I'm generally a big fan of Dana Goldstein's work -- she's the education reporter not enough people seem to know about -- and I can tell she put a lot of time reporting and researching her latest, The Test Generation, in the American Prospect. But though it's well worth reading, the 5,000-word piece is for me a disappointment overall. It seems hyperbolic at some places (ridiculous tests are coming to every nook and cranny of schools!) and ponderous at others (explanations of growth models vs. value added, etc.). Goldstein presents the Harrison schools as an example of what could happen nationally, but then doesn't give any evidence that it is happening or why it's
