This book examines reform in American education over the past fifty years and against this backdrop presents a compelling analysis of why contemporary voucher plans and charter schools have yet to fulfill the expectations of their advocates. It is the only book to date to attempt a comprehensive synthesis and analysis of the emerging research base on vouchers and charter schools. Suitable for courses in school policy, school reform, school leadership, or educational issues, it will also be of interest to anyone (parents, teachers, policymakers) directly involved with the charter school movement.
Key features of this timely new book include the following:
* A Historical Perspective--The early chapters look at American educational reform over the past fifty years and analyze why these efforts have fallen short of their goals.
* Student Achievement--Chapter 3 provides an insightful assessment of American students' school achievement from 1970 to the present and, in the process, counters the widely held myth that, overall, student achievement has deteriorated.
* Voucher Plans and Charter Schools--Chapter 4 looks specifically at choice and vouchers in American education while chapters 5-7 provide a comprehensive and balanced examination of the charter school movement.
* Policy Recommendations--The book concludes with explicit policy suggestions that attempt to balance the educational needs of children and youth against the rights of schools to experiment. Suggestions for developing broader coalitions to support public education, particularly in the inner cities, are also offered.

In response to Race to the Top, schools nationwide are rapidly overhauling their teacher evaluation processes. Often forced to develop and implement these programs without adequate extra-institutional support or relevant experience, already-taxed administrators need accessible and practical resources. Improving Teaching through Observation and Feedback brings cutting-edge research and years of practical experience directly to those who need them. In five concise chapters, Thomas Good and Alyson Lavigne briefly outline the history of RttT and then move quickly and authoritatively to a discussion of best practices. This book is a perfect resource for administrators reworking their processes for new evaluation guidelines.

Following the recent major school reform of Race to the Top, schools, teachers, and students are increasingly evaluated through high-stakes achievement test scores. In six concise chapters, Teacher and Student Evaluation explores the historical rise and modern landscape of accountability in American education, and the current models of teacher evaluation. The authors provide realistic and useful suggestions for responding to current accountability demands. The authors explore the methodological concerns and policy implications of using value-added and observational measures to make high-stakes decisions. After reaching the conclusion that these contemporary evaluation practices are flawed, Alyson Lavigne and Thomas Good offer possible solutions that inform current and future teacher evaluation. This book is a valuable resource for students of educational assessment as well as policy makers, administrators, and teachers who are currently building accountability plans. The book is written in an accessible but authoritative fashion that practitioners, policymakers, and scholars will find useful.

Following the recent major school reform of Race to the Top, schools, teachers, and students are increasingly evaluated through high-stakes achievement test scores. In six concise chapters, Teacher and Student Evaluation explores the historical rise and modern landscape of accountability in American education, and the current models of teacher evaluation. The authors provide realistic and useful suggestions for responding to current accountability demands. The authors explore the methodological concerns and policy implications of using value-added and observational measures to make high-stakes decisions. After reaching the conclusion that these contemporary evaluation practices are flawed, Alyson Lavigne and Thomas Good offer possible solutions that inform current and future teacher evaluation. This book is a valuable resource for students of educational assessment as well as policy makers, administrators, and teachers who are currently building accountability plans. The book is written in an accessible but authoritative fashion that practitioners, policymakers, and scholars will find useful.

The media's presentation suggests that American teenage culture today is the most violent, sexual, and amoral youth culture in history. In this book, Nichols and Good deconstruct the negative images held by large numbers of adults. Recognizing that many teenagers are left by adults to socialize themselves and the consequences of this "careless indifference," the authors' goal is to influence a more positive view leading to stronger social policies and better services, resources, and programs to meet the needs of America's youth.
Unique features of "America's Teenagers--Myths and Realities: Media Images, Schooling, and the Social Costs of Careless Indifference" include:
*powerful analytic lenses used to revisit typical depictions of youth;
*a wealth of information brought to bear on understanding teenagers' behavior; and
*consideration of a broad range of adolescent behaviors across critical socializing settings.
The book begins with a discussion of the continuing myth of adolescence--how and why youth are devalued, and an overview of current beliefs about youth drawn from two 1990s Public Agenda Polls. This is followed by chapters on youth and the media, and the pressures that youth face in various dimensions of their lives. Topics include youth violence; the sex lives of teenagers; tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and teens; healthy living and decision making; working teens; and youth and education. The concluding chapter pulls together themes generated throughout the book and provides examples of policies that would underscore the value of viewing youth as a social investment. General guidelines are provided for teachers, parents, policymakers, and citizens to facilitateresponding to youth in meaningful, proactive ways that improve the quality of life for teenagers and the broader society.

