A rare book I think could have benefited from being longer - I'd have liked to see more specific details about the impact of teacher's unions and the details of curriculum, for example, and similar topics Ravitch addresses briefly. I think she presents fairly strong arguments against school "incentivization" (in the sense of making schools for-profit private enterprises and relying on tests to structure teacher salaries and bonuses). There's a little nostalgia for the "good old days" when she was growing up, but besides one chapter on her h.s. lit teacher, it doesn't detract from her overall arguments. Recommended for anybody with an interest in education or public services in contemporary America. And (sarcastic) bonus points to the student who was so interested in the book they annotated one chapter. In pen.