Standardized Minds: The High Price Of America's Testing Culture And What We Can Do To Change It

by Peter Sacks

We've been told time and time again that standardized tests aren't perfect but that they're the best tool we have for gauging aptitude and achievement. Is this really true? What are the flaws of such testing? Why is your father's occupation a better predictor of SAT scores than virtually any other factor? And, most important, what can we do to hold one another accountable to standards at all levels of schools and in the workplace?Standardized Minds dramatically shows how our unhealthy and enduring obsession with intelligence testing affects us all, from the day we enter kindergarten to the day we apply for that corporate job. Drawing creative solutions from the headlines and the frontlines, Sacks demonstrates proven alternatives to such testing and details a plan to make the American meritocracy legitimate and fair.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, History, Social Science, Science

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2000

About the author

Peter Sacks is an award-winning author and social critic. He’s the author of LIBERTYLAND, a philosophical thriller, just published in February. His book is TEARING DOWN THE GATES: Confronting The Class Divide In American Education (University of California Press) which won the Frederic W. Ness Book Award from the Association of American Colleges and Universities. He is also the author of STANDARDIZED MINDS: The High Price Of America’s Testing Culture And What We Can Do To Change It (DaCapo Press).

His articles and essays on education have appeared in a variety of publications including: The Huffington Post, The Nation, The Boston Review, and The New York Times. Several have won awards including a Pulitzer Prize nomination. His lectures include appearances at the Harvard Club, University of Notre Dame, and Columbia University.

Reviews

[Madelyn W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an amazing analysis on standardized testing in America. It explores the history of standardized and IQ testing, their usages in schools (and beyond), and why it's such an issue. It's a really interesting read, the author delves into several facets of the issue, and he includes hundreds of different studies and evidence to back up his claims.

It is a little outdated (by around 24 years), but honestly, everything he says is still so relevant today, even more so in some cases. Also, as it is a little old, the writing style and way he explains the information is different from the informational nonfiction today, but for me, it actually feels more reliable and interesting this way.

The only negative: This book is extremely dense and takes quite a while to get through (partly because it delves so deep into so many issues, and partly because it reads in a very scholarly manner, meaning it is not the kind of book you can zoom through). I would have given this book a 4.5, as I don't think this negative is worth a whole point taken off, but alas, Goodreads still does not allow that.

I would recommend this book to all our policy makers, educators, and politicians who claim they know what's best for education in America. It's also a great book for anyone who wants to know more about the history and impact of widespread standardized testing in America.

[Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book validated what i already thought about the economic discrimination of standardized testing. with this validation came a unique sense of solidarity with others who cannot get a high enough standardized test score (LSAT) to enter the school they wish to learn at. no matter the grades, life experiences, or work history, the fact is that standardized tests haev the ability to put the final drop of water on an otherwise fiery overachiever.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book, possibly out of date at this point, as it was written in 1999, but given the emphasis on standardized testing in American education, perhaps not. My only real issue is that it is very dense and has a large amount of statistical information that was difficult to wade through. I would have preferred more personal stories as opposed to statistics, but that's a personal bias of mine.

[Persy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh boy, I had some high hopes for this book! The title grabbed me immediately, and I really liked the introduction! However, it is veeeerrrryyy dry and not very compelling.

I’m sure this was also probably more illuminating when it was originally published (1999) but being almost 20 years old, I feel there is probably a more relevant book out there on the topic now.

A read like this is one I would only recommend if you enjoy reading textbooks for fun.

[Painting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very good points made and now we see the results of our grade schools dominated by testing.