Nicholas Meier |
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An Annotated Bibliography of Books on Teaching,
Learning and Schooling
(last updated
10/31/09
)
Classroom Practice
Bilingual & Multicultural Education
School Reform, Theory & Research
Brady,
Suzanne & Suzie Jacobs (1994). Mindful
of Others. Heinemann. 222pp.
This is an
excellent book on scaffolding children
to independent learning, with special focus on how Suzanne gets them to
independent writing response groups. Very conversational tone, and very
practical, as it is based on what an actual teacher does. (****)
Calkins, Lucy
McCormick (1994). The Art of
Teaching Writing. 2nd ed. Heinemann,
Calkins' step
by step instructions for how to create a writer's workshop in your
classroom
and how to deal with the problems and come up, with lots of
descriptions and
examples of student work and dialogues. It includes chapters based on
grade
level as well as topic. This is a great resource to keep coming back
to as you develop your writer's workshop. (*****)
Calkins, Lucy M. (1983). Lessons
from a Child: On the Teaching and Learning of Writing.
Heinemann. 184pp.
Calkins follows a
child for two years to document her development as a writer using the
writer's workshop method. Calkins writing evokes what these children
are like, the experience of real classrooms, and is a close exploration
of the process of learning to write using this class and this
particular child as a case example. (****)
Cary, Stephen (2000).
Working with Second Language
Learners: Answers to Teachers' Top Ten
Questions. Heinemann.
In each chapter Cary uses an actual classroom vignette to illustrate the each question, and how that teacher dealt with it. He then provides a more general and theoretical answer based on that example. A very practical and useful book. (****)
Charney, Ruth
Sidney (1992). Teaching
Children to Care: Management in the
Responsive Classroom. Northeast Foundation for Children.
This is the best
book on classroom
management for those interested in a student directed classroom. This
is a
how-to book on teaching that independence by a teacher who does it. Get
beyond
reward and punishment techniques and into self directedness. (****)
Chittenden, Edward and Terry Salinger with Anne M. Bussis. (2001). Inquiry Into Meaning: an Investigation of Learning to Read (Revised Edition).Teachers College Press, 2001. 267pp.
This is one of the best books on learning to read. A team of researchers from the Educational Testing Service used a qualitative research approach to follow a few dozen students over about 2 years in their progress in learning to read, using the descriptive review process. They then develop theories about how different children learn to read, and how that is connected to their overall approach to life. They end with 3 chapters that each look at an individual child in detail. (****)
Coles, Gerald (2000). Misreading
Reading: The Bad Science That Hurts Children. Heinemann. 137pp.
Another short
book debunking the so called science of phonics instruction and
skills-based approaches to teaching reading. He challenges this
research and
offers alternative theories on the learning to read. (***)
Duckworth,
Eleanor (1987). The Having
of Wonderful Ideas and Other
Essays on
Teaching and Learning. Teachers College Press. 151pp.
Recently reissued,
this is a
magnificent inspiring book about how children (people) learn. The
writing is engaging and insightful. This is a series of essays on
discovery
learning in
science. One of those books that once you pick up, you won't want to
put down! (*****)
Duckworth, Eleanor (Ed.). (2001). "Tell me more": Listening to Learners
Explain: Teachers College Press. 200 pp.
This is a book of
Duckworth's inquiry/discovery model of learning in action. In each of
the first seven chapters a different teacher-researcher tells a story
of their "teaching" using this model. The students studied vary from
elementary through medical school, from poor minority students to the
most privileged. The subject matter vary from math to literature to
neonates. In each, the reader is captivated, following the reasoning
and learning that is going on. It is a fascinating journey that
explores how all of us develop and explore ideas if given the time and
encouragement. This is a book that keeps you reading from cover to
cover. (****) (click here for my extended review)
Fried, Robert L (1995). The
Passionate Teacher. Beacon Press. 178pp.
Fried develops
the thesis that it is crucial to be passionate about what we teach. In
this book he uses real examples to show us what this means while
developing the theory behind his thesis. He then goes on to show us how
it can be done in practice, again using real classrooms as examples to
illustrate his ideas. While admitting the difficulties in enacting such
teaching, he also pushes teachers to look for where and how they can
begin to make changes. (***+)
Fried, Robert L (2001). The Passionate Learner . Beacon Press. 297pp.
Fried continues on the themes he developed infirst book. Herfe he focuses on the learner, specifically why it is important that students be passionate learners, what that means, and ways for teachers to bring that out in students. (***+)
Graves, Donald (1983). Writing:
Teachers & Children at Work. Heinemann. 326pp.
