Full disclosure: I requested this book (An Education) because I deeply respect the author, Diane Ravitch, and her writing about the need to save public schools and the dangers of the increasing number of charter schools, most of whose students do no better (and often worse) than public school students (the standardization high stakes tests so highly touted by the people and organizations promoting increased privatization).

In this book, Ravitch recounts her life journey from her early years in Texas, her intellectual growth from neoconservative (her own description of her political views for many years who completely changed her political views regarding education, turning from a staunch promotor of high stakes testing and charter school to a passionate defender of public schools, teachers and principals and an approach to teaching--and learning--that emphasizes well-trained teacher possessing a wide and varied number of skills to address the needs of the particular students they teach.

As someone who taught in the New York City public school system for 20 years, most of it under the Bloomberg administration (a time of great fear for teacher and administrators alike) I was riveted by her analysis of the issues surrounding privatization of schools and the effects of high-stakes testing. For many years, Ravitch was among the earnest believers (as contrasted with the extremely wealthy and powerful people and their organizations promoting the destruction of public education in favor of primvate (often relgioius) school.

There's not enough time or space to go into the issues surrounding these areas. At a time when we are seeing the dismantling of the federal government and the federal department of education, these issues continue to be pressing. The dream of well-intentioned people like Ravitch, that charter schools would end racism and create increased opportunity for students at various disadvantages has not been bourne out by events.

A main argument of Ravitch is that it is impossible to separate education from the rest of a student's life. To educate someone, a society must attend to all their needs. A student who is hungry, homeless, lacking medical care--any one of a number of social and economic issues

Ravitch is a fascinating woman. Married with 3 children (one of whom died at 2 years old from leukemia), she discovered her identity as a gay woman in her late 40s and has been happily together with Mary Butz for over 40 years.

As a personal memoir, this book is very interesting and as a biography of her ideological journey it is fascinating.

Anyone interested in education--and for me that includes anyone who cares about creating a healthy, functional society--will value this book. Whether you agree with Ravitch's views or not, there is much to learn--or argue with--in this work. Ravitch is never afraid to be direct and say exactly what she thinks (and why).

Wonderful, well-written, passionate, and informative, An Education will be published on October 21, 2025 by Columbia University Press.

I am grateful to have received a copy of this book from the publisher, author, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a classic ‘marmite’ book on education. Many readers will no doubt love it or hate it, depending on their own ideological commitments. It may even elicit stronger feelings, as few stories beat a tale of conversion, forswearing a previous error (educational conservatism) to embrace the true faith, which the author describes as becoming ‘woke.’

Personally, I found the book disappointing, not because of its preference for one ideology rather than another, but because it is once again reinforcing the role of ideology in education. I don’t see anything admirable in jumping from one ideology to its opposing ideology. What would be truly impressive would be a changing mind which rejected ideological extremism itself, as having no place in education.

What the author does well is to make the case that (educational) conservatism isn’t delivering on its promises. Chapter 14 flags up the problems of the Bloomberg-Klein reforms in New York. And yes, 23 years later, ‘No Child Left Behind’ hasn’t delivered on its targets. And yes 25 years of vouchers and charter schools has not delivered on its promises either. Where she explains her opinions, then she makes good points. Yes, it is a recognised weakness of standardised assessment that it can indeed end up being just an (expensive) way of measuring wealth inequality.

But then she jumps to the opposite ideology with generalisations and demonisations. For example, we hear in chapter 16 that school vouchers are to promote religious indoctrination. ‘Privatization is theft of what belongs to the citizenry.’ ‘The hateful, calculated attack on our nation’s public schools is motivated (and)…driven by racism.’ And of course, her opponents are all bigots ‘reactionary billionaires’ and ‘dark forces’ who (unlike the woke) don’t care properly about children.

What the book doesn’t tell us is that part of the motivation for conservatism was the fact that there were well documented problems with the prior educational culture, which conservatism was reacting against. Conservatism may be failing to deliver, but didn’t the alternative approaches also fail to deliver?

Yes, standardised testing is problematic, but has it really never contributed to any school improvement, anywhere in the world: ever? Or is the more plausible position a more nuanced, less extremist position, somewhere in the middle of current ideologies which are either all-for, or all-against?

Consider the issue of mandating teacher practices (like teaching phonics). The author thinks that teachers should always be free to choose what they think works best. Yes, that sounds obviously true and completely sensible in ideal circumstances. But if we are honest about the past, we should also know that the obviously sensible policies have not always transpired in practice.

When ideologies blossom, true believer syndrome means that faith can become impervious to reasoning and evidence. And so educational authorities can end up feeling that the only way forward is to mandate, rather than to try to discuss or to leave it to teachers to choose for themselves. Once again, it raises the question of whether issues like mandating are just symptoms of a much deeper problem: one of ideology’s malign influence?

One of the most depressing paragraphs in the book occurs in chapter 15, when the author states: ‘When I was an advocate of testing, accountability, and choice, I read articles and books that reinforced my views. As I turned skeptical, my reading broadened to include the critics of what I had once championed. There’s a lesson there for all of us: not to get trapped in our own bubbles.’

What makes that paragraph so depressing is that the reader has to wonder why the author wasn’t ‘broadening’ her reading and considering critics of her views long before she ever wrote a single book? Why on earth did she have to wait until her faith in her current ideology began to waver before she could consider alternatives? What ever happened to rigorous academic research…? Ah, ideologies: that’s what happened!

In reality, most of the non-experts and non-ideologues know all too well that there are points to be made on all sides of the educational debate. Some of what conservatives say is true and some of it is false. Some of what the woke say is true and some of it is false. Both conservative and woke positions include some individuals who are sincere and of good will. What is needed is not demonisation or conversion from one ideology to another, but rather a conversion from ideologies themselves, so that educationalists commit to find a middle ground which rests on agreed interpretations of evidence. Otherwise, it is the pupils in schools who will always suffer the ongoing inconsistencies and swings of policies, as different ideologies repeatedly gain and lose ascendancy.

Overall, this is an interesting life story, although readers should be aware that there are occasional references to bereavements and child abuse. But it is an utterly depressing snapshot into the way that ideological mindsets are driving educational policies. And it is really disappointing that a book like this cannot see and engage with that issue. By the end of the book I am afraid that conservative and woke educational perspectives left me with just one thought: ‘a plague o’ both your houses!’

(These are honest opinions based on a free digital ARC version of the text).

A must read for educators, anyone who wishes to learn more about Ravitch and those interested in education.
This is one of the best types of memoirs that I like; giving the personal experience for context, and that context blending well with the lessons, insights, morales and themes of the book.
Ravitch candidly explores how she came to think differently about education. Her life story was equally engaging. What a person to walk the Earth!
Based on your perspective, this will either be an eye-opening read or one that supports and explains why education and economics, social, cultural and political dynamics are closely linked.