Testing Is Not Teaching: What Should Count in Education

In the rush to implement high-stakes testing, narrow standards, and top-down management of public education, the interests of two key stakeholders have been ignored: students and teachers. Not anymore.

In Testing Is Not Teaching, his most political book to date, Don Graves focuses on the education issues of our day-and he doesn't always like what he sees. In 22 new essays that are classic Graves, he shows how testing encroaches on teacher freedom; considers how narrow standards can actually reduce student achievement; asks questions that can help teachers to cope with these new restrictions; discusses practices that support humane teaching in a testing environment; and much more.

Graves packs his thoughts into short but substantial essays-nuggets perfect for teacher meetings, planning sessions, teacher reading groups, or individual teachers pressed for time. Whether you know the ins and outs of standards and testing or whether you want to know more, Graves writing will push you toward a better understanding of our current education climate and how it impacts your curriculum.

After twenty years as your mentor in classics like Writing and A Fresh Look at Writing, Don Graves has become your advocate, speaking out because, like you, he cares about your students, your practice, and your professional dignity. If the arrival of testing and other "accountability" measures compromises your classroom, don't let your interests be ignored. Join your voice with Don Graves' and reclaim your practice.

Donald H. Graves has been involved in writing research for two decades. His books Writing: Teachers & Children at Work (Heinemann, 1983) and A Fresh Look at Writing (Heinemann, 1994) are best-sellers throughout the English-speaking world and have revolutionized the way writing is taught in schools. Dr. Graves has been a teacher, school principal, and language supervisor, education director, and a director of language in bilingual, ESL, and special programs. He has also been a co-director of an undergraduate urban teacher preparation program and a professor of an early childhood program. He is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of New Hampshire and lives in Jackson, New Hampshire.