High Stakes: Children, Testing, and Failure in American Schools

This text brings the voices of students and teachers to American national debates over school accountability and educational reform. Recounting the experiences of two classrooms during one academic year, the work offers a critical exploration of excessive state-mandated monitoring, high-stakes testing pressures, and inequities in public school funding that impede the instructional work of teachers, especially those who serve children of poorer families. Redbud Elementary has no playground, no library, no hot water for the children's hand-washing, and no art classes. Ninety-five percent of the children qualify for a free breakfast or lunch. Most of the children live with a single parent or relative; some live in homes without electricity, running water, or floors. The authors, who moved from comfortable college professor positions to teach in a poor school district, offer an examination of the daily school lives of children who live in crushing poverty and teachers who work under extraordinary stress. They explain why many educational reforms have been off track and argue for more meaningful reforms that can empower teachers and students and better meet the challenges of American communities and the national interest.

Table of Contents:
From ivory tower to white lightning road - launching a teaching career; hayricks and helicopters - the realities of an under-funded school; September beginnings - the children we teach; October -regulating teaching; November - drugs, poverty and test scores; December - "clamp down"; January - test preparation - the pace quickens; February - pep rallies for tests; March - test-day traumas; April - free to teach and learn; May - "I don't want to spend my time on paperwork"; how can we build a better future? Recommendations for policy change.

About the Author :
Dale D. Johnson is professor of literacy education at Dowling College on Long Island. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin and was a profesor there for 16 years. Dr. Johnson has been an elementary and middle school teacher in Wisconsin and Louisiana and was on the faculties of Katsina College in Nigeria and the University of Louisiana. He is a past-president of the International Reading Association. Dr. Johnson has authored and co-authored 12 books, including Vocabulary in the Elementary and Middle School (2001, Allyn and Bacon). Bonnie Johnson is professor of human development and learning at Dowling College on Long Island. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin where she was granted the 'Distinguished Teacher of Teachers' award. Dr. Johnson has taught elementary school in Wisconsin and Louisiana and has been a professor at Texas A&M, the University of Louisiana, and Clarke College. She has published for children, adolescents, and adults. In addition to journal articles, she is the author of Wordworks: Exploring Language Play (1999, Fulcrum).

Review :
"High Stakes: Children, Testing and Failure in American Schools is a compelling read. It presents a dramatic picture of what it's like to be a teacher or a student in schools where grinding poverty is the overarching reality. The reader will also find convincing evidence that schools are burdened with high expectations that are not receiving the significant levels of funding and professional development they need. This book is a 'must-read' for all concerned professionals, policy makers, and parents. It will make you angry, it will make a difference." --Alan Farstrup, coeditor of What Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction "High Stakes enables us to feel, see, and experience first-hand the privilege and oppression of high stakes testing. The Johnsons explain how and why there is daily suppression of real teaching and learning. The voices of the children that the Johnsons taught remain with you long after you close their book." --Carl A. Grant, Hoefs-Bascom Professor, University Wisconsin-Madison, From The Foreword "A critical, passionate, firsthand account of the 2000-01 school year in a Redbud, LA, elementary school. The authors challenge the effectiveness of using standardized tests to make decisions in a school that lacks basic amenities and suffers from excessive student and teacher stress. They provide numerous examples, clear descriptions, and a deep appreciation for the role of teachers to illustrate the dire consequences of this emphasis on testing. The closing chapter offers recommendations for concerned professionals, policymakers, and parents. Education collections in both public and academic libraries would be strengthened by the addition of this clear, research-based discussion." --Library Journal "High Stakes is a poignant look at the reality of public schools today." --The Louisiana Weekly "A book so compelling that it just might become a classic." --American School Board Journal "What we haven't heard in some time, though, is a first-person account of schooling this harrowing and honest. Let's hope that High Stakes finds readers in high places." --Teacher Magazine "Compelling book....They argue their case skillfully....To their credit, Johnson, Johnson, Farenga, and Ness challenge us to do something within our reach toward making things right: Stop high-stakes testing, and spend the money on teaching and learning." --Luanna H. Meyer, PsycCRITIQUES