The Manufactured Crisis: Myths, Fraud, and the Attack on America's Public Schools

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Summary: A different look at education "problems" in America
Review: Berliner and Biddle are obviously coming from the opposite end of the spectrum than the writers of A NATION AT RISK. While it is refreshing to read a critique of American education that doesn't blame everything on the teachers, one must read this book as critically as Berliner and Biddle read the Bush administration report. Certainly, as an education grad. student, I found the idea that our government, by publishing A NATION AT RISK, falsified statistics, and, basically, made a flawed educational system seem disasterous. However, I feel it necessary to consider B & B's agenda--very liberal, and as another reviewer pointed out in discussing exchange rates and the per student expenditure of foreign countries, the pair may be as guilty of "shady statistics" as they accuse the authors of A NATION AT RISK. In all, I find this book provides a nice balance to all those education doomsayers, but must be taken with the same grain of salt.

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Summary: The TRUE story of the state of U.S. public pchools
Review: Berliner and Biddle have written an excellent book about the "manufactured crisis" in American schools. They show in great detail the ways in which standardized test data can be very deceptive and also how the tests themselves are not nearly as significant as they are made out to be by ivory tower policymakers. They accurately notice that the most pressing problems facing the public schools in America today are not the lack of standardization but the enormous disparities between the haves and the have nots which are magnified in schools. They have come to the common sense conclusion that public schools which are racially segregated, underfunded, understaffed, dilapidated, and/or overcrowded will produce lower expectations and results than those schools which have ample resources. Though the authors take cheap shots at private schools, this book is nonetheless a valuable rebuttal to proponents of excessive standardized testing and school vouchers.

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Summary: Manufactured Numbers
Review: David C Berliner and Bruce J Biddle wrote a book titled "The Manufactured Crisis: Myth, Fraud and Attack on America's Public Schools". The authors assert that it is a "myth that America spends a lot more on education than other countries". To back-up this claim, the authors present a chart on page 67 of the book which gives "k-12 expenditures for education in 16 different nations in 1985 (based on 1988 exchange rates)". All expenditures were given in American dollars. Since the fifteen foreign nations do not use the American dollar as their currancy, exchange rates were used to convert their spending levels to American dollars. Please note, however, that the year that the expenditures occured(1985) and the year of the exchange rates (1988) are different. Since exchange rates constantly change, the reported level of expenditures will vary depending upon which years exchange rates are used. If the 1985 exhange rates are used, the average level of per-pupil expenditures would be $2,523 for the fifteen foreign nations. If the 1988 exchange rates are used, this figure is inflated to $3,780. That is an increase of 49.8 percent. If the 1985 exchange rates are used, the United States ranks fourth among the sixteen industrialized countries in terms of per-pupil expenditures. Because this book uses the 1988 exchange rates, it asserts that the United States ranks ninth among these countries in terms of per-pupil eductational expenditures. Between 1981 and 1989, the dollar reached its lowest value in relations to other currencies in 1988. Therefore, the 1988 exchange rates inflate the foreign nations spending levels by the greatest amount.

Most economists do not consider exchange rates to be the best measure to compare levels of spending in different countries. This is because price levels differ between countries. In 1988 for example, the avereage price of a product in Switzerland was 54.5% higher than it was in the United States. Therefore, if an American school was given ten thousand dollars, it would be able to purchase more than would a Swiss school that was given a comparable amount of money. To compensate for these price differences, economists try to determine what the exchange rate would be if the price level were the same in each country. Economist refer to this rate of exchange as purchasing power parity (PPP).

To demonstrate how the purchasing power parity exchange rate would affect the comparisons, one only needs to examine the authors claim on page 67. The authors state that "the United States ranked only ninth among sixteen industrialized nations in per-pupil expenditures for grades k through 12, spending 14 percent LESS than Germany, 30 percent LESS than Japan, and 51 percent LESS than Switzerland". If the purchasing power parity exchange rates are used, the United States ranks fifth among sixteen industrialized nations in per-pupil expenditures for grades k through 12, spending 17 MORE than Germany, 23 percent MORE than Japan, and only 21 percent LESS than Switzerland.

No where else in the book do the authors make comparisons by mismatching exchange rates. For example, on page 225, the authors quoted a book which compared the per capita gross domestic product of various countries. The authors of that book did not mismatch the year of the exhange rates to determine a given country's per capita gross domestic product. On page 93 of the book, the authors quoted a report which compared American worker productivity with worker productivity in other nations. This report used exchange rates that are based on the purchasing power parity method that was described above.

The book states that it is a "myth that America spends a lot more money on education than other countries". This is not a myth. The real myth is the book's assertions about education spending. It should also be noted that most of these other countries have higher academic standards for their students in high school.

