by Anne Wheelock
"The first allegiance of educators Wheelock
describes is to help their students become
self-directed learners who understand and
ultimately embrace standards for quality work, and
who learn to value the quality of personal
relationships within their school community."
- from the Forward by M. Hayes Mizell
In the words of teachers and students, this book describes
middle grades classrooms that engage daily in standards-based reform.
In examining the call for standards-based reform, the author
warns that educators should not equate such reform with
standardized testing, grade retention, and bureaucratic accountability. To achieve
lasting improvement, she asserts that schools need to create a
culture that values student work of high quality. The book offers
ways schools and districts can promote such a culture.
National Middle School Association, 2600 Corporate
Exchange Drive, Suite 370, Columbus, Ohio 43231-1672;
(800)
528-NMSA; www.nmsa.org
Also by Anne Wheelock. . .
Crossing the Tracks:
How "Untracking" Can Save America's Schools
Schools that untrack create academic communities founded on
a moral vision of all students learning together at high levels
with the understanding that they are engaged in the first stages of a process of life-long learning.
The book looks at the problems of tracking and summarizes components of successful untracking in
schools and districts. These components are explored through the experiences of specific schools.
The New Press, 450 West 41st Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10036;
(800) 233-4830;
www.thenewpress.com
See Page 9 and 10 for more resources.