The Schools Our Children Deserve PDF Download

Author: Pasi Sahlberg
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 0807770884
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
“It is now time to break down the ideology of exceptionalism in the United States and other Anglo-American nations if we are to develop reforms that will truly inspire our teachers to improve learning for all our students—especially those who struggle the most. In that essential quest, Pasi Sahlberg is undoubtedly one of the very best teachers of all.” —From the Foreword by Andy Hargreaves, Lynch School of Education, Boston College Finnish Lessons is a first-hand, comprehensive account of how Finland built a world-class education system during the past three decades. The author traces the evolution of education policies in Finland and highlights how they differ from the United States and other industrialized countries. He shows how rather than relying on competition, choice, and external testing of students, education reforms in Finland focus on professionalizing teachers’ work, developing instructional leadership in schools, and enhancing trust in teachers and schools. This book details the complexity of educational change and encourages educators and policymakers to develop effective solutions for their own districts and schools.

Author: Bert Creemers
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134525605
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
In this book the authors have conducted extensive research and describe what makes a successful school and how this varies in different countries. The book follows the progress of a cohort of 7-year-old children through their schools over a two-year period. It covers schools in the US, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, and Ireland and: *draw together what it is that the most and least effective schools do in each country *pinpoints what makes 'effective teaching' across the globe *analyses which effectiveness-producing school and teaching factors appear to be the same and which are context specific *discusses how educational policies can be used to generate World Class Schools and which new blends of practice can, or should be used The existing literature based upon the comparison of the educational achievements of different countries is inadequate. This unique study provides a rich picture of the processes of the education systems of different countries which will appeal to practitioners and policy makers.

Author: Teru Clavel
Publisher: Atria Books
ISBN: 1501192981
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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“An upbeat chronicle of [Clavel’s] children’s school experiences in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo…[offering] advice about vetting schools and enriching children’s education.” —Kirkus Reviews “An intriguing volume on the differences in global education.” —Library Journal A must-read firsthand exploration of why Asian students are outpacing their American counterparts and how to help our children excel in today’s competitive world. When Teru Clavel had young children, she watched her friends and fellow parents vie for spots in elite New York City schools. Instead of losing herself in the intensive applications and interview process, Teru and her family moved to Asia, embarking on a decade-long journey through the public schools of Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo. These schools were low-tech and bare-bones, with teachers who demanded obedience and order. In Hong Kong, her children’s school was nicknamed The Prison for its foreboding facilities, yet her three-year-old loved his teachers and his nightly homework. In Tokyo, the students were responsible for school chores, like preparing and serving school lunches. Yet Teru was amazed to discover that her children thrived in these academically competitive cultures; they learned to be independent, self-confident, resilient, and, above all, they developed a deep love of learning. When the family returned to the States, the true culture shock came when the top schools could no longer keep up with her children. Written with warmth and humor, World Class is a compelling story about how to inspire children to thrive academically. “Studded with lists of useful tips about choosing schools and hiring tutors, for parents who must advocate for their children and supplement gaps in their educations” (Publishers Weekly) and an insightful guide to set your children on a path towards lifelong success.

Author: Dennis Littky
Publisher: ASCD
ISBN: 1416614605
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
What is the purpose of education? What kind of people do we want our children to grow up to be? How can we design schools so that students will acquire the skills they'll need to live fulfilled and productive lives? These are just a few of the questions that renowned educator Dennis Littky explores in The Big Picture: Education Is Everyone's Business. The schools Littky has created and led over the past 35 years are models for reformers everywhere: small, public schools where the curriculum is rich and meaningful, expectations are high, student progress is measured against real-world standards, and families and communities are actively engaged in the educational process. This book is for both big "E" and small "e" educators: * For principals and district administrators who want to change the way schools are run. * For teachers who want students to learn passionately. * For college admissions officers who want diverse applicants with real-world learning experiences. * For business leaders who want a motivated and talented workforce. * For parents who want their children to be prepared for college and for life. * For students who want to take control over their learning . . . and want a school that is interesting, safe, respectful, and fun. * For anyone who cares about kids. Here, you'll find a moving account of just what is possible in education, with many of the examples drawn from the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center ("The Met") in Providence, Rhode Island--a diverse public high school with the highest rates of attendance and college acceptance in the state. The Met exemplifies personalized learning, one student at a time. The Big Picture is a book to reenergize educators, inspire teachers in training, and start a new conversation about kids and schools, what we want for both, and how to make it happen.

