Wasting minds : why our education system is failing and what we can do about it / Ronald A. Wolk.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wolk, Ronald A., author.

Contributor:

James Hosmer Penniman Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Educational change--United States.

Educational change.

United States.

Public schools--United States.

Public schools.

Physical Description:

xi, 199 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Alexandria, Virginia, USA : ASCD, [2011]

Summary:

Why has successful school reform been so difficult to achieve, despite decades of well-intentioned efforts, endless rhetoric, and billions of dollars of investment? Why do most U.S. schools continue to produce disappointing results? Why is there such a disconnect between the schools we need and the schools we have? -- In this thoughtful and insightful book, Ronald A. Wolk tackles these questions head-on, identifying key assumptions that have shaped the debate on school reform for the past several decades, including the emphasis on standards and testing, calls for a longer school day and year, the push to enroll more students in advanced math classes, and the quest to place a highly qualified teacher in every classroom. Backed by research and other evidence, he points out the flaws in each assumption, and then proposes alternative assumptions as the basis for new, innovative schools that would emphasize such elements as -- * Individualized instruction, with various pathways for learning; * Real-world contexts for learning; * Performance assessment; * A restructuring of public education to expand preschool; and * Transformation of the teachers' role from instructor to advisor. -- Acknowledging that the current system is too entrenched to accept radical reform, Wolk suggests incorporating his assumptions into a separate, parallel strategy for new schools. The result is a provocative proposal for teachers, administrators, policymakers, parents, and others to consider as they contemplate the future of public education in the United States.

Contents:

The "get tough" policy

All standards for all students

If it moves, test it

Make them take algebra

Wanted : great teachers

The quest for the supreme leader

The dropout epidemic

Time for what?

Never enough money

Needed : a new strategy of new schools

One student at a time

Many pathways to success

Life to text

It's the work that counts

Start them early

A new role for teachers

A matter of choice

Schools for digital natives.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 183-193) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the James Hosmer Penniman Book Fund.

ISBN:

1416611312

9781416611318

OCLC:

671541116

Publisher Number:

99945109633