This book is a compelling indictment of the use of high-stakes assessments with punitive consequences in public schools. The authors trace the history of the policy and document the inequities for children of poverty that undergird high-stakes testing practices. Lack of dental and medical care, environmental violence, insufficient school funding, racism, and classism--all factors that contribute to this dire situation--are discussed in depth. The authors make a convincing case for discontinuing the unjust testing that has been forced on the nation's public school children. After the Foreword (Delores Malcolm), this book is organized into the following chapters: (1) High-Stakes Testing: A Brief History; (2) Chronic Racism; (3) Health Issues; (4) Violence and Safety Concerns in the Community, the School, and the Home; (5) School Funding Inequities; (6) The Tutoring Industry; and (7) Life Experiences.