Summer versus School

Summer versus School
Author: James Pedersen
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 155
Release: 2015-01-22
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1475812566

As American educational reformers continue to find innovative ways to address the global achievement gap, many experts seem to agree that increasing instructional time is a viable option. In addition to extending the school day, some educational leaders have looked to modifying the traditional academic calendar to address some of the academic losses that occur when students have 8-10 weeks of summer vacation each year. Re-examining how students spend their summer vacation, although considered by many to be a cultural taboo, may be the answer to addressing global competition and decreasing the national achievement gap. The need for a two month break from schools harkens back to a pre-industrial time that no longer is pertinent for our students. Although an answer may be staring us in the face, are we willing to give up on the American tradition of summer vacation all in the name of reform and student success?

Year-round Schooling

Year-round Schooling
Author: Carolyn M. Shields
Publisher: R & L Education
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2000
Genre: Education
ISBN:

The authors describe the impact of year-round schooling on students, parents, and teachers as well as different models for year-round scheduling and fiscal or political considerations as such models are implemented.

Year-round Schools

Year-round Schools
Author: Adriane Ruggiero
Publisher: Greenhaven Publishing
Total Pages: 126
Release: 2008
Genre: Education
ISBN:

From the Back Cover: Greenhaven Press's At Issue series provides a wide range of opinions on individual social issues. Each volume focuses on a specific issue and offers a variety of perspectives-eyewitness accounts, governmental views, scientific analysis, newspaper and magazine accounts, and many more-to illuminate the issue. Extensive bibliographies and annotated lists of relevant organizations point to sources for further research. Enhancing critical thinking skills, each At Issue volume is an excellent research tool to help readers understand current social issues and prepare reports.

The Battle Over Homework

The Battle Over Homework
Author: Harris M. Cooper
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 142
Release: 2015-02-03
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1631440128

Homework is the cause of more friction between schools and home than any other aspect of education and becomes the prime battlefield when schools, families, and communities view one another as adversaries. This comprehensive fourth edition tackles all the tough questions: What’s the right amount of homework? What role should parents play in the homework process? What is the connection between homework and achievement? This essential reference offers all stakeholders—administrators, teachers, and parents—the opportunity to end the battle and turn homework into a cooperative endeavor to promote student learning.

The Summer Slide

The Summer Slide
Author: Karl Alexander
Publisher: Teachers College Press
Total Pages: 519
Release: 2016
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0807775096

This book is an authoritative examination of summer learning loss, featuring original contributions by scholars and practitioners at the forefront of the movement to understand—and stem—the “summer slide.” The contributors provide an up-to-date account of what research has to say about summer learning loss, the conditions in low-income children’s homes and communities that impede learning over the summer months, and best practices in summer programming with lessons on how to strengthen program evaluations. The authors also show how information on program costs can be combined with student outcome data to inform future planning and establish program cost-effectiveness. This book will help policymakers, school administrators, and teachers in their efforts to close academic achievement gaps and improve outcomes for all students. Book Features: Empirical research on summer learning loss and efforts to counteract it. Original contributions by leading authorities. Practical guidance on best practices for implementing and evaluating strong summer programs. Recommendations for using program evaluations more effectively to inform policy. Contributors: Emily Ackman, Allison Atteberry, Catherine Augustine, Janice Aurini, Amy Bohnert, Geoffrey D. Borman, Claudia Buchmann, Judy B. Cheatham, Barbara Condliffe, Dennis J. Condron, Scott Davies, Douglas Downey, Ean Fonseca, Linda Goetze, Kathryn Grant, Amy Heard, Michelle K. Hosp, James S. Kim, Heather Marshall, Jennifer McCombs, Andrew McEachin, Dorothy McLeod, Joseph J. Merry, Emily Milne, Aaron M. Pallas, Sarah Pitcock, Alex Schmidt, Marc L. Stein, Paul von Hippel, Thomas G. White, Doris Terry Williams, Nicole Zarrett “A comprehensive look at what’s known about summer’s impact on learning and achievement. It is a wake-up call to policymakers and educators alike” —Jane Stoddard Williams, Chair, Horizons National “Provides the reader with everything they didn’t know about summer learning loss and also provides information on everything we do know about eliminating summer learning loss. Do your school a favor and read this book and then act upon what you have learned.” —Richard Allington, University of Tennessee

The Year-round School

The Year-round School
Author: Charles E. Ballinger
Publisher:
Total Pages: 44
Release: 1987
Genre: Schedules, School
ISBN:

