ABSTRACT
This chapter presents abbreviated findings from a frame analysis of national newspaper articles on educational testing collected from September 1, 2000 to June 30, 2001. It explains why data used in news reports to shape educational policy are selective at best and intentionally deceptive at worst. The discrepancy reveals a strong undercurrent of distrust directed at the institution of public schooling, a distrust that softens once the "public" comes in contact with the schools. The Accountability frame heavily promotes large-scale testing reforms for public schools with a narrative that defines the problem in US education as one of low or uneven test scores. Propaganda production fits naturally with official framing and data control. Propaganda requires censorship, a power enjoyed by those overseeing data production and dissemination. Educational researchers have documented numerous instances of data manipulation in educational testing news. Education news is awash in official data and official framing.
