Conversation: Diane Ravitch

"We're lying to our kids," says professor and former charter school advocate and supporter of No Child Left Behind Diane Ravitch. High-stakes testing and punishing teachers for low-scoring kids is failing, according to her research; moreover, charter schools are only successful, when they are, because they can select the best students from the failing districts in which they are located.

In a new piece at The Nation, and in her new book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education, Ravitch lays out the case against the policies she once supported. She joins Laura in studio to discuss the problems with education--and how Obama and Arne Duncan might be making things worse, not better.

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[TopSchoolAtlanta]

Current investigations ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOL employees attempting to use the APS Office of Internal Resolutions. They are the scapegoats in this horse and pony show. Allegations of cheating on standardized tests do not expose the other areas ATLANTA SCHOOL officials have so disgracefully “cheated”. The intimidation tactics APS uses in their fake investigations and retaliatory grievance processes have set the ground work for their current headache.

THE SECRETS of the NORTHSIDE SCHOOLS = TABOO

[51Rainy]

Clinton's "Education Reform Act" was bad.

Bush's "No Child Left Behind Act" was worst.

Obama's "Race to the Top Contest" was worst of all.

Bush encouraged lowing standards when he realized children were failing. This was the right thing to do. God made all of us different. All children simply don't learn at the same pace! Obama criticized Clinton for lowering the standards, and put more pressure on teachers. What did these teachers do to keep their jobs and get pay bonuses? They cheated.

[SassGurl98]

See, I'm 13, and this is why I want to be president when I grow up.

We're screwed.

[leeroynaggins]

What in our culture is NOT for sale?

[JejuLee]

Obama is truly an unabashed Wall Street whore...

[Jeanne90275]

The saddest part of all this is that after narrowing

the curriculum, constantly using test practice, and

teaching to the test, the students don't even retain

what they supposedly "learned."