The Death and Life of the Great American School System Reading Group

In 2009, only 17 percent of America’s 4th-graders in high-poverty public schools were proficient in mathematics. The United States consistently ranks behind other developed countries in measures of learning in science, reading, and math. As high school graduates enter college, universities across the country are finding that they need to offer more and more remedial classes.

Our public school system is in dire need of help. “Fixing” our education system is not easy. We need to know what works.

In her latest book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System, education historian and former Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch reflects on her career in educational reform. Once a fierce defender of standardized testing and accountability efforts in public education, Ravitch now believes that these very initiatives are at the heart of what is destroying public education. Turning her back on a career’s worth of her own research, Dr. Ravitch has sparked intense debate among educators, policy analysts, economists, teachers, and others involved in education reform about how to best move forward.

This book poses questions such as: “How do we define a ‘quality education’?” and “How can we get our public school system to deliver that type of education to all kids?”

The Berry Center is offering a reading group for interested students across campus. The group will be facilitated by Professor Steven Hemelt from the Department of Politics and Professor Kate Kauper from the Department of Education.

• Students from all majors and class years are encouraged to apply.
• This is a competitive reading group where only 20 students will be accepted.
• The application  deadline is 4:30 p.m. on February 1. Selected students will be notified on February 3 via email.
• Selection of students will made by Professor Steven Hemelt and Professor Kate Kauper. They will look to create a group of participants from diverse academic backgrounds and class years.
• Selected students can pick up their FREE copy of the book in the Berry Center during Cornell business hours.