We Americans seem prone to bandwagon onto fads, particularly now that reforming education has become a national priority. Unfortunately, many of those fads now caroming across our continent are outright frauds; some are fantasies, even fictions. Even more unfortunately, many are undermining our public schools, teachers, kids and communities, and pillaging our tax dollars in the process.

This book analyzes each major reform — No Child Left Behind, Common Core State Standards, grading schools, evaluating teachers, failing students, vouchers, charters, online virtual charters — and finds them seriously wanting. We conclude with reforms that work actually helping teachers, kids, parents and communities.