Synopses & Reviews
How do you evaluate a school? Today parents and teachers lean on standardized test scores - along with image, rumor, and reputation - to make vital decisions. However, a single number is inevitably misleading. Author John Merrow, host of PBS's premier documentary series on youth and learning, The Merrow Report, delves into the problem of school evaluation. He shows that there are really only three kinds of schools: bad, good enough, and excellent. Good enough is the kind of school that most people settle for, schools people want to believe are okay. In these schools, which Merrow contends comprise the majority of America's public schools, some students excel, but most simply endure. Each of the chapters in Choosing Excellence explores some aspect of schooling: safety, academics, values, technology, and so on. He spotlights excellent practices and strategies, concluding each chapter with a list of evidence for visitors to look for.
Review
"Writing lucidly throughout, [Merrow] keeps his primary audience parents clearly in mind, offering, at the end of each chapter, helpful checklists for evaluating prospective schools (e.g., 'Are papers marked up with thoughtful comments?'; 'How serious is the school about art and music programs?'). Practical, forthright and engaging, Merrow's book should be required reading for every parent of a school-age child and for anyone who wants to see public education move beyond 'good enough.'" Publishers Weekly
Review
"Drawing on his writing skills, his experience as a teacher and reporter, and his familiarity with leading scholars and practitioners in the field, Merrow has crafted a volume containing lessons that can be put to good use by virtually anyone interested in our schools." Library Journal