Donald Graves
explores the different aspects of writers workshop chapter by chapter
in this book. What I love about it is that instead of giving the
reader a recipe, he illustrates each idea through the example of
different teachers' classrooms. What this shows you is that writer's
workshop is not one thing. It is a concept that is played out
differently in each classroom where it is enacted. This book celebrates
that diversity while helping us to think through how we might enact
each aspect of writer's workshop in our classrooms. Graves has written
many other excellent books on the teaching of writing as well.
(****)
Herndon, James (1968). The
Way It Spozed to Be. Simon and Schuster. 188pp.
Herndon
chronicles one year as a high school teacher in an all Black "inner-city" high school. He talks about the different ways that
students respond to their role as students -- based in part on their
track classification. He explore the issues of power and purpose of
school, and how each member makes sense and survives. Mostly he
explores his own role in negotiating roles and trying to make his
classroom meaningful, or at least not painful -- how he came with few
preconceived ideas of how it spozed to be, or what he wanted to
achieve, yet was constantly confronted with others who had strong
preconceived notions (both students and teachers and administrators),
even though the facts and history made a mockery of those notions. (****)
Kohl, Herbert (1967). 36
Children. Signet. 224pp.
This is a classic
-- Kohl's story of transformation in a Harlem classroom. At first it is
an inspiring story, but he ends up more cynical and despairing as he
sees that how one good year with them was not enough, and he continues
the story with follow-ups of many of the children and the struggles
they go through over the next few years. (****)
Krashen, Stephen D. (1999). Three
Arguments against Whole Language & Why They Are Wrong. Heinemann. 103pp.
In this short
little book Krashen reviews the research on reading to examine the
claims against whole language instruction and demonstrates why these
arguments fall apart in light of the evidence. (***)
Larner, Marjorie (2004). Pathways:
Charting a Course for Professional Learning. Heinemann. 165pp.
"Marjorie Larner
shares her vast experience with ways of bringing professional adults to
the table to create a different kind of conversation and more powerful
practice. But this is not just about techniques, it's about conviction
and passion, which is something teachers need to be looking for in
kids, once they reconnect with it in themselves" —Deborah Meier (***)
McQuillan, Jeff (1998). Literacy Crisis: False
Claims, Real Solutions. Heinemann. 115pp.
A short, well
written book debunking the phonics and systematic instruction myths of
reading. A bit heavy on research methods and details. (***)
Meier, Deborah, Theodore Sizer, and Nancy Sizer. (2004). Keeping School: Letters to
Families from Principals of Two Small Schools. Beacon Press.
187pp.
As school
principals, all three
of these renowned educational reformers and writers have done
another
kind of writing, as well. Every week as principles they wrote short
essays in their schools" newsletters to families. Sharp and accessible
but intellectually ambitious, these little essays talk about everything
from homework to discipline, from academic expectations to reading for
pleasure. Keeping School collects the best of these gems from the two
schools the authors have most recently run. Both Meier and Ted Sizer have written
several classic books on educational reform (see school reform section.
(***)
Peters, Dorothy (2000). Taking
Cues from Kids: How They
Think, What to Do About It. Heinemann.
Through an
exchange with her student teachers at
Central Park East elementary School, Dottie explains the how's and
why's of teaching in a
constructivist "open" classroom. You feel like you are eavesdropping
on her intelligent insightful conversations! (***)
The subtitle is "The Power of Inclusive Classrooms," which is the theme of this book. It makes the argument that there is no place for separating students based on any quality, but specifically this book is aimed at separating student labeled for Special Education. She makes the argument mostly on what type of society we want to build--only by modeling and doing inclusion can we have an inclusive society where we do not grow up to divide people into "other." She also argues that it is better educationally for all. She explains what types of changes would need to occur to make it work on the school and classroom level, and gives lots of examples from real schools and classrooms. Written with passio and clarity.
Smith, Frank. The
Book of Learning and Forgetting; Understanding Reading; Reading Without Nonsense
Smith is a brilliant writer on language learning and learning in general. His writing is engaging and full of humor, metaphor and examples to acquaint the reader with the his take on learning theory. (****)
Top of page
Bilingual & Multicultural Education
Baker, Collin. (1995). A
Parents' and Teachers' Guide to Bilingualism. Multilingual
Matters. 240pp.
This is a good
basic guide that
answers questions about bilingualism and bilingual education in an
accessible format and language. (***)
Ballenger, Cynthia. (1999). Teaching
Other People's Children: Literacy and Learning in a Bilingual Classroom.
Teachers College Press. 108pp.
