Synopses & Reviews
This timely, tough-minded book shows how American public schools can be saved by instituting high standards for academic achievement. Standards for Our Schools explains not just what the standards movement is about and why it is important, but also what it will take to bring every student up to high standards, no matter where that student starts. The authors show how a single-minded focus on achievement will change everything?from the kinds of curriculum materials we use and the design of elementary and middle schools to the abandonment of the comprehensive high school and the institution of a diploma based on meeting standards, rather than on attAndance. At the heart of this revolution are the performance standards themselves, which provide clear expectations for student achievement by showing examples of standard-setting student work.Tucker and Codding focus on empowering both students and adults?by giving students the gift of high expectations and by giving school professionals the information, skills, authority and resources needed to do the job. They advocate building a standards-based instructional system, creating a results-oriented culture devoted to continuous improvement, and making the institution and the people in it accountable for reaching the goals set by the standards. This book lays out a step-by-step plan that will get struggling students to high standards as well as improve the performance of high achievers. An extremely practical book, it gives everyone involved in the education of our students the tools they need to do the job.Standards for Our Schools will be the bible of standards-based education and the foundation on which educators, parents, and policymakers can build the educational system of the future.
Review
"A blueprint for forging great change in our nation's school system." —
Publishers Weekly"A must-read for those seeking high standards for all students. With unusual insight, the authors address the major issues, offering inspirational examples of schools that succeed." — Jerome T. Murphy, professor and dean, Harvard Graduate School of Education
"A clear explanation of standards-based reform, real examples of what works, and proven strategies for getting whole school change and better student achievement." —Thomas W. Payzant, superintendent of schools, Boston Public Schools
"America is having a conversation with itself regarding standards. This book advances that conversation in very important ways." —Delaine Eastin, state superintendent of public instruction, State of California
"If you care about rigorous education for every American child then you can't afford to skip reading this book." —Lauren B. Resnick, professor of psychology and director, Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh
Review
"The authors combine their expertise to offer a cogent, comprehensive argument for internationally recognized standards of achievement.... This isn't a theoretical statement of purpose, but something much more concrete: the authors offer details on new textbooks and new assignments, rebuilding accountability in the schools from the bottom up.... Educators and concerned Americans could well find this a blueprint for forging great change in our nation's school system." --Publishers Weekly
"A timely book that aims to describe the standards movement, explain why it is important and what steps should be taken to achieve a standards-driven reform effort." --Star (Indianapolis, IN)
"This is more than a book about ?standards.' It is a very significant and fundamental contribution to the national discussion about school reform. Readable, insightful, and provocative, it should be compulsory reading for everyone who cares about the future of education." --Seymour Papert, LEGO professor of learning research, epistemology and learning, The Media Laboratory, MIT
"A must-read for those seeking high standards for all students. With unusual insight, the authors address the major issues, offering inspirational examples of schools that succeed." --Jerome T. Murphy, professor and dean, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Synopsis
Critical Acclaim for Standards for Our Schools"A blueprint for forging great change in our nation's school system."
—Publishers Weekly
"A must-read for those seeking high standards for all students. With unusual insight, the authors address the major issues, offering inspirational examples of schools that succeed."
—Jerome T. Murphy, professor and dean, Harvard Graduate School of Education
"A clear explanation of standards-based reform, real examples of what works, and proven strategies for getting whole school change and better student achievement."
—Thomas W. Payzant, superintendent of schools, Boston Public Schools
"America is having a conversation with itself regarding standards. This book advances that conversation in very important ways."
—Delaine Eastin, state superintendent of public instruction, State of California
"If you care about rigorous education for every American child then you can't afford to skip reading this book."
—Lauren B. Resnick, professor of psychology and director, Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh
Synopsis
"A must read for those seeking high standards for all students. With unusual insight, the authors address the major issues, offering inspirational examples of schools that succeed." --Jerome T. Murphy, professor and dean, Harvard Graduate School of Education
This timely, tough-minded book shows how American public schools can be saved by instituting high standards for academic achievement. It explains not just what the standards movement is about and why it is important, but also what it will take to bring every student up to high standards, no matter where that student starts.
Tucker and Codding focus on empowering both students and adults by giving students the gift of high expectations and by giving school professionals the information, skills, authority and resources needed to do the job. They advocate building a standards-based instructional system, creating a results-oriented culture devoted to continuous improvement, and making the institution and the people in it accountable for reaching the goals set by the standards.
About the Author
Marc S. Tucker is president of the National Center on Education and the Economy and codirector of the New Standards Project, the nation's largest effort to create a system of performance standards for our schools. The creator of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and co-author of America's Choice: High Skills or Low Wages, he also coauthored the prize-winning Thinking for a Living: Education and the Wealth of Nations.
Judy B. Codding is vice-president for programs at the National Center on Education and the Economy. A former teacher at the elementary, middle and high school levels, Codding has also been an award-winning principal of one of Los Angeles' toughest high schools as well as of some of the wealthiest schools in New York's Westchester county. She was one of four charter principals who participated in the creation of Theodore Sizer's Coalition of Essential Schools.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
The Authors
Prologue: The View from the Plains 1
Introduction: Failure Is Not an Option 17
Interlude: What Do You Mean, Tiffany Won't Get Credit for Algebra I? 25
1 Setting High Standards for Everyone 31
Interlude: But How Will We Actually Get These Kids to Algebra II? 65
2 Teaching to the Standards 73
Interlude: Upset Victory: Student Achievement 1, Everything Else 0 101
3 Leading and Managing for Success 107
Interlude: The School Nobody Wanted 133
4 Rethinking the Elementary and Middle Schools 139
Interlude: The Graphic Arts Academy 169
5 Beyond the Comprehensive High School 175
Interlude: Accountability, Chicago-Style 209
6 Rebuilding "Central" for Accountability 217
Epilogue: What We Owe Jeff 245
A The National Center on Education and the Economy 251
B New Standards Performance Standards 255
C New Standards Reference Examinations 291
D Resources for Standards-Based Education 301
E Glossary 313
F Annotated Bibliography 323
Notes 331
Index 335