Diane Ravich Solutions Start Here Sparknotes

Diane Ravitch, in her book, Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools (2013), takes on the privatization movement that has been limiting public school funding and straining the education of students across the nation. She highlights different issues and solutions with each chapter, most of which are issues that we all have faced throughout our lifetimes whether we knew it or not. In chapter twenty-one of her book, “Solutions: Start Here,” she addresses the fact that if poverty and educational equality are issues worth taking on, it must be taken seriously and backed by two intentions: changing society as a whole and improving schools and the educational system at the same time.

Ravitch

By doing so, we can rely on assessments that allow students to practice and apply material in order to foster retention and mastery (Ravitch 261). Ravitch discusses Finland and how they completely reformed their educational system into a structure that has students take zero standardized tests until they reach the college application process, a method that was enacted to promote teacher accountability and place a stronger emphasis on the noncognitive aspects of individual development. A component of the basis for the argument, Ravitch states, is that while standardized testing may be effective when it is administered fairly, it often impairs students’ abilities to critically analyze information and leaves them practicing how to guess the “right answer.” Addressing this issue is a responsibility that falls on administrators and policymakers; they must be held accountable and required to make changes that best meet the constantly evolving needs of the students. In this case, completely modifying the concept of standardized testing is a necessity. Tests should be low-stakes, flexible questions and evaluations should ask for thoughtful responses and not multiple-choice guesses, and a reinforcement of the fact that tests are not the “be all, end all” when it comes to the goal of the education system. By doing this, we would give

Providing quality prenatal care for every pregnant woman, reducing class size, and banning for-profit charter schools are just a few other possibilities, each of which could bring its own benefits to the table. Regardless of the method, it is critical that we, as members of our continuously changing society, adapt and evolve in order to best meet the needs of our future: children. By attacking poverty through societal change and a lack of educational equality through structure reforms, we can make all the difference in the lives of our future