A teacher of
Haitian immigrants in Boston describes her experience and thoughts on
teaching children from another culture. Full of the rich details that
only one in the field can evoke. Thought provoking in regards to the
issues of being of the dominant culture when teaching those of a
minority group. (***+)
Berlak, Ann. and S. Moyenda (2001). Taking it Personally: Racism in
the Classroom from Kindergarten to College. Temple University
Press. 204pp.
This is the story
of a teacher education class on multiculturalism and how a an
African-American teacher's visit as a guest presenter forced the class
to confront difficult issues of prejudice and racism. It is told by
both the While University instructor and the African-American guest
speaker,
with excerpts from the students interactive journals as well. The
particular story is used by both authors to discuss their views on
multicultural education and the issue of white teachers working with
students of color. (***)
Crawford, James. (2004). Educating
English Learners: Language Diversity in the Classroom, 5th edition.
Bilingual Education Services. 422pp.
Crawford takes a
critical look at
the history, politics and practice of teaching language minority
students. His biases are mine, i.e. pro bilingual, and he keeps up on
all the latest in research, theory, politics and news. A little too
detailed on some historical ins and outs at times, but those can be
skimmed. (***)
Cummins, Jim (2000). Negotiating
Identities:
Education for
Empowerment in a Diverse
Society, 2nd Edition. California Association for
Bilingual
Education.
This is a powerful
book on the theory, practice and research
around teaching second language learners. While focused on the issue of
bilingual education and second language learning, it very much is based
on the
premise that learning and schooling is about identity. One of his
conclusions
is that successful education for minority children must deal directly
with
issues of empowerment. (****)
Darling-Hammond, Linda, Jennifer French, et al., Eds. (2002). Learning to Teach for Social
Justice, Teachers College Press. 224pp.
This book
contains essays written by Stanford teacher education students
regarding their experiences as student teachers and new teachers around
issues of social justice and teaching students of color. They raise
important questions, a give one a sense of how these issues are seen
from the field. As these are mostly young inexperienced teachers, their
answers are not particularly profound. A worthwhile read for those
wanting to know more about the actual experience of working in schools
and confronting issues of social justice. (***)
Delpit, Lisa (1995). Other
People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom, New
Press. 206pp.
A book of essays
on the topic named in the title. Delpit's conclusion that we need to
include minorities in discussions of education are good. She also
raises issues about certain dangers of the Rousseauian version
of progressive education. The first two essays, "Skills and Other
Dilemmas of a Progressive Black Educator" and "The Silenced Dialogue" are worth the price of the book, even if one doesn't agree with
everything in them. Some of the essays feel repetitive, and in other
ways her analysis does not go deep. However, Delpit is considered one
of the most important African-American voices in public education, and
therefore worth being familiar with. (**+)
Gibbons, Pauline. (2002). Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning: Teaching second language learners in the mainstream classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
An excellent text on how to teach second lanaguge learners. gibbon's igves both the teoretical groundings and how to apply the theory in practical ways in the classroom. She gives lots of examples of actual strategies and what those strtegies look like in action. (***+)
Hakuta, Kenji (1986). Mirror
of Language: The Debate of Bilingualism. Basic Books. 288pp.
One of the best
reviews of the theory of bilingualism and research by a very balanced
researcher. Well written. (***)
Kohl, Herbert (1994). I
Won't Learn from You. The New Press. 153pp.
This book
contains the classic title essay which explains that some 'failure'
among minorities is a choice not to join in a relationship with the
'oppressor' as well as other well written essays by one who has
continued to challenge our thinking on teaching and learning for four
decades. (****)
Krashen, Stephen D. (1996). Under
Attack: The Case against Bilingual Education. Language Education
Associates. 108pp; (1999) Condemned
Without a Trial: Bogus Arguments Against Bilingual Education.
Heinemann. 110pp.
These are both
short simple defenses of bilingual education, based solidly on research
finding, by the expert on second language learning. (***)
Ladson-Billings, Gloria (1994). The Dreamkeepers.
Jossey-Bass. 187pp
Eight teachers
are profiled in this book about how to effectively teach African
American children. Within are also narratives of the author's our
education. She constantly weaves in the themes of what she sees as most
important to reaching these students. (***+)
Landsman, Julie (2001). A White Teacher Talks About Race.
The Scarecrow Press. 166pp.
Landsman
describes her teaching in an alternative high school in Michigan, using
it to also explore the issues of working with students of color as a
white teacher, and in general issues of race in America. She uses her
actual classroom experiences and stories of her students to tell her
story. Moving. (****)
Lessow-Hurley, Judith (2000). The
Foundations of Dual Language Instruction. Longman. 186pp.