Because the authors do not deal properly with economic data, I also wonder about the accuracy of other data that is presented in this book. Consequently, I would not recommend that anyone buy this book

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Summary: Fundamental Failure
Review: Few subjects have been more lied about than the issue of the state of public schools. Berliner and Biddle, two academics in the field of education, methodically demolish every single lie, every single myth that's been perpetrated by the right wing in the past two decades. They dispel the myth of "declining" SAT scores, they take on the Reagan administration propaganda piece A NATION AT RISK, they dispute the notion that private schools are inherently superior than public schools... and they repeatedly show, with a truckload of documentation, what is right with public schools.

One of the most notable parts of the book concerns a governmental report conducted during the Bush administration called "The Sandia Report." The report's researchers looked at existing studies about such diverse areas in education as teacher preparation, SAT scores, funding of schools, postsecondary education, and dropout/retention rates. Contrary to the gloom-and-doom of A NATION AT RISK, the researchers found that our educational system in the United States was, on the whole, in far better shape than the propaganda had claimed. Unfortunately, the Bush administration squelched the report as it did not support its preconceived notions on the state of education in America. It wasn't until 1993 when the report was finally released. Berliner and Biddle describe how the report had to be rewritten and rewritten to fit the Bush mold. Still, the results of the study weren't good enough. This was a major and unreported scandal during the Bush years....

Berliner and Biddle do acknowledge there are problems in the public schools; for example, the increased numbers of immigrants and the disparities in funding of different school districts in different states. These are REAL problems which require increased spending, unlike the anti-public school propaganda which states the public schools are failures and the only way to save them is to give taxpayer money to private schools via vouchers, which in turn starve the public schools even more for funding and the quality goes down even further. At bottom, the anti-public school propaganda campaign is a campaign against our very form of democracy and social mobility which has made this country great. Berliner and Biddle provide ample ammunition to counter the anti-public school lies.

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Summary: The Best Book on the So-called Education Crisis
Review: Few subjects have been more lied about than the issue of the state of public schools. Berliner and Biddle, two academics in the field of education, methodically demolish every single lie, every single myth that's been perpetrated by the right wing in the past two decades. They dispel the myth of "declining" SAT scores, they take on the Reagan administration propaganda piece A NATION AT RISK, they dispute the notion that private schools are inherently superior than public schools... and they repeatedly show, with a truckload of documentation, what is right with public schools.

One of the most notable parts of the book concerns a governmental report conducted during the Bush administration called "The Sandia Report." The report's researchers looked at existing studies about such diverse areas in education as teacher preparation, SAT scores, funding of schools, postsecondary education, and dropout/retention rates. Contrary to the gloom-and-doom of A NATION AT RISK, the researchers found that our educational system in the United States was, on the whole, in far better shape than the propaganda had claimed. Unfortunately, the Bush administration squelched the report as it did not support its preconceived notions on the state of education in America. It wasn't until 1993 when the report was finally released. Berliner and Biddle describe how the report had to be rewritten and rewritten to fit the Bush mold. Still, the results of the study weren't good enough. This was a major and unreported scandal during the Bush years....

Berliner and Biddle do acknowledge there are problems in the public schools; for example, the increased numbers of immigrants and the disparities in funding of different school districts in different states. These are REAL problems which require increased spending, unlike the anti-public school propaganda which states the public schools are failures and the only way to save them is to give taxpayer money to private schools via vouchers, which in turn starve the public schools even more for funding and the quality goes down even further. At bottom, the anti-public school propaganda campaign is a campaign against our very form of democracy and social mobility which has made this country great. Berliner and Biddle provide ample ammunition to counter the anti-public school lies.

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Summary: Straightens things out
Review: I am about to become a public school teacher, and browsing the bookstores, I have been amazed at the sheer number of books criticizing America's public schools. This element in our culture has always struck me as odd, seeing as how my public school education was above average. Apparently, these Americans who write editorials and books about the public schools must have somehow scratched by as well--they are, after all, writing books.

Needless to say, I was surprised when I saw this book because it contravenes conventinal wisdom. As the writers say, their assertions are going to be hard to believe. They are, but the facts bear them out. I would not be able to accuse these writers as using a dearth of evidence, because there are charts and graphs of documented, peer reviewed studies on just about every other page. The arguments in the book range from the basic point that since SAT scores only test verbal and math skills (duh!)they are not a good indicator of overall student achievement. Besides, the test was created to predict success in baccalaureate programs, not in life or high school or to test general knowledge.

The authors go on with several relevant factors about testing and the good sense of comparing apples to apples. For example, a government study that said we paid more per student than other nations was due to the fact that we included higher education in the figure (other nations did not include that figure). Take that out, and our expenditure per student is middle to low. American eighth graders who did poorly on algebra tests when compared to Japanese eighth graders? Considering the fact that much of the sample of our students did not have algebra, a good comparison could not be made. When you took the sample of American eighth graders who had taken Algebra, our mean scores were actually higher than the Japanese.

