This book can be read by educators at all stages in their careers. What a great selection for a book study group of practicing teachers or for a seminar with graduate students. The authors share their thoughts about education for the future, but also inform us about the past. Whether you encounter this book as a textbook or for a professional learning community, the contents will inform and inspire you, encouraging you to think deeply and work towards the improvement of education.
In the years after A Nation at Risk, conservatives’ ideas to reform America’s lagging education system gained much traction. Key items like school choice and rigorous academic standards drew bipartisan support and were put into practice across the country. Today, these gains are in retreat, ceding ground to progressive nostrums that do little to boost the skills and knowledge of young people. Far from being discouraged, however, conservatives should seize the moment to refresh their vision of quality K–12 education for today’s America. These essays by 20 leading conservative thinkers do just that. Students, according to this vision, should complete high school with a thorough understanding of the country’s history, including gratitude for its sacrifices, respect for its achievements, and awareness of its shortcomings. They should also learn to be trustworthy stewards of a democratic republic, capable of exercising virtue and civic responsibility. Beyond helping to form their character, schools ought to ready their pupils for careers that are productive, rewarding, and dignified. Excellent technical-training opportunities will await those not headed to a traditional college. Regardless of the paths and schools that they select, all students must come to understand that they can succeed in America if they are industrious, creative, and responsible. Anchored in tradition yet looking towards tomorrow, How to Educate an American should be read by anyone concerned with teaching future generations to preserve the country’s heritage, embody its universal ethic, and pursue its founding ideals.
Written by researchers in education and urban policy, this volume offers useful insights into how to provide urban workers with the educational qualifications they need for real world jobs.
Discover how to help young people "make it" in a rapidly changing world Author Stephanie Malia Krauss gets it. Every day she works with leaders across the country as they upgrade learning experiences to better equip young people for a changing world. A mother, former teacher and school leader, Stephanie knows firsthand how hard it is to balance school and program requirements with young people's needs. In Making It: What Today's Kids Need for Tomorrow's World, she lays out what adults can do to get young people ready for the future. What you learn may surprise you. With so much changing so fast—accelerated by the impacts of COVID-19—the most in-demand jobs and skills of today may be obsolete by the time our youngest become adults. For kids to be ready for this new reality, they must acquire four critical "currencies" that will serve them well, whatever their future holds: credentials, competencies, connections, and cash. This book focuses on how to prioritize these four key outcomes whenever and wherever learning happens. The author shares research and experience to help you understand and apply a human-centered and future-focused lens directly to your classroom, school, program, or at home. Learn about how the world and workforce is changing, and what that means for the education and preparation young people need Understand how these changes are impacting young people, reshaping their childhoods and transitions into adulthood Glean practical information and ideas you can use to help young people—at every age and stage—to gain readiness "currencies" in the form of credentials, competencies, connections, and cash Challenge your beliefs about what knowledge, experiences and resources are most important for kids to have, and what a college- and career-ready education really requires Discover community-wide strategies that prioritize equity, learning and readiness for the future This book will benefit teachers, counselors, youth workers, parents, school board members, and state education leaders alike. Whether you work in K-12, youth development, or you just want to know how to best support the kids in your life, you will find a timely and useful resource putting young people first and modernizing their learning experiences for the better.
The restructuring of schools systems across the world has been controversial. Have reforms been driven by a desire to cut educational budgets or the need to improve the quality of educational provision? This book explores the restructuring movement, with a particular emphasis on how decentralisation of power has affected the quality of education. It provides a broad and international picture of educational reform.
In this far-reaching discussion of curriculum and liberal education, William A. Reid compares curriculum making to the idea of “pursuit.” Like justice, Reid argues that curriculum is not something that we own or possess in a material sense; rather, it is an achievement that anyone involved in schooling must and should pursue. Drawing upon the acclaimed work of Joseph J. Schwab, Reid discusses four traditions within curriculum theory (the systematic, the radical, the existentialist, and the deliberative), and then makes his case that a deliberative perspective is the soundest, most long-lasting philosophical tradition for curriculum theorists to follow. Reid’s goal is to persuade readers to engage in the age-old practice of deliberation. Wesley Null introduces readers to Reid’s book with a new introduction and postscript that connect the Schwab-Reid tradition to the ancient roots upon which deliberative theory is based. Null also draws connections between Reid’s text and contemporary issues facing curriculum and education in 21st century America. In a world in which passion-driven arguments for extreme views on curriculum often dominate discussions, Reid’s book offers a balanced perspective that is rooted in reason, wisdom, and a deep-seated commitment to justice and the public good. This book speaks directly to teachers, school administrators, university faculty, and anyone else who is interested in thinking clearly about the question of what should be taught in America’s schools.
The ways in which vocational education can be strengthened to contribute most effectively to national education and economic goals are the subject of this book. It discusses changes in the economy and in the nature of jobs that affect the skills needed in the workplace; unemployment conditions, particularly among the young; and the educational implications of these changes and conditions. The book takes a critical look at vocational education, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the system, and makes specific recommendations for its improvement.
How do some high schools produce graduates that consistently achieve at high levels? Would you believe there's a set of proven strategies that could help you deliver similar impressive results and better prepare students for the world after high school? High schools in the United States face a startling reality: many graduates are unprepared for success in postsecondary studies or for high-demand, well-paying jobs in a rapidly changing economy. Although this situation is alarming, the high schools that have embraced new ways of learning show us what is possible. Drawing from his experience with the High Schools That Work initiative, Gene Bottoms offers educators a path forward by urging them to pursue bold goals and outlining bold actions for achieving those goals. His vision is clear: replace the traditional model of secondary education with one that engages students in a rigorous curriculum that combines a solid academic core with intellectually demanding career pathway courses. The notion that nearly all students can achieve at high levels is borne out by numerous examples of high schools—including those with traditionally underperforming student populations—that have used key strategies to help all students realize their potential. Bottoms explains the root causes of the current shortcomings in high school education and then specifies critical components of successful transformation: * Shared leadership; * Powerful assignments—especially in math, literacy, and career/technical education—planned and executed by academic and career pathway teachers working together; * Strengthened connections between middle school and high school; * A redesigned senior year; and * Comprehensive counseling and advisory programs. Provocative and persuasive in its sense of urgency, Tomorrow's High School offers proven and practical solutions to finally make high schools a rich and rewarding experience for all students, whatever their future college and career goals may be. This book is a copublication of ASCD and SREB. It includes access to nine downloadable appendixes.
