| Synopsis
America's schools can meet
the challenges of globalization and increased expectations — but not by
doing what they're doing today. So argues this book, which challenges
the faulty assumptions that guide American public education. Focusing
on process — standards, curriculum, and testing — rather than people
has created lethargic, alienated students and cynical, disillusioned
teachers. If schools can learn anything from the business world, it is
that the best way to improve productivity is to tap into the talents
and motivation of human assets. The book spells out new ways to select
teachers and principals, nurture students and educators, and foster
more meaningful community involvement. The potential is there — this
engaging guide shows how to tap it, with the ultimate goal of a more
fully engaged society, and a better future for America’s children.
For additional information, visit the book's webpage (click here).
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Drawing on 20 years as principal, teacher, and district administrator
and the perspective offered by his current position with Gallup's
education division, Gordon offers a critical examination of what is
wrong with public education and how it might be fixed. He eschews grand
government mandates in favor of efforts in individual schools to use
the people and resources at hand and leverage underutilized talents.
What is preventing schools from progressing, according to Gordon, are
outdated assumptions, such as the ideas that testing will ensure
accountability and higher standards; focusing on areas of weakness will
lead to improvement; and selecting staff on the basis of knowledge and
providing the perfect curriculum will ensure success. Based on research
and Gallup studies, the remainder of the book offers examples of
engaged schools and analyzes the elements that make them so--faculty,
teachers, students, and parents, even the community. Gordon offers a
refreshing look at what ails schools and argues that the road to
improvement does not include a one-size-fits-all approach to education.
Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
From Teacher Magazine
The history of
school reform in the United States might best be summarized as "much
change, little progress." Despite the standards and testing prevalent
today, schools haven't improved appreciably since the landmark 1983
report A Nation at Risk warned, in effect, that American students perform like a bunch of slackers when compared with the rest of the developed world. In
this book, Gary Gordon, vice president and practice leader of The
Gallup Organization's education division, attempts to explain why. He
thinks we've been focusing on the wrong things. If we want to improve
schools, we should forget about perfect curricula, or testing more, or
toughening accountability sanctions. We should be paying closer
attention to "the talent and the engagement levels of the people within
an individual school." This, of course, contradicts the
one-size-fits-all approach of the No Child Left Behind Act. "A
high-quality education isn't something that can be mandated by law,"
Gordon pointedly writes. He adds that NCLB actually undercuts academic
achievement because schools now emphasize "getting all students to
average, not to excellence." Drawing on a management model from
the private sector that puts people ahead of processes, Gordon claims
that nothing has a greater impact on students, for better or worse,
than the quality of their teachers. The "people invited to teach in our
schools," he says, "are the X-factor that invariably makes the
difference in student learning." It's therefore essential that instead
of simply filling teaching vacancies, school administrators "hold out
for talent." Most don't. There's a belief—one that NCLB has
done a lot to foster—that teachers are interchangeable parts in a
standards-driven machine. What bull. You can know the curriculum inside
out and the prescribed means for delivering it, but until you know
kids—and, more important, care about them—you really don't know
anything about teaching.
About the Authors
GARY GORDON, Ed. D., is Vice President and Practice
Leader of The Gallup Organization's Education Division. Before joining
Gallup in 1994, he devoted 25 years to working in public schools as a
teacher, principal, and assistant superintendent. He currently consults
with school district leaders on human resources, leadership, and
workplace management issues and solutions. In addition, he supervises
Gallup's research efforts in education. Dr. Gordon has written for the State Education Standard, Phi Delta Kappan, and numerous Gallup publications. He lives in Overland Park, KS. STEVE CRABTREE
has written and produced publications for The Gallup Organization since
he joined the company in 1993. He develops articles and analysis from
Gallup's World Poll, and he is a contributing writer for the Gallup Management Journal. He lives in the Washington, D.C. area.
Product Details Hardcover: 324 pages
Carton Size: 12 books
Publisher: Gallup Press; 1st Edition (September 7, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595620109
ISBN-13: 978-1595620101
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.48 pounds |
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