The book goes on and on like this. Definitely arguments worth looking at seriously. The book is a call to focus on the correct problems in American education (financial disparity between affluent areas and non-affluent areas), and to be in awe that our school system serves people and achieves despite some tough odds.

Some readers will certainly charge that these writers manipulate data. If that is what you believe after reading this book, then fine. But in defense of Berliner & Biddle, I must commend them for at least using data, and not just assertions to bolster their arguments. Which is more than I can say of the likes of many of the right-wing political administrations who started the trend of criticizing public schooling. In America, we are committed to equal opportunity in education. That is a value that other countries, such as our 'media rival' Japan, do not necessarily share.

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Summary: About Time
Review: I read this whe it was first released. This book concisely refutes all the Bill Bennetts of the world with glaring FACTS. Somre reviewers were put off by the graphs and one said there were no sources but this book is throughly sourced and requires the graphs to illustrate their points. Too often we hear attacks on public schools and too often those attacks are not rebutted. This book along with "The Way We Were? : The Myths and Realities of America's Student Achievement" by Richard Rothstein contain facts that can put the likes of Bennett and Ravitch in their place. We see the rise of "for-profit" schools and they are lauded but the facts against them are real. Groups like "Edision" are not providing a revoluntionary new education for students but are actually doing no better or worse than their public school counterparts. The voucher program in Michigan shows no improvement in students in private schools and public school test scores have steadily increased over the last 30 years. If the nay-sayers are to be believed, over the past 100+ years public education has failed horribly and we are a nation of idiots. Why have we prospered? We have because of public schools that work and teachers that care. There are those who will say public schools don't work and teachers don't care but the facts tell a different story.

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Summary: A must read...
Review: This is a must read for any educator who is tired of the constant "public school bashing" in the media. Ever wonder why we keep hearing about how inadequate public schools are, even as universities complain about being overwhelmed with applicants? This book is an accurate portrayal of what our public school are really like, and why the movement to get government out of funding schools is using misinformation to hide the fact that our schools are producing the most educated generation in this country's history.

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Summary: Antiquated
Review: This is by far the most useless book on the subject of the state of education. For instance, while the authors make much of the relative stability of SAT scores, they ignore the decline in scores from the NAEP, CTBS, and MAT scores (to name a few) from the same period. They also keep silent about the fact that calculators were once forbidden from the math portion of the SAT, playing a role no doubt in said stability. Dr. Lawrence Stedman, an Associate Professor of Education at the State University of New York at Binghamton, Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies, and self-decribed progressive "sympathetic to their concerns," wrote an article in the PEER-REVIEWED Education Policy Analysis Archives. He pointed out numerous examples of the fudging-- whether out of duplicity or incompetence, you judge-- of "facts" to support the authors' farcical claims, and where such claims went unsupported. In other words, while criticism usually comes from "the enemy," ONE OF THEIR OWN blasted this book for its inaccuracies. Since it could not possibly have been written with a straight face, I recommend spending your money on something written with more integrity. There IS a real crisis in education, there ARE manufacturers, and this book rolled straight off their assembly line.

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Summary: Searching for Concensus
Review: Whether you are reading reviews HERE or the Stedman's review and subsequent heated debate in the reviewed journal (check ERIC database), you couldn't help but get the feeling that THERE IS ENOUGH EVIDENCE and ENOUGH ANALYSES to justify EITHER sides of the argument, depending on your political and educational convictions. I am a cognitive psychologist and does research in schools. I felt that, short of checking up on every source and reading every cited papers by myself, I won't be able to draw a clear conclusion. However, maybe the differing points are not the only important part here. If we listen to what people do not argue, there lies the agreements between authors and reviewers.

1) Leave the issue of whether our overall aggregate achievement is declining or not, we can agree that schools in poor areas are funded poorly, and their students are achieving poorly by most standards.

2) Leave the political argument aside, we can agree that it is NOT FAIR to entirely blame (or credit) teachers or schools for underserved students' achievements. Our political system and culture must take a compassionate stand along with the accountability perspective in order to help these students.

3) Teachers can make differences in achievements if properly supported, but not overly burdened, tested, pressured, and mandated.

Let's put down the liberal or conservative or neo conservative hats for a bit. I think most Americans with good hearts agree that we should do what we can to help even the poorest child achieve. Common sense says that slapping more tests on that poor child isn't going to do it. Common sense says that slapping the child's teacher in the face for the child's failure isn't going to do it. Common sense also says just handing bundles of cash to the teacher or school isn't going to do it either. A problem inherent in the system must be addressed systemically, on all fronts.

The authors did favor one particular point of view and did selectively represent the evidence. But they are justified, given how one-sided the debate had been from our government to television to homes to even education circles. The defense tends to rise to the level of the offense, and we can mostly agree that the offense has been vicious and just as biased, if not more.

All in all, this book is WORTH reading. The debate between Stedman and authors are worth reading too. If you read both, I think that you would walk away less opinionated in either direction, and more compassionate towards the poor and low-achieving children of our country.