An excellent
short text on bilingual education. If you want to become an instant
expert, this is the book. (***)
Nieto, Sonia (1996). Affirming
Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education.
Longman. 422pp.
Chapter by Chapter Nieto addresses different issues
of multicultural education, then follows with case studies and analyses
to illustrate those issues. Overall a well written book. The case
studies are the strong point. (***)
Paley, Vivian G (1979). White
Teacher. Harvard University Press. 140pp.
Paley tells of
struggles dealing with issues of race and difference as a
kindergarten teacher. While the book tells stories of her
transformation over her career, most of the book focuses on one
particular school year. A brilliant book. (****)
Sadowski, M. (Ed.). (2003). Adolescents at school: Perspectives on youth, identity, and education: Harvard Education Press.
Each section deals with a different identity issue--such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and disability, social class--and includes an essay and then a profile and/or commentary on the issue. It is not meant to be comprehensive, but rather offer perspectives on these issue that inform and open up one's thinking. Each is powerful in its own way, and include the voices of the students themselves. Authors include Pedro Noguera, Beverly Daniel Tatum and Sonia Lee among others. (****)
The subtitle is "The Power of Inclusive Classrooms," which is the theme of this book. It makes the argument that there is no place for separating students based on any quality, but specifically this book is aimed at separating student labeled for Special Education. She makes the argument mostly on what type of society we want to build--only by modeling and doing inclusion can we have an inclusive society where we do not grow up to divide people into "other." She also argues that it is better educationally for all. She explains what types of changes would need to occur to make it work on the school and classroom level, and gives lots of examples from real schools and classrooms. Written with passio and clarity.
Tatum, Beverly Daniel (1997). Why
Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? HarperCollins 320pp.
Very interesting and enlightening analysis about
prejudice and racism and how it effects the individual. (***)
Valdés, Guadalupe (2001). Learning and Not Learning English:
Latino Students in American Schools. Teachers College Press.
177pp.
Focusing on the lives and experiences of four Latino
children in Bay Area middle schools, Valdés examines both the
policy and the instructional dilemmas of immigrant children in this
country. She shows how well meaning teachers and schools fail to meet
the needs of these students. In particular she focuses on how they are
segregated from native speaking peers, from appropriate instruction in
English, and access to content instruction. Her point is that this is a
complex issue that needs to be addressed as such. In the end she brings
up the larger sociopolitical aspects. (***)
Top
of page
School
Reform, Theory & Research
Achinstein, Betty. (2002). Community,
Diversity, and Conflict Among Schoolteachers. Teachers
College Press. 177pp.
This book is an
analysis of the
issue of schoolwide teacher community through the use of two case
studies. Her main contribution is a framework for looking at such
communities in terms of how they approach conflict. On one side are
schools who use a variety of techniques to avoid conflict in favor of
smooth relationships, but at the cost of confronting real issues. On
the other side are schools that embrace conflict. These schools are
more capable of making necessary changes, but at the cost of a more
stressful work environment. while her framework is convincing and
useful, I found her case examples to be unconvincing. (***)
Allen, David (2008). Coaching Whole School Change: Lessons in practice from a small high school: Teachers College Press.
Using a case study apporach, Allen tells the story of one school coach over a three year period to distill effective coaching practices. The use of a anecdotes and story makes this an enjoyable read. It is realistic in its description of the difficulties of such a job, while highlighiting how she made it work. (***)
Ayers, William, Michael Klonsky, et al., Eds. (2000). A Simple Justice: The Challenge of
Small Schools. Teachers College Press. 198pp.
Edited book. Each
chapter is a different take on the issue of small schools, from
theoretical pieces to case stories, many written by those in the field
carrying out the work. (***)
Barth, Rolland. (1990). Improving
Schools From Within: Teachers, Parents, and Principals Can Make the
Difference. Jossey-Bass. 190pp.
A practitioners
view. Barth is a wonderful writer, uses anecdotes and metaphors well.
Through his stories and persuasive writing Barth call for school reform
is one that is based on the importance of strong relationships among
all the parties in a school, and for more distributed authority and
responsibility. (****)
Bensman, David. (2000). Central Park East and Its
Graduates. Teachers College
Press. 154pp.
Based on his
longitudinal study
of Central Park East graduates, Bensman examines what made this such a
successful school though interviews and surveys of its graduates. (****)
Bracy, Gerald W. (1995). Final
Exam: A Study of the Perpetual Scrutiny of American Education,
Technos. 246pp.
