--- product_id: 33531568 title: "The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education" brand: "diane ravitch" price: "¥9761" currency: JPY in_stock: true reviews_count: 7 url: https://www.desertcart.jp/products/33531568-the-death-and-life-of-the-great-american-school-system store_origin: JP region: Japan --- # The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education **Brand:** diane ravitch **Price:** ¥9761 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education by diane ravitch - **How much does it cost?** ¥9761 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.jp](https://www.desertcart.jp/products/33531568-the-death-and-life-of-the-great-american-school-system) ## Best For - diane ravitch enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted diane ravitch brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education ## Images ![The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/816sNPtFAxL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ How to Improve America's Education System *by B***Y on September 30, 2020* Education is important. Few would argue that fact and political leaders almost always make statements in favor of improving education and often include it among their top priorities. America’s public education, while certainly important, is constantly under attack by those who feel it isn’t working and should be completely revamped, even dismantled. The many issues regarding education and ways to improve are the subject of this book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System.This book cross- examines much of what is wrong with the current education system and it focuses a good deal of space to talking about school choice and standardized testing. What this book advocates has been supported by many others; namely the idea that school choice is a farce that only ends up draining money from a public school system already in dire need of funds and that testing is a not useful nor is it a fair means for assessing student performance. What is interesting is that the book’s author was once a supporter of educational choice and testing, but has reversed her position. She has seen the data, studied the situation, and determined that neither of these positions are good for education and are detrimental to young people.At one time, I was also a supporter of choice, but I have since revised my position, much for the same reasons outlined in this book. Having choices certainly sounds good, but if you start to allow vouchers for private schooling, you siphon off money from the public schools that need the funds. And to say that private schools- or charter schools for that matter- are better than public schools is misleading because private and charters have the option to reject applicants and/or expel problem students. And with testing, the problem is that teachers are held to impossible standards and end up devoting far too much of their time in the classroom to test preparation. They are forced to turn their attention to testing and how to do well on a standardized test when they need to be focused on innovative teaching.Another reason to like this book is that it is not just a long rant about what is wrong with America’s education system. It is also a guide for improvement and it lists out many changes that would help make America’s education system a model for the rest of the world. Parental involvement is one thing. Another is increased investment in public education, particularly in areas of the country where it is most needed. Another is the elimination of for- profit schools because they tend to cause administrators to sway from educational needs of students in favor of making money.America’s educational system needs repair and The Death and Life of the Great American School system is a great way to learn what is broken and how to fix it. The book is well- written, persuasive, sensible, and includes decades of wisdom from one of America’s foremost educators. Read it and prepare to take action! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Interesting read. *by A***R on May 8, 2025* Got this book for a school assignment. Did not have time to look around but at the time the amazon price was fair. The book is about the school system and some mistakes and ideas that resulted in the current education environment as a whole. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I ended up buying the paperback version. Old dog ... *by D***. on October 28, 2016* I ended up buying the paperback version. Old dog had a tough time with the new trick of taking notes on Kindle. But the font enlargement feature was preferable on Kindle. Teeny print in ye old fashioned book. Used for a seminar class (graduate school) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.jp/products/33531568-the-death-and-life-of-the-great-american-school-system](https://www.desertcart.jp/products/33531568-the-death-and-life-of-the-great-american-school-system) --- *Product available on Desertcart Japan* *Store origin: JP* *Last updated: 2026-10-24*