From : The Los Angeles TimesPhoto : http://www.latimes.com/
The educational conservative decries the 'hijacking' of testing, accountability and markets.
Diane Ravitch, probably this nation's most respected historian of education and long one of our most thoughtful educational conservatives, has changed her mind -- and changed it big time. Ravitch's critical guns are still firing, but now they're aimed at the forces of testing, accountability and educational markets, forces for which she was once a leading proponent and strategist. As President Obama and his education secretary, Arne Duncan, embrace charter schools and testing, picking up just where, in her opinion, the George W. Bush administration left off, "The Death and Life of the Great American School System" may yet inspire a lot of high-level rethinking. The book, titled to echo Jane Jacobs' 1961 demolition of grandiose urban planning schemes, "The Death and Life of Great American Cities," has similarly dark warnings and equally grand ambitions.
From the L. A. Times
Nonfiction
1.
Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (Harper: $27.99) An insider's explanation of how the drama of the U.S. presidential campaign of 2008 unfolded.
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2.
The Politician by Andrew Young (Thomas Dunne: $24.99) An insider's account of presidential hopeful John Edwards and the scandal that brought him down.
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3.
Just Kids by Patti Smith (Ecco: $27) A memoir of the singer's early days and relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe.
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4.
I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne and Chris Ayres (Grand Central : $26.99) The heavy metal singer reminisces on his death-defying life.
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5.
Willie Mays by James S. Hirsch (Scribner: $30) The life and career of baseball's legendary center fielder.
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6.
Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom (Hyperion: $23.99) Albom's observations of a rabbi and a pastor on an eight-year journey of faith.
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7.
Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortenson (Viking: $26.95) The author's continued struggle to establish schools for girls in Afghanistan in this sequel to "Three Cups of Tea."
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8.
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (Harper: $25.99) A year spent trying to be happier by making small changes in various aspects of daily life.
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9.
McSweeney's 33: San Francisco Panorama by Dave Eggers et al. (McSweeney's: $16) A Sunday-edition sized newspaper filled with current news, sports, arts and comics.
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10.
You Are Not a Gadget by Jaron Lanier (Knopf: $24.95) The Internet guru's critique of online technology and its devaluation of individual accomplishment.
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