NPR reporter and author of the new book the  The Test: Why Our Schools are Obsessed with Standardized Testing–But You Don’t Have to Be, Anya Kamenetz, explains the history of America’s obsession with test taking. The conflicting political drives behind the testing movement. The connection between...

Harvard Law School Professor,  Lani Guinier and author of the new book, The Tyranny of the Meritocracy: Democratizing Higher Education in America explains the distinction between testing merit and democratic merit. Why standardized testing is a measure of wealth and not merit. Why testing is not ...

Barbara Madeloni explains the progressive campaign she ran to become the President of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, why corporate education is dehumanizing, preparing students for democracy, unions and teacher power, the myths created by the corporate “reform” movements, why poverty is ...

Political maestro Cliff Schecter explains how Citizens United led to McCutcheon, what comes after McCutcheon, how Justice Robert’s is sneaky, the Court’s shocking narrowing of the definition of corruption and why they are betraying the founders, Andrew Cuomo betrays the public on clean elections,...

Education activist and the author of Feel-Bad Education Alfie Kohn explains why poverty is the root problem in modern education, where standardized testing fails, why driving up test scores do not reflect education but do reflect affluence, why those pushing corporate education “reform” do not un...

Educational historian and author of Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools Diane Ravitch explains why the education crisis is a myth, where our schools are in real trouble, why poverty drives educations problems and the problems with the ...

Educational historian and author of Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools Diane Ravitch explains why the education crisis is a myth, where our schools are in real trouble, why poverty drives educations problems, the problems with the Com...

On today’s show Kristina Rizga of Mother Jones Magazine, talked with Sam about her reporting on Mission High School San Francisco, what makes a school successful, how the high stakes testing regime  advocated by corporate reformers is hurting vulnerable students and why its better to look for bes...