Summary

The book `Inequities by Design critically analyzes high-stakes testing in an effort to highlight the negative impacts it has on students, educators, and their communities. Through the study of the traditions of inequality and capitalist modes of production, the connection between testing and the educational movements of eugenics, IQ testing, and social efficiency in the education of the United States at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century is revealed.

At the same time, its contemporary use is disclosed as a central tool of educational reform in the U.S. Through an exploration of the historical, social, economic, and educational aspects of high-stakes testing, Wayne Au argues that not only are these tests founded on the creation of inequalities, but that their very structure is inextricably linked to the social inequalities that exist outside of school.

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Contents

Introduction to the Greek edition || Editor's Introduction || Acknowledgments || 1. The Postal Code Phenomenon, Educational Inequality in the U.S. || 2. We Are All Tools, Standardized Testing and the Hegemonic Logic of the Educational Production Line || 3. The Educational Enterprise, the NCLB Law, Neoliberalism and the Politics of Equality || 4. Handling from Afar, High-Stakes Testing and the Control of the Classroom || 5. Designing Inequality, High-Stakes Testing and the Regulation of Consciousness || 6. Standardizing Inequality, The Hidden Curriculum of High-Stakes Testing || Inequities by Design || Bibliography || Index

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