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Setting the Record Straight: Responses to Misconceptions About Public Education in the U.S.

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Gerald W. Bracey is one of few authors today who isn't afraid to confront the exquisitely orchestrated and deeply financed campaign to eradicate public education in this country. "Setting the Record Straight" is his latest contribution exposing the hidden agenda that is at the root of the accountability movement.

Bracey identifies 17 misconceptions about public education. Each chapter begins with a capsule Q-A format. The question consists of a typical charge leveled at public schools, which he then answers in a sentence or two at most. The rest of the chapter develops his response with documented evidence -- not ideology. His ability to shun jargon makes what he says all the more convincing.

"Setting the Record Straight" serves as an invaluable corrective to the case being built by those who stand to profit directly or indirectly by the elimination of public schools. It takes its place with the best books on the subject. Not all readers will be pleased with his remarks, but they will have to respect him.

Walt Gardner taught for 28 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He writes frequently on education.

The media are crawling with supposed experts in education, most of them at right-wing think tanks, who claim that public education in the US has declined in recent decades, and is terrible compared with other countries. Gerald Bracey shows that there has been no serious recent decline in public education in the US, and that the US is about average by comparison with other advanced countries. This puts him at odds with conservatives.

And not just conservatives: liberals have mostly joined conservatives in crying crisis, although for different reasons. Liberals want to increase funding for public education, and think that the best way to raise funding is to cry that there is a major crisis.

Anyone who has been taken in by media myths about US public education MUST read Gerald Bracey's books.

Gerald Bracey shows how statistics have been manipulated or purposely ignored to push the false message on the American people that our public schools are failing. He explains the agenda which worked to privatize prisons and hospitals, of corporate interests trying to make a profit on our schools by demonizing teachers, unions, and the quality of education in America's schools. Bracey goes through the common (often baseless) arguments and counters them with hard facts.

This is a very readable book, written in an interesting and understandable prose. For example, when he discusses why SAT scores show a decline, Bracey explains how the original scores and averages were based on a small number of mostly private school students in 1941. Considering the large numbers and the diversity of the students who take SAT's now, they actually show very little or no decline. Also he breaks down the tests that show how the United States is supposedly behind other countries by explaining how the testing is done and who is tested here and in other countries.

did not even recieve this book! The people i rdered it from did not return many of the emails i sent! they were not cooperative! will never orderfrom them again

This book addresses many of the current misconceptions about education. I have enjoyed reading it very much. It is a bit liberal however. I do not think a conservative will enjoy it.

There's little question where Bracey stands with this book. Still it has good information educators need.

This guy has been a patsy of the NEA and the NASA for years. He makes a living out of trying to argue that public schools in America are just great. When faced with any criticism, he attributes everything to poverty.

Gerald Bracey has no solutions for fixing problems with education, except he thinks it needs more money. This guy has been known to say Algebra is useless, and that discovery methods of learning are best. He eschews phonics, and defends whole language.

On a side note, he runs a listserv discussion on Yahoo Groups, called "eddra". Try posting something, anything, that questions him, and he will not post it to the group. That's right, he has to personally approve of every message that get posted, and many don't make it. Try it if you don't believe me.

Anybody who won't let their beliefs be subject to scrutiny is not to be looked at with any credibility, if you ask me.

Read this book only if you are looking to have someone sophisticate for you what is going on in public schools and you need warm fuzzies to feel better. Reasonable people know better.