Curriculum & Methods
Among Friends: Classrooms Where Caring and Learning Prevail, by Joan Dalton & Marilyn Watson (Developmental Studies Center, Suite 305, 2000 Embarcadero, Oakland, Calif. 94606; 202 pp., $16.95 paper). Based on the premise that children who feel comfortable in their classrooms are better able to learn, this book offers suggestions for creating caring academic environments.
How to Develop Student Creativity, by Robert J. Sternberg & Wendy M. Williams (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1250 N. Pitt St., Alexandria, Va. 22314-1453; 52 pp., $10.95 paper). This short guide details 25 strategies for unleashing the creative potential in both teachers and students. Creativity, in the authors’ view, is more a matter of attitude than of ability.
Putting Research to Work in Your School, by David Berliner & Ursula Casanova (IRI Skylight Training and Publishing Inc., 2626 S. Clearbrook Dr., Arlington Heights, Ill. 60005; 180 pp., $29.29 paper). Each of the 50 sections of this book connects research from across the field with practical classroom experience. The authors summarize the results of prior research and give suggestions for implementing them on an everyday basis.
Science for all Children: A Guide to Improving Elementary School Education in Your School District, ed. by Cynthia Allen (National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20418; 225 pp., $19.95 paper). Geared toward the changes in elementary-level science curricula dictated by the National Science Education Standards, this book provides assistance in the planning and implementation of an inquiry-based science program.
Strong Arts, Strong Schools: The Promising Potential and Shortsighted Disregard of the Arts in American Schooling, by Charles Fowler (Oxford University Press, 198 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016; 227 pp., $27.50 cloth). Hardly the frivolous, budget-burning luxury so many administrators and policymakers today treat them as, the arts, argues the author, are vitally important in society and can strengthen and enliven any school’s curriculum.
Educational Policy
How It Works: Inside a School-College Collaboration, by Sidney Trubowitz & Paul Longo (Teachers College Press, 1234 Amsterdam Ave., New York, N.Y. 10027; 171 pp., $18.95 paper). This book centers on the 20-year relationship between a middle school and Queens College in New York City. While detailing the dynamics of this connection, the book addresses related issues in urban school reform and teacher education.
How Schools Really Work: Practical Advice for Parents from an Insider, by Saul Cooperman (Open Court Publishing Company, Suite 2000, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60604-9968; 224 pp., $17.95 paper). The no-nonsense approach to school reform outlined in this book by a former New Jersey state schools chief advocates parent participation that goes beyond the occasional telephone call or conference. It gives specific suggestions to parents who are concerned with assessing the quality of their children’s schools.
The Human Side of School Change: Reform, Resistance, and the Real-Life Problems of Innovation, by Robert Evans (Jossey-Bass Publishers, 350 Sansome St., San Francisco, Calif. 94104; 317 pp., $28.95 cloth). This book approaches school reform not through unguarded optimism, but instead with a realistic assessment of the effort--and obstacles--involved in creating a foundation for positive change.
Rallying the Whole Village: The Comer Process for Reforming Education, ed. by James P. Comer et al. (Teachers College Press, 1234 Amsterdam Ave., New York, N.Y. 10027; 185 pp., $21.95 paper). The essays in this collection focus on the ways in which parents and teachers can develop the positive collaborative relationship so vital to the success of a child’s school career.
Redesigning School: Lessons for the 21st Century, by Joseph P. McDonald (Jossey-Bass Publishers, 350 Sansome St., San Francisco, Calif. 94104; 268 pp., $28.95 cloth). After identifying the issues he believes to be at the heart of educational reform, the author asserts that successful school change requires redesign in three areas of the school environment.
Why Schools Fail, by Bruce Goldberg (Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001; 124 pp., $9.95 paper). This pro-school-choice volume argues that schools are doomed to failure when they treat all children as interchangeable and educate them all in the same manner. The author supports his position by tracing 150 years of history in public schools and educational theory.
Handbooks & Reference
The Internet Resource Directory for K-12 Teachers and Librarians, 1996-97 Edition, by Elizabeth B. Miller (Libraries Unlimited Inc., P.O. Box 6633, Englewood, Colo., 80155-6633; 220 pp., $25 paper). The third edition of this handy compilation includes 939 annotated listings organized by curriculum area. Entries include Internet sites of interest to educators as well as “listserv” discussion groups to which anyone with an e-mail account may subscribe for free.
