Diane Ravitch Bücher

From one of the foremost authorities on education in the United States, Slaying Goliath is an impassioned, inspiring look at the ways in which parents, teachers, and activists are successfully fighting back to defeat the forces that are trying to privatize America’s public schools. Diane Ravitch writes of a true grassroots movement sweeping the country, from cities and towns across America, a movement dedicated to protecting public schools from those who are funding privatization and who believe that America’s schools should be run like businesses and that children should be treated like customers or products. Slaying Goliath is about the power of democracy, about the dangers of plutocracy, and about the potential of ordinary people—armed like David with only a slingshot of ideas, energy, and dedication—to prevail against those who are trying to divert funding away from our historic system of democratically governed, nonsectarian public schools. Among the lessons learned from the global pandemic of 2020 is the importance of our public schools and their teachers and the fact that distance learning can never replace human interaction, the pesonal connection between teachers and students.

Der Roman für alle Lehrerinnen und Lehrer – und für alle, die eine Schule schon mal von innen gesehen haben. Hochmotiviert tritt Sylvia Barrett ihre erste Stelle an der Calvin Coolidge High School an. In einem schwierigen Stadtteil von New York City gelegen, trifft sie auf zerbrochene Fenster, zerkratzte Tafeln, ein verzweifeltes Kollegium und eine sozial benachteiligte Schülerschaft. Die vielen teils völlig absurden schulbürokratischen Regeln, darunter die sachgerechte Nutzung der Auf- und Abwärtstreppen, machen das Unterrichten zu einem Hindernislauf. Die junge Englischlehrerin droht an den täglichen Hindernissen ebenso zu scheitern wie ihre Klasse an der Lektüre von Robert Frost und Shakespeare. Doch sie nimmt die Herausforderung an. Schnell hingekritzelte Zettel, unsinnige Rundschreiben, rasch ausgetauschte Tipps von Lehrerin zu Lehrerin, orthographisch eigenwillige Kummerkastennotizen der Klasse fügen sich zu einer spannenden Handlung. Herzenswarmer Humor, eine feine Ironie, ergreifende Szenen und glaubhafte Schilderungen des Schulalltags machen diesen Roman so zeitlos. Bel Kaufman erzählt von Überforderung und Leidenschaft, von Lehrenden, die ihren Beruf lieben, und von Kindern, die sich nach Anerkennung sehnen.

A passionate plea to preserve and renew public education, this work represents a radical change of heart from one of America’s leading education experts. The author, a former assistant secretary of education, reflects on her career in education reform and renounces positions she once strongly supported. Drawing on over forty years of research and experience, she critiques popular ideas for restructuring schools, such as privatization, standardized testing, punitive accountability, and the proliferation of charter schools. She demonstrates why the business model is unsuitable for improving education. Using examples from major cities like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, and San Diego, she argues that public education is in jeopardy. The author offers clear prescriptions for enhancing America’s schools: decisions about schools should be left to educators, not politicians or businessmen; a true national curriculum should outline what children should learn at each grade level; charter schools must prioritize educating the neediest students rather than competing with public schools; teachers should receive fair wages instead of merit pay based on flawed test scores; and family involvement in education should be encouraged from an early age. This work is essential reading for anyone invested in the future of American schooling.

An urgent case for protecting public education, from one of America's best-known education experts In this landmark book, Diane Ravitch - former assistant secretary of education and a leader in the drive to create a national curriculum - examines her career in education reform and repudiates positions that she once staunchly advocated. Drawing on over forty years of research and experience, Ravitch critiques today's most popular ideas for restructuring schools, including privatization, the Common Core, standardized testing, the replacement of teachers by technology, charter schools, and vouchers. She shows conclusively why the business model is not an appropriate way to improve schools. Using examples from major cities like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, and San Diego, Ravitch makes the case that public education today is in peril and includes clear prescriptions for improving America's schools. The Death and Life of the Great American School System is more than just an analysis of the state of play of the American education system. It is a must-read for any stakeholder in the future of American schooling.