Exploring the Myths and the Realities of Today's Schools : A Candid Review of the Challenges Educators Face

Exploring the Myths and Realities of Today's Schools presents a strong case regarding the strengths and successes of our schools, while also addressing the major challenges currently facing our teachers and school administrators. This sympathetic look at the daily work life of our educators directly confronts issues with our changing student population, teacher unions, poor family dynamics, financial inequities, and student performance on international achievement tests. The author offers data and insights that counter the conventional wisdom that significant improvements will occur simply by expanding charter schools, by implementing merit pay for teachers more widely, or by emulating foreign educational systems. The book offers recommendations for school improvement that are both practical and effective. While many books on public education are written from the perspective of academics or political pundits, this book offers perspectives from the viewpoint of teachers, school principals, school superintendents, and school board members. The author brings his experience and insights from forty plus years in public education as a teacher, principal, and superintendent to provide his from-the-trenches perspective on the true nature of public schooling in the United States.

Exploring the Myths and Realities of Today''s Schools presents a strong case regarding the strengths and successes of our schools, while also addressing the major challenges currently facing our teachers and school administrators. This sympathetic look at the daily work life of our educators directly confronts issues with our changing student population, teacher unions, poor family dynamics, financial inequities, and student performance on international achievement tests. The author offers data and insights that counter the conventional wisdom that significant improvements will occur simply by expanding charter schools, by implementing merit pay for teachers more widely, or by emulating foreign educational systems. The book offers recommendations for school improvement that are both practical and effective. While many books on public education are written from the perspective of academics or political pundits, this book offers perspectives from the viewpoint of teachers, school principals, school superintendents, and school board members. The author brings his experience and insights from forty plus years in public education as a teacher, principal, and superintendent to provide his from-the-trenches perspective on the true nature of public schooling in the United States.