Passed On: Public School Children in Failing American Schools

By: Louise Marr

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Synopsis: A teacher reveals how current education policy is failing our kids through stories of her own students in the public schools of Philadelphia.Since the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, American schools have emphasized test scores to measure school performance—forcing educators to “teach to the test.” Though teachers have fought to get rid of this detrimental trend, many corporate reformers turn a blind eye to the real problems teachers face today: classrooms filled with pregnant teens and children who cannot read beyond the third grade; violent neighborhood schools that are dangerously underfunded and underprepared to deal with their daily heartaches.Passed On presents an honest and intimate portrait of the classroom experience in America’s failing school. Through stories of her own students in Philadelphia—where violent crime is common and the poverty rate is high—Louise Marr reveals how the current corporate reform movement misunderstands what teachers and students need to succeed. Marr outlines the real problems in the schools today, offering a much-needed frontline perspective in the current school reform debates.