Spring Titles--From Grantwriting to On-Line Teaching End of Text
Career Education
School-to-Work, by Arnold H. Packer & Marion W. Pines, et al. (Eye on Education, P.O. Box 3113, Princeton, N.J. 08543; 300 pp., $42.95 cloth). This practical guide to the integration of workplace experience into the curriculum argues for broad-based reforms that emphasize tangible results as well as the lessons learned in their creation. It examines specific programs across the country where such changes have already produced positive effects on student achievement.
Workplace Skills in Practice: Case Studies of Technical Work, ed. by Cathleen Stasz, et al. (National Center for Research in Vocational Education, University of California at Berkeley, 2150 Shattuck Ave., Suite 1250, Berkeley, Calif. 947201674; 122 pp., $15 paper). This study examines the school-to-work effort from the employer’s side of the issue; in determining the skills attractive to employers and their methods for obtaining workers who have them, the book highlights ways of preparing students who are competitive in the postgraduation job market.
Computers and Technology
Computer Conversations: Readers and Books Online, by Marilyn Jody & Marianne Saccardi (National Council of Teachers of English, 1111 W. Kenyon Rd., Urbana, Ill. 61801-1096; 194 pp., $16.95 paper). How do computers figure in the teaching of literature? The authors of this book argue that they are valuable tools for getting students to discuss books with each other and should be an integral part of every curriculum.
The Educational Technology Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide, by Steven Hackbarth (Educational Technology Publications, 700 Palisade Ave., Englewood Cliffs, N.J. 07632-0564; 351 pp., $37.95 paper). This text, which serves to fulfill the computer-literacy requirement for teacher certification, covers every aspect of educational technology, including all instructional media.
Learning Online: An Educator’s Easy Guide to the Internet, by Amy Wolgemuth (IRI/Skylight Training and Publishing Inc., 200 E. Wood St., Suite 274, Palatine, Ill. 60067; 156 pp., $24.95 paper). Aimed at users unfamiliar with the Internet, this guide offers practical advice on navigating the World Wide Web, highlighting along the way sites especially useful to the secondary teacher.
The Online Classroom: Teaching With the Internet, by Eileen Guiffre Cotton (ERIC/EDINFO Press, Indiana University, P.O. Box 5953, Bloomington, Ind. 47407; 196 pp., $22.95 paper). If the Internet is an information highway, this book aims to be its roadmap. Designed for the teacher with little or no on-line experience, it explains the many resources available and suggests lessons that utilize them.
Educational Policy
Leadership for the Schoolhouse: How Is It Different? Why Is It Important?, by Thomas J. Sergiovanni (Jossey-Bass Inc., 350 Sansome St., San Francisco, Calif. 94104; 203 pp., $28.95 cloth). The structure of the school is nothing like that of a corporation, argues the author, and therefore a school should not be run like a company. He introduces a method of educational leadership that steers away from the winner-take-all philosophy of the corporate world toward a system that emphasizes a commitment to the well-being of the school community as a whole.
Multiage Q&A: 101 Practical Answers to Your Most Pressing Questions, ed. by Jim Grant, et al. (Crystal Springs Books, 10 Sharon Rd., Box 500, Peterborough, N.H. 03458; 160 pp., $12.95 paper). In a short question-and-answer format, this book explores and advocates the effective implementation of multiage education.
Handbooks and Reference
High Interest--Easy Reading: An Annotated Booklist for Middle School and Senior High School, ed. by Patricia Phelan (National Council of Teachers of English, 1111 W. Kenyon Rd., Urbana, Ill. 618011096; 115 pp., $11.95 paper). Based on the premise that reading for pleasure broadens a student’s verbal and writing skills as well as his horizons, this reference suggests more than 300 books to pique the interest of even the most apathetic teenager. The works listed, all published in 1993 and 1994, cover many topics, from mysteries and sports to biographies and adventures.
Historical Encyclopedia of School Psychology, ed. by Thomas K. Fagan & Paul G. Warden (Greenwood Publishing Group Inc., P.O. Box 5007, Westport, Conn. 068815007; 464 pp., $95 cloth). The 450 entries in this first-of-its-kind reference cover concepts, terms, organizations, and other important elements in the field of school psychology. Aimed at both students in training and professionals, the book is easy to use and lists extensive references for further research.
Plays for Children and Young Adults: An Evaluative Index and Guide, ed. by Rashelle S. Karp, et al. (Garland Publishing Inc., 717 Fifth Ave., Suite 2500, New York, N.Y. 10022-8101; 384 pp., $65 cloth). This well-researched tome lists more than 2,000 plays suitable for production by or for children ages 518. Each entry includes extensive information on the type, length, and cast of the play and is cross-referenced in a thorough index.