Author: Vivien Stewart
Publisher: ASCD
ISBN: 141661379X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
In the 20th century, the United States was the world leader in education—the first country to achieve universal secondary education and the first to expand higher education beyond the elite class. Now other countries are catching up and leaping ahead—in high school graduation rates, in the quality and equity of their K-12 education systems, and in the proportion of students graduating from college. It is not that American education has gotten worse so much that education in other parts of the world has gotten so much better, so fast. Designed to promote conversation about how to educate students for a rapidly changing and increasingly borderless and innovation-based world, this comprehensive and illuminating book from international education expert Vivien Stewart is not about casting blame; it is about understanding what the best school systems in the world are doing right for the purpose of identifying what U.S. schools—at the national, state, and local level—might do differently and better. Here, you'll consider * How the U.S. education system fares against emerging international standards of excellence. * The policies, practices, and priorities of the world's best-performing systems, along with specific ideas for adapting these approaches for U.S. schools. * The common factors characteristic of high-performing and rapidly improving systems. * New models of 21st century teaching and leadership and ways to modernize curriculum, instruction, and assessment. * How technology and international exchange can help the United States close performance gaps and reach new levels of excellence and equity. Learning goes both ways, Stewart writes. Other countries have learned a great deal from the United States, and now it is time for American educators to open their eyes to other nations' globally-minded and future-focused practices, leverage existing assets, and create a truly world-class education system for this generation of students and generations to come.

Author: Yong Zhao
Publisher: Corwin Press
ISBN: 1544302916
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
Prepare your students for the globalized world! In the new global economy, the jobs that exist now might not exist by the time today′s students enter the workplace. To succeed in this ever-changing world, students need to be able to think like entrepreneurs: resourceful, flexible, creative, and global. Researcher and Professor Yong Zhao unlocks the secrets to cultivating independent thinkers who are willing and able to use their learning differently to create jobs and contribute positively to the globalized society. World Class Learners presents concepts that teachers, administrators and even parents can implement immediately, including how to: Understand the entrepreneurial spirit and harness it Foster student autonomy and leadership Champion inventive learners with necessary resources Develop global partners and resources With the liberty to make meaningful decisions and explore nontraditional learning opportunities, today′s students will develop into tomorrow′s global entrepreneurs. "In this important book, Yong Zhao demonstrates persuasively that the race for higher test scores is harmful to our society. What is needed most now, he reminds us, is freedom to think, freedom to invent, and freedom to differ from bureaucratically devised norms." —Diane Ravitch, Author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System "In his latest book, Yong Zhao forcefully challenges us to focus on entrepreneurship and innovation. Zhao has established himself as one of the most compelling voices in 21st century education. He is not an education reformer, trying to improve our performance within the old system. He is truly an education transformer, trying to articulate the outcomes that will matter most to our 21st century students." —Ken Kay, CEO of EdLeader21 Founding President of Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Author: Philip G. Altbach
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 9780801886621
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
Nations with strong research universities are better able to compete in the international marketplace of ideas and innovation. Any country—especially in the developing world—striving to participate in the global knowledge economy must recognize the power of such institutions to transform society. In World Class Worldwide, analysts from developing and middle-income countries in Asia and Latin America explore their countries’ specific challenges in providing “world class” higher education. Philip G. Altbach, Jorge Balán, and their contributors combine current scholarship and practical experience in presenting a comprehensive discussion of the significant issues facing research universities in Mexico, China, India, and elsewhere. They address the special challenges of establishing and maintaining these institutions; the role of information technology; how research universities train leaders and foster scientific innovation; and the extent to which the private sector can and should be involved in funding and development.