Bracy, the Kappan
columnist, is
always thought-provoking, constantly challenging us to re-look at the
research on education. In this book he takes a critical look at the
constant call for school reform that has been a perpetual American
public school, examines the realities of the claims, and takes a
particular look at the history and design of standardized tests. (***)
Calderwood, Patricia. (2000). Learning
Community: Finding Common Ground in Difference. Teachers College
Press. 167pp.
Calderwood looks
at the issue of
how community and shared values and norms affects the experience and
success on schools setting through multiple case studies: a Catholic
High School, a Catholic elementary school, and public urban
middle
school, and a class in an urban public college. “The presence of a
professional community of educators is of great importance to the
reformation and restructuring of urban schools. The development and
strengthening of shared norms and values are seed as the bedrock
without which other elements of professional community will falter." (***)
Carroll, D., Featherstone, H., Featherstone, J., Feiman-Nemser, S., & Roosevelt, D. (Eds.). (2007). Transforming teacher education: Reflections from the field: Harvard Education Press. 266pp.
This book, edited by professors at Michigan State University (The Featherstones among them) describes the history and working of the teacher education program they put together there. it describes a program aimed at instilling democratic progressive ideas. It is told from multiple perspectives--the university class, the field experience, the supervising experience--by the various players. while overall it shows this program in a very positive light, it does so while also exposing the trials and tribulations, how difficulties arose and were handled, and how over time, much of what was gained has eroded. (***)
Clinchy, Evan, Ed. (1997). Transforming
Public Education: A New Course for America's Future, Teachers
College Press. 202pp; (1999). Reforming
American Education From the Bottom to the Top. Heinemann. 206pp;
(2000). Creating New
Schools: How Small Schools are Changing American Education. Teachers College Press. 226pp.
These three books
are compilations of essays from progressive thinkers in education on
different issues of how our schools need to be transformed. They
present interesting ideas. Though many are written in the academic
style of the authors who mostly come from academia, others are written
by those in the field. Includes essays by Deborah Meier, Larry Cuban,
Nell Noddings, and Linda Darling-Hammond among others. (***)
Crain, William. (2005). Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications, Pearson / Prentice Hall. 429pp.
This book has a chapter on each major developmental and other major psychologists and major theories. He gives a bit of biographical background, summarizes the major aspects of the theory or theories, looks at how they have been critiqued by others, and offers his own critique. He also explores briefly the practical and educational implications of each theory. His bias is strongly developmental, and in particular he is most aligned with the Piagetian viewpoint. He does not refrain from offering his point of view, though his is also careful to give a fairly balanced "objective" account of each, and acknowledge what they have offered to the field. He ends with a chapter against the standardized testing movement in education, which is addition to this edition. I enjoyed reading it. (***)
Darling-Hammond, Linda (1997). The Right to Learn: A Blueprint
for Creating Schools That Work. Jossey-Bass. 394pp.
Darling-Hammond
makes strong theoretical and practical arguments for the kinds of
reforms that I believe in--school community, teacher professional
development, a focus on equity, authentic pedagogy, distributed
leadership, and small schools. Strong on data and research to back up
her claims. It is well written and well
argued. (****)
Dewey, John (1938).
Experience and Education. 110pp; and (1944). Democracy and Education 378pp; (and many others). Macmillan.
Dewey is
education's most brilliant thinker and philosopher, and in fact one of
the best intellectuals of the last 100 years. His ability to bring
together ideas from multiple fields and integrate them into a holistic
theory is incredible. Experience and Education, with it's more accessible writing, gives
a excellent summary of his major ideas about what good education should
look like and why. Democracy and Education, while a more difficult read, is his
great treatise on the subject and gives his arguments much more
thorough treatment. (*****)
DuFour, Richard and Robert Eaker (1998). Professional Learning Communities
at Work: Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement.
National Education Service. 338pp.
This book has it all for managing the change process
from the lens of building a professional learning community. Includes
lots of practical guides and templates. Keeps a positive tone, while
not underestimating the difficulty of the process. Well-written and
down to earth, from two authors with both practical experience and
grounded in the research. There are also videos and an on-line course
based on the ideas presented in this book. (****)
Engel, Brenda S. & Martin, Anne C. (Eds.). (2005). Holding values: What We Mean by Progressive Education: Heinemann. 200pp.
This is a collection of short essays by members of The North Dakota Study Group. NDSG is a loose group of educators who describe themselves as progressive in the Dewey tradition, and meet at a yearly conference. Each essay gives us a different glimpse of what is meant by progressive education. The book is divided into six parts, each dealing with a different aspect of progressive education, from the philosophy itself to the practice of it. While some articles deal with NDSG itself, most are of the practice and beliefs of its members. (*** to ****)
Freire, Paulo (1970). Pedagogy
of the Oppressed. Herder and Herder. 186pp.
