Misguided Education Reform: Debating the Impact on Students

Misguided Education Reform: Debating the Impact on Students argues for reforms that will help, not hurt, America’s public school students. Early childhood education, testing, reading, special education, discipline, loss of the arts, and school facilities, are all areas experiencing reform in the wrong direction. This book says “no” to the reforms that fail, and challenges Americans to address the real student needs that will fix public schools and make America strong.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 What Happened to Early Childhood? The Assault on Early Childhood The Importance of Past Research Kindergarten—The Children’s Garden The Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten Head Start’s Struggle Privatizing Head Start Universal Preschool What is a Good Preschool? The Elimination of Recess Supporting Good Early Childhood Education Chapter 2 The Trouble With Testing and Common Core Standards The Effects of High-Stakes Testing on Students Ignoring Instead of Celebrating Differences Blaming Public Schools Retention Lowering Class Size is a Better Solution High School and General Testing Controversy Students with Disabilities, Testing and High School Diplomas High-Stakes Cheating—Students High-Stakes Cheating—Adults Excuses Common Core State Standards Talking Pineapples and Testing Pushback Testing to Benefit Students—Formative Assessment Parent and Teacher Activism Concerning Tests Chapter 3 The Politics of Reading The Problems with Reading Instruction The History of Reading, Phonics and Whole Language Flawed Reading Recommendations Reading First: Conflict of Interests and Unproven Science Getting a Reading First Grant Dr. Cupp’s Readers and Other Reading Programs What Happened to Reading First ? Antiquated School Libraries or No Libraries at All Teaching Children to Love Reading Chapter 4 Special Education—Abandoned Commitment The Cost of Education for All Burton Blatt’s Book and Special Education History The Regular Education Initiative or Getting Rid of Special Education The Reauthorizations of Public Law 94-142 The Problem With Inclusion—UDL, Technology, RTI and DIBELS Students, Testing and Cognitive Disabilities Privatizing Special Education Giftedness Ignored The Significance of Special Olympics Chapter 5 The Dangers of Criminalizing Students Student Behavior in Public Schools Poverty and Discipline in Urban Schools Zero Tolerance Corporal Punishment Teaching and Students with Problem Behavior School Resource Officers Student Surveillance Uniforms—Dressing Alike—In a Democracy The School Counselor’s Role Schools that Care About Students Chapter 6 The Elimination of the Arts Stealing The Arts From Children—Especially the Poor Testing and the Arts Where the Arts Have Been Stolen How the Arts Improve Scores in Other Subjects Student Artists of All Backgrounds The Importance of Certified Art Teachers The Arts Job Market and Saving the Arts in Our Public Schools Chapter 7 The Public School Building Problem Poor School Facilities Poor Rural and Native American Schools High Achievers and Ramshackle Schools Dangerous and Toxic Schools The Costs of Poorly Maintained Schools Schools—Earthquakes and Tornadoes Overcrowded Schools The Importance of School Facilities to Achievement Public Schools or Charter Schools Facility Funding? Supporting Good School Facilities for All Children

About the Author :
Nancy Bailey is a former special education teacher and principal and has a Ph.D. in educational administration from Florida State University. She has been a Title I Grant Manager in a program for troubled teens, the recipient of a Learning Disabilities Innovation in Teaching Grant, and an advocate for safe school facilities.

Review :
“The Trouble with Testing and Common Core State Standards”chapter alone, is worth the price of the book. The author clearly substantiates the nonsense, abuses and frauds associated with the high-stakes testing movement. The discussion about the Common Core State Standards clearly illustrates how non K-12 individuals devised the core to belittle teachers and the public schools. The author notes that no formative evaluation has ever been part of any of the testing movements. And, then notes the total lack of pilot testing on the current vogue of achievement tests. This is must read chapter by all educational policy makers. “The Dangers of Criminalizing Students”chapter provides a thoughtful and accessible analysis of challenges that ought to be at the very heart of our conversations about educational reform today. Before we can improve what we do, we need to work together to reject interested messages that are designed to confuse and distract, saturating communication channels with sound-bites about teachers, counselors, and students that make it more difficult for us to see, let alone understand, the forces transforming our schools. I applaud the efforts here to unpack and clarify the dangers manifest in the many ways we are criminalizing our students. This book reveals the many aspects outside of school that affect student achievement, including an almost unprecedented recognition of the well documented consequences of lead poisoning on children’s learning and behavior. Knowledge of the consequences of lead poisoning have been well documented in the public health community for decades but few educators have shown an awareness of dealing with those consequences among their students. Nancy Bailey raises questions about school reform everyone should be asking. The chapter concerning public school facilities presents a very powerful argument – and in my view one that is sustained by facts. This is certainly a story that needs telling. Detailing the negative effects of current education reforms on kids, parents, teachers, and schools, Bailey, a former teacher and principal, argues that "we must reject the 'one size fits all' mentality." She presents evidence that education reform is really about privatization and that education reformers are diverting public school funds into new charter schools run by outside organizations. Some of the problem areas she explores include Common Core State Standards, the dangers of criminalizing students, the elimination of the arts, and run-down public school buildings. The author recommends that reform begin with addressing students' mental, emotional, and behavioral problems.