Author: William Gaudelli
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135639531
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 247

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Book Description
How have school curricula been affected by the ripple effects of globalization? How do teachers and students attempt to understand their complex world? Most states require world teaching in some form, yet little is known about how teachers and students engage in this critical curricular area. World Class: Teaching and Learning in Global Times directly fills this need by providing a detailed, inside look at global education in three high schools. The data from the study, drawn from extensive interviews and observations, illustrate the daily challenges and complexities of global teaching and learning. Comprehensive yet scholarly, this volume: *raises thought-provoking questions for both theorists and practitioners; *addresses controversial issues embedded in global education and throughout the social studies curriculum, such as the tension between universalism and cultural relativism, the problematic nature of identity in classroom discourse, and the apparent duality of national and global loyalties; *connects issues particular to global education with wider scholarship in education; *examines the interplay of theory and practice in global education and, more broadly, the social sciences; and *provides an exploratory and provocative look at dimensions of global civics, with an analysis of the events of 9/11/01 and how they have shaped global perspectives about living as one planet. The book is organized in three parts--contexts, problems, and alternatives. Contexts allows readers to consider global education from multiple perspectives: teacher, student, administrator, community member, and scholar. Problems focuses on pedagogical challenges associated with global education. Alternatives provides reflection points that encourage readers to consider different ways we might converse about global teaching and learning. Written for scholars, practitioners, and students in social studies, curriculum and instruction, global/multicultural education, and related fields, World Class: Teaching and Learning in Global Times is an excellent text for preservice and graduate-level courses in these areas.

Author: James H. Stronge
Publisher: ASCD
ISBN: 1416623930
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 153

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Book Description
For years, students in the United States have lagged behind students in many other countries on such measures of achievement as the PISA and TIMSS assessments. In an increasingly globalized world, such a gap is worrisome. Armed with statistics, examples, and cautionary tales from Scandinavia to Japan, James H. Stronge and Xianxuan Xu have written a book that can help educators better prepare students and close that gap. In What Makes a World-Class School and How We Can Get There, you will find * Careful analysis of recent international assessment results—what they mean and what can be done to improve them. * In-depth profiles of high-achieving education systems around the globe—their histories, their lessons learned, and what they can teach educators and policymakers in the United States. * Strategies for aligning successful educational approaches from international systems to U.S. schools—which strategies to use, in which subjects, and with which students. * Transformative ideas for cultivating a truly world-class system of schooling—both simple and complex ways to raise the bar for all students, no matter what their background. Educators in every country must ensure that their students are as prepared as possible to lead a future generation of citizens. This thought-provoking and copiously researched book provides educators with a blueprint for radical improvement based on the hard-learned experiences of their peers around the world.

Author: Marc Tucker
Publisher: ASCD
ISBN: 1416627022
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
WITH A FOREWORD BY LINDA DARLING-HAMMOND Did you know that close to half of today's jobs in the U.S. could be done by robots and that proportion is rapidly increasing? It is quite possible that about half of today's high school graduates will not have the knowledge or skills needed to get a decent job when they graduate. Tomorrow's high school graduates will be able to thrive in this environment, but only if school superintendents, central office executives, and principals use the strategies employed by the world's top-performing education systems to build the high-performance education systems today's students will need to succeed tomorrow. In Leading High-Performance School Systems: Lessons from the World's Best, Marc Tucker, a leading expert on top-performing school systems with more than 30 years of experience studying the global economy and education systems worldwide, details how top-performing school systems have met head-on the challenges facing school leaders today. You'll learn why our current system is obsolete, explore the knowledge and skills needed to design and build first-rate education systems, and gain a solid understanding of the key elements of high-performance school systems, including the following: A powerful, coherent instructional system with school-leaving certifications that mean much more than today's high school diploma. Partnerships with first-rate universities to ensure a steady supply of highly capable, well-educated, and well-trained teachers. Schools reorganized around highly qualified professional teachers with a career ladder they can climb. High expectations and personalized support to ensure that children arrive at each grade level ready to learn. An equitable system that closes the gaps in student performance. Vocational education for talented youth seeking an applied, academically rigorous education. Leading High-Performance School Systems is an invaluable resource for school leaders preparing today's students for tomorrow's world. This book is a copublication of ASCD and NCEE.