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New From the Professional Library Departments: Resources Are "good enough" schools really "good"? A veteran education journalist probes the issues affecting schools today, and offers ideas for going beyond the status quo.
Choosing Excellence In the movie Jerry Maguire, the famed sports agent played by Tom Cruise stays up all night to write a "mission statement" based on his experiences in the business. Likewise, education reporter John Merrow--on the occasion of his 25-year anniversary as an award-winning education reporter--cranked out what he calls a "whimsical memo" of his own arguments and strategies for improving public education. Eventually, the memo grew into a television program called "School Sleuth," which aired last November on PBS. And his musings also resulted in this new book, Choosing Excellence. In both, Merrow--known best for his work on PBS's MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour and The Merrow Report--examines why too many schools in America are just "good enough," a term he uses to describe schools that are neither excellent nor bad, but the ones that we accept even though we know that our children deserve better. Using keen observation skills honed from more than two decades in the field, Merrow succinctly captures a wide range of issues affecting the social and academic climate of schools today, including high-stakes testing, technology, school safety, charter schools, zero-tolerance policies, the growing and alarming number of children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, and more. Always spirited and sometimes edgy, his points are fueled by stirring and sometimes heartbreaking stories of real teachers and children he's met over the years. Add to that expert testimony from education leaders and meticulous, current research that's anything but boring and the result is a thought-provoking call for change. At times, the book reads like a fast-moving education debate that Merrow is moderating on television. When he presents two views on the merits of alternative certification, for example, he effectively juxtaposes quotes from Stanford University's Linda Darling-Hammond and Chester Finn, an assistant secretary of education under Ronald Reagan. In fact, his use of quotes throughout the book from noted educators--including Lisa Delpit, author of Other People's Children; E.D. Hirsch, Jr., the founder of the Core Knowledge school reform program; and Deborah Meier, vice-chair of the Coalition of Essential Schools--transports the reader into a seemingly real roundtable discussion among some of this country's most respected education experts. Merrow also uses powerful yet simple metaphors to drive his themes home, comparing current efforts to "fix" the teacher shortage to fixing a leaking swimming pool, and contrasting charter school choice to select-ing a restaurant. This refreshing style makes Merrow's points easy to understand, even for the education jargon-impaired. Perhaps the most unique and useful aspect of the book is the list of thought-provoking questions posed at the end of each chapter to help concerned educators and parents explore current behaviors and strategies at their schools. If asked and answered honestly, these questions will help readers uncover the real policies and practices in place at their local school or district. The book provides a brutally honest portrayal of education today. It's almost a comprehensive guide on how to think about schools: a unique combination of up-to-date facts, researched opinion, practical tips, and critical evaluation questions that will prove useful to parents, educators, and others determined to push and pull the system beyond "good enough."
Excerpt: New from the NEA Professional Library
56 pp., $4.50, #2161-4-00-FN Now, for the first time, a collection of the best tips from Works4Me, the popular weekly NEA E-mail newsletter! You'll be inspired by the more than 85 practical tips in this newest addition to the NEA Professional Library's Checklist series, with ideas on everything from helping absent students catch up to reinforcing writing skills. Written by the experts--classroom teachers--The Best of Works4Me is organized around six essential topics: teaching techniques, content, getting organized, managing your classroom, relationships, and using technology. Whether you teach kindergarten or 12th grade, you'll find great ideas here that you can put into practice immediately! To order, call 1-800/299-4200, or check the Web at www.nea.org/books.
Excerpt: Books by NEA MembersA Concise Review for AP U.S. History Students Focused and to the point, this guide offers students a rundown on many of the key facts tested on the AP U.S. History exam. Covering the Colonies to modern court cases, A Concise Review sums up themes, names, and dates that will help students tackle the test. $3.50 (minimum order of 10 copies) plus $3.00 s&h from Scott Davis, 1504 Alamo Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80907, 719/473-9474. Memorize in Minutes: The Times Tables Using pictures, rhymes, stories, and other activities, Walker harnesses the power of mnemonic devices to help students memorize the multiplication tables. Full lesson plans and teaching tips are provided, along with flashcards, quizzes, and worksheets. $19.99 plus $3.50 s&h from Krimsten Publishing, P.O. Box 48, Prosser, WA 99350. On the Web at www.multiplication.com. Curtains Up! Rubenstein, a middle school teacher from Eugene, Oregon, loves storytelling so much that he founded the Multicultural Storytelling Festival held annually in Eugene. This book will help students, teachers, and parents develop their abilities in storytelling, improvisation, and public speaking. $17.95 from Fulcrum Publishing, 16100 Table Mountain Pkwy., Suite 300, Golden, CO, 800/992-2908. Gorillas A detailed, 110-page look at one of humanity's closest primate relatives. Gorillas includes chapters on the gorilla's evolution, anatomy, life cycle, and intelligence, and the threats to its continued survival as a species. It also features numerous color photographs showing the animals in their native habitat. $19.95 through Marshall Cavendish, 99 White Plains Rd., Tarrytown, NY 10591, 800/821-9881. On the Web at www.marshallcavendish.com. Girl of the Shining Mountains: Sacagawea's Story Experience a different perspective on the Lewis and Clark expedition through the eyes of their guide, Sacagawea. Written in narrative form, this book recounts the life of the young woman, from her kidnapping to her journey with the famous explorers. $14.99 from Hyperion Books for Children, 77 West 66th, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10023, 212/456-0159. TV TipsHaven This four-hour mini-series tells the story of Ruth Gruber's efforts to bring Jewish refugees to America during World War II. Although dismayed that only 1,000 were granted asylum, Gruber tirelessly worked to break down barriers of prejudice: first, among the soldiers who resented the refugees for taking the place of wounded veterans on the ship, then, among the townspeople in New York, where the