An Age of Accountability How Standardized Testing Came to Dominate American Schools and Compromise Education

"In chronicling a half-century of accountability and standardized testing, John Rury shines a bright and balanced light on the continuing tensions between political aspirations and the realities of U.S. schools and students. This book is recommended reading for all who have asked: 'How did accountability policies come to dominate American education, and why have they persisted for so long?'" - Lorraine McDonnell (author of Politics, Persuasion, and Educational Testing) "No other policy has shaped U.S. education in recent decades as much as test-based accountability. Rury provides a thorough and insightful discussion of the evolution of testing and accountability policies, the controversies surrounding them, and their disappointing effects." - Daniel Koretz (author of Measuring Up: What Educational Testing Really Tells Us) "This book is an essential, thorough, and objective study of standardized testing as used in American schools over the past 50 years. It is another impressive contribution from John Rury." - Maris Vinovskis (Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor)