Administrators
The Nation’s Best Schools: Blueprints for Excellence, Volume 2: Middle and Secondary Schools, by Evelyn Hunt Ogden & Vito Germinario (Technomic Publishing Co. Inc., Box 3535, Lancaster, Pa. 17604; 425 pp., $39 cloth). An explanation of the methods used in blue-ribbon schools as well as detailed information about how to implement them in other schools. The companion to Volume 1, which covers elementary and middle schools.
Educating the Democratic Mind, ed. by Walter C. Parker (State University of New York Press, State University Plaza, Albany, N.Y. 12246; 381 pp., $18.95 paper). Sixteen essays about how to educate young people for the responsibilities of civic life in a democratic society.
Where Does the Money Go? Resource Allocation in Elementary and Secondary Schools, ed. by Lawrence O. Picus & James L. Wattenbarger (Corwin Press Inc., 2455 Teller Rd., Thousand Oaks, Calif. 91320-2218; 277 pp., $46.95 cloth). Educators reveal how tax dollars are spent on education, from the district level all the way down to the students in the classroom.
Monographs
The Case Against School Vouchers, by Edd Doerr, Albert Menendez, & John M. Swomley (Americans for Religious Liberty, P.O. Box 6656, Silver Spring, Md. 20916; 59 pp., $10 paper; bulk rates available). A succinct introduction to the case against school vouchers with evidence and up-to-date documentation for each argument.
Every School a Community: The Academic Value of Strong Social Bonds Among Staff and Students, by Stephen Stolp (Oregon School Study Council, 5207 University of Oregon, Eugene, Ore. 97403-5207; 45 pp., $11 paper). An overview of how administrators can start to develop cohesive social relations in their schools as a buffer against some of the familial, social, and economic problems confronting their students and staff.
School-to-Work Community Economic Development: Identifying Common Ground, by Joan Fitzgerald, John Austin, & Susan Curnan (Jobs for the Future, 1 Bowdoin Square, Boston, Mass. 02114; 18 pp., $10 paper). Highlights from a June 1995 conference designed to bring leaders of the school-to-work and community-economic-development fields into closer collaboration.
Parenting
Grandparents as Parents: A Survival Guide for Raising a Second Family, by Sylvie de Toldedo & Deborah Edler Brown (Guilford Publications Inc., 72 Spring St., New York, N.Y. 10012; 322 pp., $16.95). A sensitive guidebook for any grandparent who is helping to support, raising, or contemplating raising a grandchild.
Summerhill School: A New View of Childhood, by A.S. Neill (St. Martin’s Griffin, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10010; 269 pp., $12.95 paper). A revised and expanded edition of the 1960 classic that details the Summerhill School’s progressive child-development philosophy.
Professional Issues
Debating the Future of American Education: Do We Need Standards and Assessments?, ed. by Diane Ravitch (The Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-2188; 182 pp., $16.95 paper). Leading educators and commentators debate the utility and equity of setting national academic standards, as well as the increasing use of tests to assess students, teachers, and schools.
Educational Freedom for a Democratic Society: A Critique of National Goals, Standards, and Curriculum, ed. by Ron Miller (Resource Center for Redesigning Education, P.O. Box 328, Brandon, Vt. 05733-0328; 284 pp., $18.95 paper). Sixteen writers, ranging from curriculum theorist Nel Noddings to parent activists, analyze the concept of educational freedom in public schooling.
The Educator’s Income Tax Guide, prepared by Teachers Tax Service (Teachers Tax Service, P.O. Box 8809, Chico, Calif. 95927; 120 pp., $9.95 paper). The newly revised, 1996 edition designed to assist educators in preparing their 1995 federal income-tax returns.
Organizing To Count: Change in the Federal Statistical System, by Janet L. Norwood (The Urban Institute Press, 2100 M St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037; 94 pp., $22.50 paper). A look at the development of the U.S. statistical system and at how increased responsibilities and reduced funding threaten its ability to respond to public and private needs for information.
Teachers
Academic Competitions for Gifted Students: A Resource Book for Teachers and Parents, by Mary K. Tallent-Runnels & Ann C. Candler-Lotven (Corwin Press Inc., 2455 Teller Rd., Thousand Oaks, Calif. 91320-2218; 215 pp., $22.95 paper). A handbook of state and national competitions for students in grades K-12 with helpful suggestions about how to evaluate, enroll in, and implement gifted programs.
Random Thoughts: The Humanity of Teaching, by Louis Schmier (Magna Publications Inc., 2718 Dryden Dr., Madison, Wis. 53704-3086; 268 pp., $27.95 paper). A veteran history teacher shares his ideas and theories about effective teaching practices.
The Teacher Educator’s Handbook: Building a Knowledge Base for the Preparation of Teachers, ed. by Frank B. Murray (Jossey-Bass Inc. Publishers, 350 Sansome St., San Francisco, Calif. 94104; 756 pp., $75 cloth). An examination of questions basic to the design of teacher preparation within the larger context of current policy structures and standards-based accountability.
