Ravitch, a New York University research professor of education, has won the 2014 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award in 成人直播 for her 2010 book, 鈥淭he Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining 成人直播.鈥
The work chronicles her decades-long journey from reform advocate to critic and encourages a return to school curriculums that value art, literature, creativity and problem solving.
Ravitch鈥檚 change of heart came about gradually as she saw more American students fall behind their international peers and fail to grasp a big picture understanding of historical events, political issues and scientific phenomena.
This book gives us an important historical perspective,鈥 said award administrator Melissa Andris. 鈥淩avitch marshals an impressive body of evidence to show how, on the whole, these reforms are not working as promised and are leaving many schools in the same or even worse shape than before.鈥
Ravitch served in the U.S. Department of 成人直播 in both the George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations and formerly was a strong advocate for reforms such as standardized testing, teacher accountability and school choice.
In 2010, however, she looked at the consequences of the policies she had advocated, concluded they would never help all children achieve a good education, and did something rarely seen in public life鈥攕he publicly admitted she was wrong.
Ravitch has written nine books besides her Grawemeyer Award-winning book. Her latest, 鈥淩eign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America鈥檚 Public Schools,鈥 became a best seller soon after it was published in September.
A Houston, Texas, public school graduate, she holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Wellesley College and a doctor of philosophy degree from Columbia University.
UofL presents four Grawemeyer Awards each year for outstanding works in music, composition, world order, psychology and education. The university and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary jointly give a fifth award in religion. This year鈥檚 awards are $100,000 each.
For more details on the awards or to download Ravitch鈥檚 photo, see
