Education Myths

How can we fix America's floundering public schools? The conventional wisdom says that schools need a lot more money, that poor and immigrant children can't do as well as most American kids, that high-stakes tests just produce teaching to the test, and that vouchers do little to help students while undermining our democracy. But what if the conventional wisdom is wrong? In Education Myths: What Special Interest Groups Want You to Believe About Our Schools-And Why It Isn't So, Jay Greene and the researchers at the Manhattan Institute have gathered the evidence to show that much of what people believe about education policy is little more than a series of myths. Greene takes on the conventional wisdom and closely examines eighteen myths advanced by the special interest groups dominating public education. In addition to the money myth, the class size myth, and the teacher pay myth, Greene debunks the special education myth (special ed programs burden public schools), the certification myth (certified or more experience teachers are more effective in the classroom), the graduation myth (nearly all students graduate from high school), the draining myth (choice harms public schools), the segregation myth (private schools are more racially segregated), and several more. Greene's reasoned and accessible approach identifies the myth and then refutes it with relevant and reliable facts and figures-including the education establishment's own research. He believes our schools can be fixed and concludes the book with important recommendations that will achieve measurable and affordable success. This is essential reading for all those interested in quality public education and a wake-up call for undemanding taxpayers.