This book presents a discussion of new ideas for education and the factors needed to approach educational change. It is designed to be easily read by anyone interested in education. It considers educational and multi-disciplinary practices, and the concerns that impact education and student success. The book is divided into four sections. Section…

This book relates a fictionalized year in the life of an elementary school. Told from the perspective of an elementary school principal, whose school is located in a poor, urban neighborhood, the stories portray the daily struggles of the children, teachers, and principal. Some of the themes explored include chaos and violence, problem students,…

The first two-thirds of this book, an adaptation of the 1984 television documentary "To Save Our Schools, To Save Our Chldren," reports on an ABC News Closeup study of the challenges facing education in the United States. The book discusses the vast dispartities between educational ideals and realities, suggests that the future of…

This book examines the conditions for learning from the perspective of those students for whom schools are not productive and satisfying settings. Both current and desired characteristics of school environments are examined from the standpoint of their effect on marginal students. Questions probed include how difficulties begin and why individuals…

Barriers to learning and teaching interfere with students' ability to participate effectively and benefit fully from classroom instruction and other educational activities. For school improvement efforts to succeed in ways that truly improve student achievement and student test scores, systemic changes must be made in how schools provide learning…