I continue to explore using AI in the context of education policy. Today I asked AI for a list of 10 influential books about education policy. Since I focused on environmental policy, not education policy in graduate school I have not read very many books about education policy outside specific topics. From this list, it seems like I have some reading to do during this interim. I have read articles by many of the authors listed, but I have not yet read most of these books. Out of this list, I have read books number 6 (The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner) and 7 (Why Knowledge Matters by E.D. Hirsch Jr.). I have also read Most Likely to Succeed by Tony Wagner.

  1. Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools by Diane Ravitch (2013)
    • A critique of education policies in the United States and argues for a more equitable and democratic approach to education.
  2. The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education by Diane Ravitch (2010)
    • Critiques the rise of market-based education reform policies, such as high-stakes testing and school choice, and argues for a return to a more traditional, community-based approach to education.
  3. The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America by Jonathan Kozol (2006)
    • Explores the continued segregation of America’s public schools and the ways in which low-income students and students of color are denied equal educational opportunities
  4. Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools by Jonathan Kozol (1991)
    • A study of the disparities in education funding and resources between affluent and impoverished schools in the United States
  5. The New Education: How to Revolutionize the University to Prepare Students for a World In Flux by Cathy N. Davidson (2017)
    • Argues for a radical redesign of higher education that focuses on project-based learning, collaboration, and interdisciplinary approaches to better prepare students for a rapidly changing world
  6. The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need — and What We Can Do About It by Tony Wagner (2008)
    • Examines the gap between traditional school curricula and the skills that students need to succeed in the modern global economy, and offers suggestions for how educators can better prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century.
  7. Why Knowledge Matters: Rescuing Our Children from Failed Educational Theories by E.D. Hirsch Jr. (2016)
    • Argues for a curriculum that emphasizes foundational knowledge across subject areas, as well as the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills, to ensure that all students have access to a well-rounded education.
  8. The Testing Charade: Pretending to Make Schools Better by Daniel Koretz (2017)
    • Exposes the negative consequences of high-stakes testing on American education and argues for a more honest and equitable approach to student assessment.
  9. The Beautiful Struggle: A Memoir by Ta-Nehisi Coates (2008)
    • A memoir that explores the author’s coming-of-age in Baltimore during the 1980s and 1990s, and his experiences navigating a flawed educational system while seeking to define his own identity and values
  10. Teaching as a Subversive Activity by Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner (1969)
    • a seminal work that challenges traditional models of education and encourages teachers to engage their students in critical thinking and questioning of authority.