Uneducated guesses [electronic resource] : using evidence to uncover misguided education policies / Howard Wainer.

Uneducated guesses [electronic resource] : using evidence to uncover misguided education policies / Howard Wainer.

9781400839575 (electronic book)
9780691149288

Princeton [N.J.] : Princeton University Press, [2011]

©2011

English

1 online resource (xvi, 175 pages) : illustrations

LB2353.2 .W35 2011eb

378.1/662

Uneducated Guesses challenges everything our policymakers thought they knew about education and education reform, from how to close the achievement gap in public schools to admission standards for top universities. In this explosive book, Howard Wainer uses statistical evidence to show why some of the most widely held beliefs in education today--and the policies that have resulted--are wrong. He shows why colleges that make the SAT optional for applicants end up with underperforming students and inflated national rankings, and why the push to substitute achievement tests for aptitude tests makes no sense. Wainer challenges the thinking behind the enormous rise of advanced placement courses in high schools, and demonstrates why assessing teachers based on how well their students perform on tests--a central pillar of recent education reforms--is woefully misguided. He explains why college rankings are often lacking in hard evidence, why essay questions on tests disadvantage women, why the most grievous errors in education testing are not made by testing organizations--and much more. No one concerned about seeing our children achieve their full potential can afford to ignore this book. With forceful storytelling, wry insight, and a wealth of real-world examples, Uneducated Guesses exposes today's educational policies to the light of empirical evidence, and offers solutions for fairer and more viable future policies.

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

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