This fastback examines the instructional and administrative benefits of year-round education and describes schools currently operating on a year-round schedule. Instructional benefits of year-round education for gifted, average, and remedial students are cited in a brief introductory article. Other benefits, discussed in more detail, include relief from overcrowded facilities, additional compensation for teachers, enhancement of the teaching profession, reduction of teacher burnout, cost savings, improved teacher and student attendance, reduced vandalism, and improved opportunities for student employment. A series of possible year-round plans are next described: 45-15 single-track; 45-15 multi-track; 60-20 plan; 60-15 plan; 90-30 plan; trimester plan; quarter plan; quinmester plan; concept 6 plan; five-track, five-term plan; and a flexible all-year plan. Remaining sections discuss teachers' and parents' reactions to the year-round concept and considerations for bringing about change. The final section presents profiles of year-round education in action at selected elementary, middle, and high schools. A 15-item bibliography is included. (TE)

Summer Learning

Summer Learning
Author: Geoffrey D. Borman
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2004-04-26
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1135634920

This book brings together up-to-date, research-based evidence concerning summer learning and provides descriptions and analyses of a range of summer school programs. The chapters present theory and data that explain both the phenomenon of summer learning loss and the potential for effective summer programs to mitigate loss and increase student achievement. Summer Learning: Research, Policies, and Programs: *presents evidence describing variations in summer learning loss and how these learning differences affect equality of educational opportunity and outcomes in the United States; *discusses the development, characteristics, and effects of the most recent wave of summer programs which are designed to play key roles in the recent standards movement and related efforts to end social promotion; *examines the impact of three of the most widespread, replicable summer school programs serving students across the United States; and *considers the characteristics and effects of alternative programs and practices that are designed to combat the problem of summer learning loss head on. Intended for education researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and graduate students, this volume is particularly relevant to those interested in social stratification, equity-minded policies, implications of the current standards movement and high stakes testing, and the development of programs and practices for improving education.

Reinventing America's Schools

Reinventing America's Schools
Author: David Osborne
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2017-09-05
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1632869918

From David Osborne, the author of Reinventing Government--a biting analysis of the failure of America's public schools and a comprehensive plan for revitalizing American education. In Reinventing America's Schools, David Osborne, one of the world's foremost experts on public sector reform, offers a comprehensive analysis of the charter school movements and presents a theory that will do for American schools what his New York Times bestseller Reinventing Government did for public governance in 1992. In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the city got an unexpected opportunity to recreate their school system from scratch. The state's Recovery School District (RSD), created to turn around failing schools, gradually transformed all of its New Orleans schools into charter schools, and the results are shaking the very foundations of American education. Test scores, school performance scores, graduation and dropout rates, ACT scores, college-going rates, and independent studies all tell the same story: the city's RSD schools have tripled their effectiveness in eight years. Now other cities are following suit, with state governments reinventing failing schools in Newark, Camden, Memphis, Denver, Indianapolis, Cleveland, and Oakland. In this book, Osborne uses compelling stories from cities like New Orleans and lays out the history and possible future of public education. Ultimately, he uses his extensive research to argue that in today's world, we should treat every public school like a charter school and grant them autonomy, accountability, diversity of school designs, and parental choice.

The Rebirth of Education

The Rebirth of Education
Author: Lant Pritchett
Publisher: CGD Books
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2013-09-30
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1933286776

Despite great progress around the world in getting more kids into schools, too many leave without even the most basic skills. In India’s rural Andhra Pradesh, for instance, only about one in twenty children in fifth grade can perform basic arithmetic. The problem is that schooling is not the same as learning. In The Rebirth of Education, Lant Pritchett uses two metaphors from nature to explain why. The first draws on Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom’s book about the difference between centralized and decentralized organizations, The Starfish and the Spider. Schools systems tend be centralized and suffer from the limitations inherent in top-down designs. The second metaphor is the concept of isomorphic mimicry. Pritchett argues that many developing countries superficially imitate systems that were successful in other nations— much as a nonpoisonous snake mimics the look of a poisonous one. Pritchett argues that the solution is to allow functional systems to evolve locally out of an environment pressured for success. Such an ecosystem needs to be open to variety and experimentation, locally operated, and flexibly financed. The only main cost is ceding control; the reward would be the rebirth of education suited for today’s world.

The Everything New Teacher Book

The Everything New Teacher Book
Author: Melissa Kelly
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2010-03-18
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1440500398

Being a great teacher is more than lesson plans and seating charts. In this revised and expanded new edition of the classic bestseller, you learn what it takes to be the very best educator you can be, starting from day one in your new classroom! Filled with real-world life lessons from experienced teachers as well as practical tips and techniques, you'll gain the skill and confidence you need to create a successful learning environment for you and your students, including how to: Organize a classroom Create engaging lesson plans Set ground rules and use proper behavior management Deal with prejudice, controversy, and violence Work with colleagues and navigate the chain of command Incorporate mandatory test preparation within the curriculum Implement the latest educational theories In this book, veteran teacher Melissa Kelly provides you with the confidence you'll need to step into class and teach right from the start.