Every profession has its own language. Education is no exception and like other professions, the language of education is often incomprehensible to those outside the field. This book is the author's attempt to explain in everyday language the esoteric terms, expressions, and buzzwords used in U.S. education today.--[from preface].

"While this glossary will be an indispensable dog-eared reference to terminology across the field of education for aspiring teachers and education leaders, and should be a required supplemental text for all introductory course, the value that Diane Ravitch, renowned spokesperson for public education and for the best possible education for all children, adds is that she addresses the real profit centered, and privatization drivers that lie behind so many organizations and models that have perverted the term "reform," and purport to care for students but in fact often harm or exploit them. a kind of whistleblower book on organizations, programs and practices that are not what they seem, often branded with positive promotional names, masking programs-for-profit, panacea programs with little real benefit to students, some, like "accountability," actually harmful to the most financially disadvantaged students through constant testing prep at the expense of learning. In Diane's words, "This book is not simply a glossary of easily defined terms that can be looked up on the Internet. It is a judgmental, evaluative appraisal of terms and organizations that would not be easily gleaned on the Internet. It guides readers through the thickets of jargon and hype that are often sales pitches to unwary consumers". It shines a light on the language related to groups and practices that are seriously endangering democratic public schools and the teaching profession"--