Freire's book is an important classic in progressive
education. His is a direct attack on the didactic approach to teaching.
His tone is strident and revolutionary. He first explains the
problem of the "banking method" of education in which educators fill
the supposedly empty minds through lecture, and counters it with his
problem-posing education in which one learns by engaging in problems
that are important to the learner. His writing is dense, but the ideas
are brilliant. (*****)
Gatto, J. T. (2005). Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling: New Society. 106pp.
Gatto gives a strong indictment of compulsory, state monopoly schooling. His critiques are strong and convincing. both about what schooling actually teaches in practice, and about and dangers of compulsion. What he is less good at is offering an alternative. He seems to imply home schooling, and privatization, but it is unclear. He also has a bit of the romanticized past--everybody could read before compulsory schooling, and an idealized version of the "congregationalist" principle of small town autonomy. (***)
Kohl, Herbert (1994). I
Won't Learn from You. The New Press. 153pp.
This book
contains the classic title essay which explains that some 'failure'
among minorities is a choice not to join in a relationship with the
'oppressor' as well as other well written essays by one who has
continued to challenge our thinking on teaching and learning for four
decades. (****)
Kohn, Alfie. (2000). The
case against standardized testing: Raising the scores, ruining the
schools. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
The title says it all. He delivers his arguments in
a reasonable and well-articulated manner. He uses a simple question and
answer format dealing with types of questions and assumptions that most
lay people have about the subject. Also available on audio tape. (***)
Kozol, Jonathan (2000). Ordinary
Resurrections. HarperCollins. 400pp.
"Jonathan Kozol's
books have become touchstones of the American conscience. In his most
personal and optimistic book to date, Jonathan returns to the South
Bronx to spend another four years with the children who have come to be
his friends at P.S. 30 and St. Ann's. A fascinating narrative of daily
urban life seem through the eyes of children, Ordinary Resurrections
gives the human face to Northern segregation and provides a stirring
testimony to the courage and resilience of the young. Yet another
classic of unblinking social observation from one of the finest writers
ever to work in the genre, Ordinary Resurrections is a piercing
discernment of right and wrong, of hope and despair -- from our
nation's corridors of power to its poorest city streets." –Publisher
(***)
Krovetz, Martin (1999). Fostering
Resiliency: Expecting All Students to Use Their Minds and Hearts Well.
Corwin Press. 182pp.
Krovetz has
written a book that will help those involved in thinking about how to
make our schools work for all children. The idea is that if we create a
nurturing yet academically challenging culture, we can provide a
climate in which all children can flourish. Through the case studies we
see how each school has enacted the ideas, bringing them to life, and
showing us the possibilities as well as the difficulties. (***)
Krovetz, M., & Arriaza, G. (2006). Collaborative Teacher Leaderhsip. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. 193pp.
Uses vignettes of the teachers in the master's program to illustrate the way teachers can and have taken leadership roles in a variety of setting around a variety of issues. Through short introductory and summary sections the authors highlight what they think we can take away from these examples. they also end each vignette with a series of discussion questions, as well as providing resources for finding out more about that issue. (***)
Jervis, K., & Montag, C. (1991). Progressive education for the 1990s: Transforming practice: Teachers College Press. 203pp.
An excellent collection of short essays by many of the most important contemporary writers, thinkers,and practitioners of contemporary progressive education. Includes essays by Deborah Meier, Vito Perrone, Eleanor Duckworth, Bill Ayers and many others. (***)
Levine, Eliot (2001). One
Kid at a Time: Big Lessons from a Small School. Teachers College
Press. 170pp.
The story of the
Met school started by Dennis Littky. This school has broken the
paradigm of what we think of as school. The students take no formal
classes. They stay with the same advisor until they graduate. The main
form of instruction is through internships. The school, by design has a
total of about 100 students. Virtually all of these students, many or
most who were failing at traditional schools, get into college. (***)
Loewen, J. W. (1995). Lies my teacher told me: Everything your American history textbook got wrong: Touchstone. 383pp.
This book is quickly becoming a classic. Loewen spent 10 years reviewing 12 major high school history text books, interviewing their authors and publishers as well as investigating the adoption process. His thesis is that these books not only distort history, but also make history ahistorical, creating a myth of a perfect Untied States. In avoiding controversy at all costs, they also make history boring and irrelevant. He also critiques who and what they include and who and what they leave out, as well as the biases about what they do include. In the end he analyzes why this is, and what might be done about it. (***+)
Meier, Deborah (2002). In
Schools We Trust. 200pp. and (1995) The Power of Their Ideas. 185pp. Beacon Press.
