Schools for Sale: Why Free Market Policies Won't Improve America's Schools, and What Will

First, the caveat: To get your money's worth out of this book, you will need to have a reasonable understanding of Economics. If you are comfortable working with terms such as human capital, opportunity cost and GDP per capita, then this is a book that could really enhance your understanding of research based school improvement. The book is divided into two broad sections: Big Policy and Little Policy. In the first section, the author provides a timeline of reforms from Reagan to Clinton, broadly covering the period 1980 to 1998. He also looks at the relationship between the education sector and the government during that period. The second part of the book looks at how to improve productivity in schools (and also what that really means!) and how the policy directive from state and federal politicians can help to make that happen. Although the book was published in 1998, those seeking to understand more about the No Child Left Behind Act will find much of value here. For example, on page 31 the author laments "Who would take seriously a plan to save the starving masses of Africa by collecting data?" There is also a great deal of discussion about the pros and cons of standardized testing. I suspect that other readers may be as surprised as I was to find out when it was that standardized testing came to the fore.... An entertaining read that is sure to leave you thinking - I highly recommend it.