refugees were isolated at an army base in Oswego. As friendships began to form between the emigrants and the community, Gruber tried to persuade the government to admit more refugees, but bigotry and the politics of war hampered her efforts. KIDSNET has produced an online study guide for middle and high school teachers with original photos, news articles, and government documents from the time. An electronic bulletin board will also be available, and a live web chat with Ms. Gruber, who is now 89 years-old, will take place after Haven airs. For more information, visit www.cbs.com or www.kidsnet.org. Boycott When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white bus rider in Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955, her arrest acted as the catalyst for the Montgomery bus boycott. The boycott and subsequent court battle eventually led the Supreme Court to find the city's bus segregation laws unconstitutional. This film dramatizes the behind-the-scenes crisis management of the 382-day boycott and the rise of one of its organizers, a young minister named Martin Luther King, Jr. From Swastika to Jim Crow While America may have welcomed Albert Einstein, other German intellectuals fleeing Hitler in the 1930s found themselves in a nation reeling from the Depression and steeped in anti-Semitic and anti-German attitudes. However, Jewish professors were often welcomed into historically all-Black colleges in the South. These professors and their students discovered a profound connection existed between them - a common history of oppression and the knowledge of what it means to be despised and persecuted because of ethnicity. A study guide for high school students, information on Jewish immigration and Black colleges, and a virtual experience of German-Jewish immigration are available on the program's Web site at www.pbs.org or www.itvs.org. Scientific American Frontier: Wild Places Host Alan Alda witnesses the critical link between healthy habitats and species survival as he travels around the world to investigate animals facing extinction. Scientists discuss the negative effects of declining biodiversity, and the show profiles efforts to save Atlantic salmon, the white stork, Mediterranean monk seals, and the animals and habitat of the American prairie. Roots Odyssey features a slate of programming in honor of Black History Month, including Alex Haley's 1977 groundbreaking mini-series, Roots and the 1993 three-part series, Queen. Odyssey supports the timeless educational value of these programs with a new poster/study guide for middle and high school social studies teachers. For more information, visit the KIDSNET web site. Marcus Garvey: Look for Me in the Whirlwind With the aim of promoting racial pride and Black empowerment, Marcus Garvey launched the Universal Negro Improvement Association in 1914 in his native Jamaica. Two years later, he traveled to America with the message of self-reliance and nationalism and forever changed the tenor of race relations. His "Africa for Africans" movement and disdain for integration created hostility among other Black leaders and brought him to the attention of the Justice Department. Jailed for mail fraud in 1925, Garvey was pardoned by President Coolidge two years later and immediately deported. He died in London in 1940, a broken and largely forgotten man, but his ideas about Black pride found new life during later struggles for African American equality. 73 Worlds and Counting This program explores the ecosystems of our solar system's moons, some of which are bigger than Mercury, while others are smaller than Manhattan. Many scientists consider moons the most likely place in our solar system to harbor life, and some lunar volcanoes produce the heat necessary for life's creation. Through actual and computer-generated visuals, the program provides a tour of some of our planets' moons, including Lo, Europa, and Triton, moons of Jupiter and Neptune. CNN NEWSROOM CNN NEWSROOM profiles Black Entertainment Television founder Robert Johnson and IHRA race car driver Harold Martin in this presentation honoring Black History Month. Also featured are Harlem's Apollo Theater and the Freedman's Bureau, formally known as The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, which was established in 1865 and supervised relief and educational activities for freedmen and refugees of the Civil War. Freedom Song Based on true stories from the Civil Rights movement, this film recounts the struggle for equality in a Mississippi town through the eyes of an African-American teenager whose relationship with his father is strained by their different reactions to the upheaval around them. The film pays tribute to the grass-roots organizers who risked their lives during this period, particularly members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, who registered African-Americans to vote. Airing with one-year taping rights for educators, a teaching guide is available at www.turnerlearning.com. Bojangles Born at the end of the Reconstruction Era, Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson rose from dancing on the streets for pennies to become the most highly paid Black entertainer of his time. Through interviews with Robinson's longtime manager, his wives, and his brother Percy, this program chronicles the life of an artist whose success was tempered by prejudice, racial stereotypes, and challenges in his personal life. Starring Gregory Hines, this dramatized biography chronicles the life of an artist whose success was tempered by prejudice, racial stereotypes, and challenges in his personal life. American Masters - Bob Marley: Rebel Music At a time when Jamaican radio was limited to British and American imports, Bob Marley and The Wailers took their music directly to the people and found a devoted audience. Interviews and concert footage chronicle Marley's life and show how he and his music were influenced by Rastafarai, a Black consciousness movement that replaces armed struggle with a spiritual one, and the struggles of oppressed people in Jamaica and abroad. Crossing the Bridge In 1965, the eyes of the nation watched when police beat and tear-gassed civil rights marchers as they attempted to cross the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Alabama. This program features interviews with those who played key roles in the protest and reveals the behind-the-scenes battle between members of President Johnson's administration who believed Martin Luther King, Jr. was a dangerous subversive and those who demanded the president take a lead in demanding equality for all Americans. The Ballad of Lucy Whipple This film version of the Newbery Medal-winning book by Karen Cushman features Glenn Close as Arvella Whipple, a recently widowed mother who moves her family west during the Gold Rush. Her daughter resents the move from their civilized Massachusetts home and changes her name from California to Lucy as she rebels against their new lifestyle. KIDSNET, a national resource for children's media in Washington, D. C., provides these listings. 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