Unequal By Design: High-Stakes Testing and the Standardization of Inequality

by Wayne Au

Unequal By Design critically examines high-stakes standardized testing in order to illuminate what is really at stake for students, teachers, and communities negatively affected by such testing. This thoughtful analysis traces standardized testing’s origins in the Eugenics and Social Efficiency movements of the late 19th and early 20th century through its current use as the central tool for national educational reform via No Child Left Behind. By exploring historical, social, economic, and educational aspects of testing, author Wayne Au demonstrates that these tests are not only premised on the creation of inequality, but that their structures are inextricably intertwined with social inequalities that exist outside of schools.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction

216 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2008

About the author

Wayne Au is a professor in the School of Educational Studies at the University of Washington Bothell, and he is a longtime editor and contributor for the social justice magazine Rethinking Schools.

Reviews

[Joomi Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is best for children to be home schooled.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must-read for educators and for parents of school children, heck even most high school students should read this. Au wrote a thoughtful treatise on why we should abolish high-stakes standardized testing, and more than just a critique he offers some alternatives. This conversation is long overdue.