Her books are
proof that public education can work for all! She defends
democratic, public, small schools of choice, through discourse weaving
stories
and examples from the highly successful
Meier, Deborah et al. (2000). Will Standards Save Public
Education? Beacon Press. 89pp.
The lead essay in
this collection, "Educating a Democracy" by Deborah Meier, rejects the
idea of a centralized authority that dictates how and what teachers
teach. Standardization prevents citizens from shaping their own
schools, classrooms, and communities. Schools teach democratic virtues
and provide much of this teaching by example. Standardization can
threaten this instruction. The following responses to Meier's essay are
included: (1) "No Excuses" (Abigail Thernstrom); (2) "Making a
Difference" (Bob Chase); (3) "Expert Opinion" (Gary B. Nash); (4)
"Habits of Mind" (Linda Nathan); (5) "The Case for Standards" (Richard J. Murnane); (6)
"The Standards Fraud" (William Ayers); and (7) "A Sense of Place"
(Theodore Sizer). In closing, Deborah Meier answers these responses. (***)
Meier, Deborah and George Wood, Eds. (2004). Many Children Left Behind: How the
No Child Left Behind Act Is Damaging Our Children and Our Schools.
Beacon Press. 132pp.
A citizens' guide
to what's wrong with the nation's radical federal education
legislation and a passionate call for change. Many Children Left Behind
is a devastating brief against NCLB. Here some of our most prominent,
respected voices in education—including Deborah Meier, Alfie Kohn,
Linda Darling-Hammond and
Theodore R. Sizer—come together to show us how, point by point, NCLB
undermines the things it claims to improve. This book is an essential
guide to understanding what's wrong and where we should go from here. (***)
Ohanian, Susan. (2002) One
Size Fits Few, 182pp. and (2001) Caught in the Middle,
195pp. Heinemann.
A scathing
critique of the standardization movement. Well written with a good sense of humor.
She has many other excellent books on testing and teaching. (****)
Pearl, Art and Tony Knight (1999). The Democratic Classroom: Theory
to Inform Practice. Hampton Press. 373pp.
Pearl and Knight
make the case for truly democratic education at all levels, from every
level of the system down to the classroom. Written in a highly academic
style. It also has Art Pearl's usual feistiness and hard-nosed critique
of both the current system and other reform strategies. The arguments,
however are strong and persuasive. (***)
Perrone, Vito (1998). Teacher
with a Heart: Reflections on Leonard Covello and Community.
Teachers College Press. 144pp.
Vito Perrone
reflects on Covello's work, and uses this book as an excuse to reprint
much of Covello's on work. It is the story of a principal in the early
1900s to mid-1950s who took a large comprehensive high school of mostly
poor Italian immigrants in New York City and managed to create a sense
of community. Reminds us of how this work is not new. (***)
Pope, Denise (2001). Doing
School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed out,
Materialistic, and Miseducated Youth. Yale University Press.
240pp.
Pope follows 5
"successful" students in a suburban high school to describe their
experience of doing school. It is an indictment of the high pressure
competitive nature of high school, and how it interferes with real
learning. Similar in many ways to Fred Weisman's and Ted Sizer's
critiques, but from the students' perspective. (***)
Rose, Mike. Lives on the
Boundary. Penguin Books, 1990.
A wonderfully
written book, in a very narrative style. This is an autobiographical account of
what it takes to make it from the slums into the academic world, and
what the author has done to make that possible for others. Mike Rose
has a beautifully descriptive writing style in which he really paints
pictures for you! (*****)
Rothstein, Richard (1998). The
Way We Were? The Myths and Realities of America's Student Achievement.
The century Foundation Press. 139pp.
Rothstein does an
excellent job of dispelling the myth of declining standards in American
education. Well researched and documented. (***)
The subtitle is "The Power of Inclusive Classrooms," which is the theme of this book. It makes the argument that there is no place for separating students based on any quality, but specifically this book is aimed at separating student labeled for Special Education. She makes the argument mostly on what type of society we want to build--only by modeling and doing inclusion can we have an inclusive society where we do not grow up to divide people into "other." She also argues that it is better educationally for all. She explains what types of changes would need to occur to make it work on the school and classroom level, and gives lots of examples from real schools and classrooms. Written with passio and clarity.
Sizer, Theodore. Horace's
Compromise, Horace's
School and Horace's
Hope. Houghton Mifflin.
