ofthe Vanderbilt say the deparanent ‘vated nea 00 milion for ment py pop and eos ‘nadetonl $500 millon nthe near fate ‘The New Yk City Departmen of Edvation tied diferent seprch to perfomance pay lt ofered schelwie bonuses to ‘chook that red ther sctes, Aer drutng $56 millon ace thre yeas the city ended the programin 2011 Asay bythe esd Coxpration fund that the bons rogram had no effect on stde perfomance orn teaches ated tovaed thn joe Undcced by the failure of inte, the cy adminiaton posed se find anober mec pay plan that moked beter Thc fad soe cul eda rogram tit pid students to get higher te ses that di work eee” Although vouchers werent prt of Obama and Dunc Race {0 the Top siggy many Reublean governors supped them far ‘ny yeas, vouchers seemed tbe a dead ee, confined vate, Cleveland and DG. Bt afer the lec f 2010, hen ensenatve Republicans won contel a many stats, sashes oe once agin a vibe option. In Indiana, Goveror Ml Dads persuaded «Republican leila to pas a sweeping satel touches pln. Other governors, sich as Ri Scot af Ho Tom Cabet of Pennie, hoped todo the same They acre {heres ofthe nation’s longest ning woucer poss, i aus, where ouchers a bren valle fr low cane oder since 180; When the Wisconsin est scenes wee elesed a0, students inthe Milwaukee publ schools hod higher coe thay those in vcher schools the scores of lineman the ‘wo secios were sim Researches atthe Unwenty cP icanees «ceased he fourth of eal reper on the Miwsoec eochoe rogram and fund no diference in est scores tne sent thevoucher rogram and those inthe el pubic sche 42009, Milwaukee partipsted forthe frst me n NAEP for stan dates Afncan American students inthe wales pas schools had ery low scores, no beter (and sometines neue) than thei peers in Alabama, Gori, Louina, and Masi, ScHoo1 AND sociery 269) Competition didnot improve the public schools. It did not ezeate 4 rlsing tide; no boats were lifted. Having spent SI bilon, sup posedly to help low-income Afean-American children, the State fof Wisconsin had developed a dual tmxpeyerfinanced system that ‘id not benefit the children in grestest need. Despite these dismal tes, Governor Set Wale roped in 2011-and the ate legislature ageed-—to hfe the income cape in Mibvaukee and to ‘expand the program toa larger geographical area. Voucher support fers in the state legislature no longer claimed they would produce higher test scores ar beter education, but rather that they would help to cut costs.” face 79 ruTor noun on reo NOLB nd hat ashe [sel elanngcocters by tedet te eres Sates th ht ‘bro walla pins nth competion fr federal ony Many Stee nlaing tone th dr in eel ang aed caeiechek naka ron Thee ropoundel cen Sl He eet es Gordon became dept etre te Ofiee of Management scl Okan) th wah al seep nde le ene perorance In wt ofl some pea cote for 40-30 ewan ofthe nlf ina ache’ ruton ene Frome Ten Using vuradéed formas, Seebed in Caper yates td drs wee pate ome teaches a gh ce esi sleet Suh luton tote ceche wh thule mmeved A menoned ety, anual ecommened te mon! of 10 percent fcc tyr gear whore lu ang wa vest mained that a rpm eae tata, erupt he level of Pn the wed ph Semingeaton® fe ica Ge es oa eels coang eck scold pole af ig l0 percent ie ey er Succes Ss mp tomo eth sce ot ‘acurton wold berepoed by ule ed ae teach wendre-Who mil gee ot ths ea? Wi eo nn yo" Thre omesing cel swells countrrducve