National Service and AmeriCorps: An Annotated Bibliography, ed. by Allan Metz (Greenwood Publishing Group Inc., 88 Post Road West, P.O. Box 5007, Westport, Conn. 06881-5007; 288 pp., $69.50 cloth). Organized into four chronological sections, this reference work lists books, dissertations, government documents, and serial literature covering the evolution of national service.
Social Issues
Building Self-Esteem in At-Risk Youth: Peer Group Programs and Individual Success Stories, by Ivan C. Frank (Greenwood Publishing Group Inc., 88 Post Road West, P.O. Box 5007, Westport, Conn. 06881-5007; 136 pp., $47.95 cloth). Through a discussion of community and peer-group programs designed to help gang members and and other troubled young people, this book suggests effective ways in which at-risk students might deal with feelings of anger and inadequacy.
Children in Jeopardy: Can We Break the Cycle of Poverty? , by Irving B. Harris (Yale University Press, P.O. Box 209040, New Haven, Conn. 06520-9040; 288 pp., $27.50 cloth). Early intervention, the author says, is the key to success in the war against poverty. He presents research indicating that children who receive early nurturing and stimulation are far more likely to succeed in school.
Poverty and Place: Ghettos, Barrios, and the American City, by Paul A. Jargowsky (Russell Sage Foundation, 112 E. 64th Street, New York, N.Y. 10021; 288 pp., $39.95 cloth). In an analysis of the forces behind ghetto formation, this book addresses the economic and educational factors that play a role in poverty and suggests solutions to the problem of urban decay.
The State of Americans: The Disturbing Facts and Figures on Changing Values, Crime, the Economy, Poverty, Family, Education, the Aging Population, and What They Mean for Our Future, by Urie Bronfenbrenner et al. (The Free Press, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10020; 294 pp., $25 cloth). Beyond giving a plethora of data on numerous trends in American culture, the authors make connections between the numbers and theorize about their effects on future generations.
Diversity
Cultural Diversity and Social Skills Instruction: Understanding Ethnic and Gender Differences, by Gwendolyn Cartledge (2612 N. Mattis Ave., Champaign, Ill. 61821; 398 pp., $24.95 paper). Within the next 30 years, 40 percent of the public school population will be made up of racial and ethnic minorities. The authors argue that the behaviors--and instruction--of these students must be approached from a cultural standpoint.
Differences That Work: Organizational Excellence Through Diversity, ed. by Mary C. Gentile (Harvard Business School Press, 60 Harvard Way, Boston, Mass. 02163; 320 pp., $14.95 paper). The 16 essays in this compilation, drawn from the Harvard Business Review, discuss the complex dilemmas and critical themes that shape diversity in the workplace and the classroom.
Healing Racism: Education’s Role, ed. by Nathan Rutstein and Michael Morgan (Whitcomb Publishing, 32 Hampden St., Springfield, Mass. 01103; 361 pp., $24.95 paper). Advocating what it calls “the oneness of humanity and the cousinship of all human beings,” this book offers how-to advice on incorporating anti-prejudice training into the curriculum.
Knowledge, Difference, and Power: Essays Inspired by Women’s Ways of Knowing, by Nancy Goldberger et al. (Basic Books, 10 E. 53rd St., New York, N.Y. 10022-5299; 478 pp., $30 cloth). This anthology picks up where the authors’ first book, on the “missing voices” of women, left off. The writers relate how the first book helped shape their own thinking and teaching, and along the way ask whether it is possible for humanity to come to understand diverse ways of knowing.
Politics, Race, and Schools: Racial Integration, 1954-1994, by Joseph Watras. (Garland Publishing Inc., Suite 2500, 717 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10022-8101; 340 pp., $49 cloth). Focusing on the Dayton, Ohio, schools, this book examines the issues and problems that emerge when schools are used to advance social equality.
Reading Across Cultures: Teaching Literature in a Diverse Society, ed. by Theresa Rogers & Anna O. Soter (Teachers College Press, 1234 Amsterdam Ave., New York, N.Y. 10027; 256 pp., $21.95 paper). Not so much a how-to book as a dialogue, this compilation of essays by teachers and students discusses the complexities of studying multicultural literature within the context of a multicultural society.
Sailing Against the Wind: African Americans and Women in U.S. Education, ed. by Kofi Lomotey (State University of New York Press, State University Plaza, Albany, N.Y. 12246; 183 pp., $16.95 paper). This book discusses specific programs through which educators are actively addressing issues of inequality. It argues for political opposition to the status quo and a demand for social justice.
--DAVID FIELD
