Former Assistant Secretary of Education and author Diane Ravitch reacts to a new report showing student testing irregularities in D.C. under the leadership of former D.C. schools chancellor, Michelle Rhee. Ravitch is the author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System. Then, Professor X dispels the notion  that a university education is for everyone, calling it a destructive myth  In the Basement of the Ivory Tower.

In his new book, Educational Leadership for the 21st Century, scholar and educator Dr. Peter Zsebik agrees with President Obama on the need for radical changes to the current education system. Later, a Stanford University study finds student coaching substantially increases retention and graduation rates; Kai Drekmeier with Inside Track gives us more details.

In a climate of culture wars and economic uncertainty, the media have often reduced America to a simplistic schism between red states and blue states. Journalist Dante Chinni teamed up with political geographer James Gimpel to launch the Patchwork Nation project, using on-the-ground reporting and statistical analysis to probe American communities in depth in Our Patchwork Nation. Then, nearly one-third of the nation’s parents, when asked to identify the biggest challenge to parenting today, pointed to ethical and moral issues. In  Good Kids, Tough Choices, Rushworth Kidder explores how parents can overcome these obstacles and effectively support and lead their children from early years to late teens.

The book, Waiting for Superman was inspired by the Sundance award-winning documentary where leading educational reformers explore how to fix our broken public school system through a series of essays. Karl Weber, the editor of the book joins us.

A quarter of a million dollars is the going tab for four years at most top-tier universities. But why does it cost so much and is it worth it? Sociologist Andrew Hacker and his co -author, Claudia Dreifus say the we have lost sight of the primary mission in Higher Education?.

Lay the Favorite is the story of Beth Raymer’s years in the high-stakes, high-anxiety world of sports betting. It’s an eye-popping and hilarious joyride through the gambling underworld. Then we talk to Phillip Margolin, President and Chairman of the Board of Chess for Success, a non-profit charity that uses chess to teach study skills to elementary and middle school children in Title I schools.

Former state chairman of the Texas Republican Party, Tom Pauken’s new book  Bringing America Home claims to  not only explain how we lost our way, but shows how our founding principles can help us find our way back. Then we talk to Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network about The Lone Star State adopting a new social studies curriculum making changes that are historically inaccurate. What impact will this have nationally?

First Constitutional scholar, author of The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution , will talk about her objections to the Elena Kagen nomination. Then later, academics in the U.S.  are wary about developments in higher education in the rest of the world. But will the best talent be coming to America and what does it mean when U.S. colleges and universities open up campuses thousands of miles away from their home base? Ben Wildavsky argues for the globalization of higher education in The Great Brain Race.

Thousands of California students and teachers who were angered by increases in tuition and budget cuts protested to plead for help with the state’s education crisis. Lillian Taiz, president of the California Faculty Association and students, Vanessa Rojas and Robert Graham, who were involved in organizing the National Day of Action for Public Education give us an update.

Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch was once a staunch advocate of No Child Left Behind but now she speaks out in her new book, Death and Life of the Great American School System. What happened to change her mind?