This trilogy has
quickly become the classic of contemporary high school reform. Horace's
Compromise sets out the situation of how even the best well-meaning
teachers can only have a minimal impact given the structure of today's
high school, through the eyes of a composite teacher. this book is
based on years of research and investigation in many high schools
throughout the country. The second book lays out in more detail what
reforms need to happen, and the third book looks at what has happened
to education since his initial investigation. Engagingly written. (*****)
Sizer, Theodore (2004). The
Red Pencil: Convictions from Experience in Education. Yale
University Press. 131pp.
This book is part
memoir and partly a call for educational restructuring. Sizer uses the
telling of his personal history in school reform to outline his
critique
of our current educational system and what he thinks should be done to
improve it. He calls not for a tinkering of the system but a radical
restructuring. His writes in an informal and engaging style.
(***)
Tyack, David (1974). The One
Best System: A History of American Urban Education. Harvard
University Press. 353pp.
A comprehensive
look at the history of school reform during the 20th century. Tyack is
probably our best educational historian. This book is an oft-cited
classic. (***)
Tyack, David and Larry Cuban (1995). Tinkering toward Utopia: A Century
of Public School Reform. Harvard University Press. 192pp.
Tyack and Cuban
examine how reforms change schools, and how schools change reform, and
argue that incremental change is necessary. While well presented it
does not go into detailed analysis See One Best System for that. (***)
Westheimer, Joel (1998). Among
Schoolteachers. Teachers College Press. 172pp.
This is a case
study of two schools to explore the issue of what does it mean to have
a schoolwide professional community. He wants to go beyond the under
conceptualized notions of community to understand what it really means
and what the implications are for students and teachers alike. (***)
Wink, J. (2005). Critical Pedagogy: Notes from the real world (Third ed.): Longman. 194pp.
From the title one might think this is another of those heavy theoretical books full of edcuational jargon. You would be wrong. Wink writes in a refreshingly personal style about a complex topic. She brings critical pedagogy to life, illustrating it with practical examples personal experience as well as the affective dimension. She connects the theoretical and writing of others in the field to the practical experience of teachersactually using these ideas in real classrooms. (****)
Wood, G. (2005). Time to learn: How to create high schools that serve all students (Second ed.): Heinemann. 216pp.
George Wood uses the experience of transforming his small semi-rural high school to demonstrate how high schools can be places for powerful learning for all students. He uses the particulars of this school to illustrate ideas that others can use in thinking about how to change their own schools. May of the ideas used are similar to those used at Central Park East High School, and to the Coalition of Essential School principles. (****)
Becker, H. S. (1998). Tricks of the trade: How to think about your research while you're doing it: University of Chicago. 232pp.
This book is written in an engaging personal style. Becker relies a lot on his own extensive experience as a qualitative researcher in giving advise. It is not laid out as a how-to book, and does not progress in an orderly logical fashion. However, that matches his attitude toward research--it is not an orderly step-by-step process. (***)
Creswell, J. C. (1994). Research design: Qualitative and quantitative approaches: Sage. 227pp.
Creswell is heavily cited in the literature on research methodology. This book gives a strong overview of the research methods and explains the basics and purposes of each type. (***)
Fetterman, D. M. (1998). Ethnography (Second ed.): Sage.
This book provides an easy introduction to how to do ethnography. Written engagingly with lots of practical advice.(***)
Maxwell, J. A. (2005). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach (Second ed. Vol. 41): Sage. 175pp.
Written primarily for those doing academic research, such as doctoral students and university researchers. It is a good introduction to the theory and practice of doing qualitative research. The second half is particularly strong on good practical advice. (***)
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 338pp.
This is one of the bible's of qualitative research. It is referred to in most other qualitative research texts. It lives up to it's title and subtitle as a fairly comprehensive sourcebook on the many issues confronting qualitative researchers, in particular the issue of analyzing qualitative data. This is not a book for beginners however. (****)
Mills, G. E. (2003). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher (2nd ed.): Pearson. 235pp.
This is a good basic textbook on how to do qualitative teacher research.(***)
Sagor, R. (1992). How to conduct collaborative research: ASCD. 78pp.
This short pamphlet style book is aimed at the practitioner who wants to use research to make change at their own site. It is a short basic book that is aimed to help one think through the entire process. It is not aimed at research from an academic perspective, but rather, as the title states, doing research collaboratively, and in order to act on that research. (***)
Seidman, I. (1998). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences (Second ed.): Teachers College Press. 141pp.
This book is an excellent how-to book if you plan on using interviewing as your primary or sole form of conducting your research project. (***)
Yin, R. K. (2003). Case study research: Design and methods (Third ed.): Sage.
This Sage publication is one of the bible's in the field. It is very practical in terms of how to conduct a qualitative case study, but also an excellent resource in terms of understanding what is a case study and when is it most appropriate.(****)