Prospects for School Mathematics, ed. by Iris M. Carl (The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Inc., 1906 Association Dr., Reston, Va. 22091-1593; 334 pp., $20 cloth). The essays in this compilation, by educators and administrators from across the discipline and the country, are aimed at anyone with an interest in the reform of mathematics education. The book highlights recent standards efforts outlining the road to “mathematical literacy.”
Parents
Beyond Facts & Flashcards: Exploring Math With Your Kids, by Jan Mokros (Heinemann, 361 Hanover St., Portsmouth, N.H. 03801-3912; 133 pp., $16.95 paper). In this practical guide to mathematics education in the home, the author advocates parental involvement in children’s everyday exposure to math. She suggests math-oriented games and projects that involve common household items and activities.
Raising Your Child To Be Gifted: Successful Parents Speak!, by James Reed Campbell (Brookline Books, P.O. Box 1046, Cambridge, Mass. 02238; 195 pp., $19.95 paper). Based on the author’s research with over 10,000 children, this book argues that the defining factor in a child’s success is not the genetic influence of parents, but rather their nurturing and motivating influence in support of academic efforts.
Professional Issues
All That Matters: What Is It We Value in School and Beyond?, ed. by Linda Rief & Maureen Barbieri (Heinemann, 361 Hanover St., Portsmouth, N.H. 03801-3912; 235 pp., $22.50 paper). In questioning teachers’ personal investment in their work, this compilation of essays explores effective methods of encouraging students to invest in their own education.
Grantwriting, Fundraising, and Partnerships: Strategies That Work, by Karen B. Ruskin & Charles M. Achilles (Corwin Press Inc., 2455 Teller Rd., Thousand Oaks, Calif. 91320-2218; 185 pp., $21.95 paper). The authors of this handbook present for educators practical, step-by-step methods for writing effective proposals and grants.
Hope at Last for At-Risk Youth, by Robert D. Barr & William H. Parrett (Allyn & Bacon, P.O. Box 10695, Des Moines, Iowa 50381-0695; 320 pp., $30 paper). From five years of research in more than 200 schools comes this affirmation that it is possible to create schools that ensure the successful education of at-risk youths. The book describes effective programs and offers suggestions for their implementation.
Science Teaching
A Year of Hands-On Science: Exciting Theme Units With More Than 100 Activities, Projects, and Experiments To Make Science Come Alive, by Lynne Kepler, ed. by Joan Novelli (Scholastic Professional Books, 555 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10012-3999; 304 pp., $31.95 paper). Each chapter in this guide covers one month of the school year, offering activity-filled projects based on the season. The suggestions and experiments in the book are appropriate for use at the primary level.
Teaching Physical Science Through Children’s Literature: 20 Complete Lessons for Elementary Grades, by Susan E. Gertz et al. (Terrific Science Press, Miami University Middletown, 4200 East University Blvd., Middletown, Ohio 45042; 244 pp., $17.95 paper). This book, funded by the National Science Foundation, integrates science and literature instruction. Each book-based activity presented uses children’s innate curiosity about the world around them to teach concepts in physical science.
Using the Learning Cycle To Teach Physical Science: A Hands-On Approach for the Middle Grades, by Paul Beisenherz & Marylou Dantonio (Heinemann, 361 Hanover St., Portsmouth, N.H. 03801-3912; 145 pp., $26.50 paper). An innovative approach to the teaching of science is discussed, one that emphasizes student inquiry and exploration as catalysts for learning.
Social Issues
Life Without Father: Compelling New Evidence That Fatherhood and Marriage Are Indispensable for the Good of Children and Society, by David Popenoe (Martin Kessler Books, 1230 Ave. of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10020; 275 pp., $25 cloth). This book examines sociocultural changes of the last 30 years that have resulted in the decline of fatherhood as a stabilizing force in the family. The author makes suggestions for the creation of a society that once again values marriage as essential to the wellbeing of its children.
Preventing Violence in America, ed. by Robert L. Hampton, et al. (SAGE Publications Inc., 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, Calif. 91320; 311 pp., $24.95 paper). With a wideranging compilation of essays that discuss both cause and prevention, the book outlines the necessary steps in a successful fight against the violence in American streets, schools, and homes.
Special Education
The Doctor He Begged To Be: The Portrait of a Dyslexic, by A. McDonald Vaz (Dorrance Publishing Co. Inc., 643 Smithfield St., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222; 244 pp., $18 cloth). The biography of a dyslexic man from Jamaica who strives to become a physician, this book, also written by a dyslexic, is an inspiring tale of perseverance and determination in the face of educational and societal obstacles.
“What’s Wrong With Me?": Learning Disabilities at Home and School, by Regina Cicci (York Press Inc., P.O. Box 504, Timonium, Md. 21094; 248 pp., $26.50 paper). Aimed at both teachers and parents, this book covers a wide range of learning disabilities in a straightforward manner, describing symptoms, diagnoses, and remedies in language understandable even to those unfamiliar with the special education field.
--David Field
