Ravitch, Diane. Slaying Goliath: The Passionate Resistance and the Fight to Save America’s Public Schools. New York: Alfred A. Knopp, 2020.
This book is must reading for anyone who cares about our nation’s public schools. With laser-like precision, Diane Ravitch reveals the motives and strategies of those who want to privatize education for corporate profit. Privatization through charter schools and vouchers is not a Reform Movement, she contends. Rather, it is a Disruption Movement which harms our countries most vulnerable students and the communities in which they live. With stories, facts and figures, Ravitch shows how both conservative and liberal Democrats and Republicans have been seduced by the false logic that rigid standards and obsessive testing will produce greater learning among students and improvement of schools. With equal passion, Ravitch details the efforts of teachers, administrators, parents, and union leaders to resist privatization and to fight for the country’s public schools. The inspiring stories of The Resistance Movement are powerful examples of democracy in action. Ravitch and other dedicated educators continue to maintain a vigilant eye on the Disrupters and to provide information to Resisters through the Network for Public Education.