A recurring promise in President's Obama's campaign was to spend more money on preschool education. At first glance, that might not seem like something high on the priority list of secondary school principals, but as the demographer Harold Hodgkinson pointed out, the one great truth of demography is that in 10 years, everyone who is still alive…

From cherry-picked data through tortured statistics, Mr. Bracey sets the story straight on the past year in education.

Gerald Bracey continues his annual reports on the state of public education in the U.S. As in years past, he continues to report on the implementation of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Bracey specifically looks at some of the atrocities committed by states related to the law's testing requirements and at questions being raised about the…

On October 6, 1957, most Americans had concluded that Sputnik, a manmade satellite that the Russians had sent into orbit, was not a hoax nor an electronic Potemkin Village, a product of what is called today as "special effects." Initially, the idea that Russian technology could surpass the American's was unthinkable. And the brains'…

The (media-induced) aura of failure surrounding schools is so pervasive that even friends of education misinterpret data. Four Bracey reports published in "Phi Delta Kappan" amassed substantial positive evidence, but the media choose to accentuate the negative. Given the severe decline in other social institutions, schools are performing…

Critics have long claimed that kids are getting dumber. Only in recent decades have schools been blamed for students' perceived ineptitude and our nation's declining competitiveness. Education indicators sagged around 1965 for a decade, then climbed to new highs. The schools shouldered the blame for the late 1980s recession, but got no credit for…

Twelfth Bracey report on the condition of public education includes commentary on testing, Edison Schools, No Child Left Behind Act, educational vouchers, tuition tax credits, and impoverished schools. Includes recipients of several Bracey awards such as "The Get Thee to a Nunnery, Rick Mills Award." (Contains 66 references.) (PKP)

Chronicles the nation's testing madness, highlighting the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System's foibles, including its categorizations of "test-effective" teachers. Examines research on private/public school comparisons, failure of a Chilean voucher system, a privatization conference's testimonial proceedings, the class-size…

Many education critics are now acknowledging that schools are performing better than ever. "Then and now" studies of test scores typically favor the now. Student motivation strongly influences performance on standardized tests. Bush's America 2000 program does little for poor and minority children falling behind grade level. Complex…

American public education has gradually evolved from a focus on the "disciplined mind" attainable by only a few to a focus on observable outcomes, purportedly attainable by all. This book offers a historical study of assessment, standards, outcomes, and criticism in U.S. public schools. Chapter 1 provides a selective history of education, focusing…

Debunks some goofy ideas--notions that schools control our economic destiny, money matters not in education, and American students' performance is uniformly dismal on international standardized tests. The United States offers more educational opportunities than other nations. Detractors and advocates of public education are given Rotten or Golden…

Mixed results for U.S. adults on the First International Adult Literacy Survey reveal the worthlessness of posting international test scores without considering cultural, social, and economic contexts. In the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, U.S. eighth-graders' performance was average, but fourth-graders' results were…

This review summarizes research findings on the topics of impulsive-reflexive cognitive style of problem solving, first graders' behavior suggesting racial segregation, a reanalysis of "High School and Beyond," children's collaborative problem solving while sharing a computer, the match between tests instruction, and students' choice of…

In 1991, the first data-based analysis of the condition of public education was published, countering a prevalent view that the U.S. education system was verging on collapse. Subsequent reports followed, seven of which appear here. The reports contend that schools are about as effective as they have even been--although the population they serve…

New data from SAT scores, the Second International Assessment of Educational Progress, and other sources show that American public education compares favorably with that of other advanced nations, despite mass media hysteria. Performance levels on academic indicators may reflect demographic factors more strongly than educational system quality.…