Former 'No Child Left Behind' Advocate Turns Critic
- Diane Ravitch has written a book about what she sees as the failure of No Child Left Behind called The Death and Life of the Great American School System. She says one of her biggest concerns is the way the law requires school districts to use standardized testing.
- Obama Looks To Overhaul 'No Child Left Behind'
Steve Inskeep, Morning Edition, National Public Radio
Diane Ravitch, once a staunch advocate of No Child Left Behind, speaks out against the law in her book, Death and Life of the Great American School System. Courtesy of Basic Books
In 2005, former Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch wrote, "We should thank President George W. Bush and Congress for passing the No Child Left Behind Act ... All this attention and focus is paying off for younger students, who are reading and solving mathematics problems better than their parents' generation."
Four years later, Ravitch has changed her mind.
"I was known as a conservative advocate of many of these policies," Ravitch says. "But I've looked at the evidence and I've concluded they're wrong. They've put us on the wrong track. I feel passionately about the improvement of public education and I don't think any of this is going to improve public education."
Related:
Obama Looks To Overhaul 'No Child Left Behind', Larry Abramson and Claudio Sanchez, National Public Radio
The Bush Administration's No Child Left Behind Act ushered in sweeping changes to America's education system, but many argue it emphasizes testing over learning. NPR's Larry Abramson and Claudio Sanchez explain Obama's proposed education overhaul and assess his new Race to the Top initiative.
