When School Reform Goes Wrong » (1st Edition)

In this much-needed volume, Nel Noddings uses her extensive experience at every level of schooling to challenge the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Noddings invites readers to think critically about the ideas underlying NCLB, the reform movement that shaped it, and the processes it has put into play. She considers such questions as, Is money the answer to raising test scores? Are failing schools mainly attended by poor children, or are all of our schools failing? Do all students need courses in advanced mathematics, physics, and chemistry? Should special education students be expected to meet the same standards as regular students? Does one standard curriculum serve the needs and interests of all students? Does our current system of schooling undermine the democracy it should support?

A Prefatory Note     vii
Introduction     1
School Reform     9
The First Reform Movement     9
A Second Reform Movement     12
Today's Reform Movement     13
No Child Left Behind     14
Educational and Philosophical Differences     15
A Closer Look at Recent Preform     16
Words     20
Lanaguage to Dissemble     20
Political Correctness     23
The Language of Reform     25
Equality     28
Equality as Sameness     28
Equal Opportunity     34
Accountability     38
Responsibility     39
Accountability and Learning     41
Accountability and Health and Safety     47
Standards     50
Content Standards     50
Performance Standards     57
Opportunity-to-Learn Standards     60
Testing     64
Testing and Intellectual Growth     64
High Stakes     67
Waste and Corruption     71
Choice     73
School Choice     73
Real Choice     75
The Moral ofthe Story     79
Bibliography     85
Index     87
About the Author     93