Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning

Schmoker, a former school administrator, English teacher, and current consultant and author, details how to improve student learning by emphasizing the simplicity of three essential elements: a focused and coherent curriculum, clear prioritized lessons, and purposeful reading and writing. He describes the importance of these elements over any other initiative or reform, how to select essential standards, the content of good lessons, and teaching practices in language arts, social studies, science, and math that integrate purposeful reading, writing, and talking. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)