A volume in The National Education Policy Center Series Over the past
twenty years, educational policy has been characterized by top‐down,
market‐focused policies combined with a push toward privatization and
school choice. The new Every Student Succeeds Act continues along this
path, though with decision‐making authority now shifted toward the
states. These market‐based reforms have often been touted as the most
promising response to the challenges of poverty and educational
disenfranchisement. But has this approach been successful? Has learning
improved? Have historically low‐scoring schools "turned around" or have
the reforms had little effect? Have these narrow conceptions of
schooling harmed the civic and social purposes of education in a
democracy? This book presents the evidence. Drawing on the work of the
nation's most prominent researchers, the book explores the major
elements of these reforms, as well as the social, political, and
educational contexts in which they take place. It examines the evidence
supporting the most common school improvement strategies: school choice;
reconstitutions, or massive personnel changes; and school closures. From
there, it presents the research findings cutting across these strategies
by addressing the evidence on test score trends, teacher evaluation,
"miracle" schools, the Common Core State Standards, school choice, the
newly emerging school improvement industry, and re‐segregation, among
others. The weight of the evidence indisputably shows little success and
no promise for these reforms. Thus, the authors counsel strongly against
continuing these failed policies. The book concludes with a review of
more promising avenues for educational reform, including the necessity
of broader societal investments for combatting poverty and adverse
social conditions. While schools cannot single‐handedly overcome
societal inequalities, important work can take place within the public
school system, with evidence‐based interventions such as early childhood
education, de‐tracking, adequate funding and full‐service community
schools-all intended to renew our nation's commitment to democracy and
equal educational opportunity.