The media's presentation suggests that American teenage culture today is the most violent, sexual, and amoral youth culture in history. In this book, Nichols and Good deconstruct the negative images held by large numbers of adults. Recognizing that many teenagers are left by adults to socialize themselves and the consequences of this "careless indifference," the authors' goal is to influence a more positive view leading to stronger social policies and better services, resources, and programs to meet the needs of America's youth.
Unique features of "America's Teenagers--Myths and Realities: Media Images, Schooling, and the Social Costs of Careless Indifference" include:
*powerful analytic lenses used to revisit typical depictions of youth;
*a wealth of information brought to bear on understanding teenagers' behavior; and
*consideration of a broad range of adolescent behaviors across critical socializing settings.
The book begins with a discussion of the continuing myth of adolescence--how and why youth are devalued, and an overview of current beliefs about youth drawn from two 1990s Public Agenda Polls. This is followed by chapters on youth and the media, and the pressures that youth face in various dimensions of their lives. Topics include youth violence; the sex lives of teenagers; tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and teens; healthy living and decision making; working teens; and youth and education. The concluding chapter pulls together themes generated throughout the book and provides examples of policies that would underscore the value of viewing youth as a social investment. General guidelines are provided for teachers, parents, policymakers, and citizens to facilitateresponding to youth in meaningful, proactive ways that improve the quality of life for teenagers and the broader society.

This book examines reform in American education over the past fifty years and against this backdrop presents a compelling analysis of why contemporary voucher plans and charter schools have yet to fulfill the expectations of their advocates. It is the only book to date to attempt a comprehensive synthesis and analysis of the emerging research base on vouchers and charter schools. Suitable for courses in school policy, school reform, school leadership, or educational issues, it will also be of interest to anyone (parents, teachers, policymakers) directly involved with the charter school movement.
Key features of this timely new book include the following:
* A Historical Perspective--The early chapters look at American educational reform over the past fifty years and analyze why these efforts have fallen short of their goals.
* Student Achievement--Chapter 3 provides an insightful assessment of American students' school achievement from 1970 to the present and, in the process, counters the widely held myth that, overall, student achievement has deteriorated.
* Voucher Plans and Charter Schools--Chapter 4 looks specifically at choice and vouchers in American education while chapters 5-7 provide a comprehensive and balanced examination of the charter school movement.
* Policy Recommendations--The book concludes with explicit policy suggestions that attempt to balance the educational needs of children and youth against the rights of schools to experiment. Suggestions for developing broader coalitions to support public education, particularly in the inner cities, are also offered.

This volume constitutes a special issue of Educational Psychologist. The contributors address topics such as: educational psychology's growing pains; classroom applications of research on self-regulated learning; classroom management; and programme development and evaluation.

Looking in Classrooms uses educational, psychological, and social science theories and classroom-based research to teach future classroom teachers about the complexities and demands of classroom instruction. While maintaining the core approach of the first ten editions, the book has been thoroughly revised and updated with new research-based content on teacher evaluation, self-assessment, and decision-making; special emphases on teaching students from diverse ethnic, cultural, class, and gender-identity contexts; and rich suggestions for integrating technology into classroom instruction. Widely considered to be the most comprehensive and authoritative source available on effective, successful teaching, Looking in Classrooms synthesizes the knowledge base on student motivation, classroom management, teacher expectations, teacher effectiveness, adaptive instruction for individual learners, and informative observational techniques for enhancing teaching. It addresses key topics in classroom instruction in an accessible fashion, promoting easy intepretation and transfer to practice, and articulates the roles of teacher-centered pedagogy, student-centered instruction, and project-based learning in today's classroom. Guided by durable historical knowledge as well as dynamic, emerging conceptions of teaching, this text is ideal for undergraduate teacher training programs and for masters-level courses for teachers, administrators, and superintendents.

In response to Race to the Top, schools nationwide are rapidly overhauling their teacher evaluation processes. Often forced to develop and implement these programs without adequate extra-institutional support or relevant experience, already-taxed administrators need accessible and practical resources. Improving Teaching through Observation and Feedback brings cutting-edge research and years of practical experience directly to those who need them. In five concise chapters, Thomas Good and Alyson Lavigne briefly outline the history of RttT and then move quickly and authoritatively to a discussion of best practices. This book is a perfect resource for administrators reworking their processes for new evaluation guidelines.

Looking in Classrooms uses educational, psychological, and social science theories and classroom-based research to teach future classroom teachers about the complexities and demands of classroom instruction. While maintaining the core approach of the first ten editions, the book has been thoroughly revised and updated with new research-based content on teacher evaluation, self-assessment, and decision-making; special emphases on teaching students from diverse ethnic, cultural, class, and gender-identity contexts; and rich suggestions for integrating technology into classroom instruction. Widely considered to be the most comprehensive and authoritative source available on effective, successful teaching, Looking in Classrooms synthesizes the knowledge base on student motivation, classroom management, teacher expectations, teacher effectiveness, adaptive instruction for individual learners, and informative observational techniques for enhancing teaching. It addresses key topics in classroom instruction in an accessible fashion, promoting easy intepretation and transfer to practice, and articulates the roles of teacher-centered pedagogy, student-centered instruction, and project-based learning in today's classroom. Guided by durable historical knowledge as well as dynamic, emerging conceptions of teaching, this text is ideal for undergraduate teacher training programs and for masters-level courses for teachers, administrators, and superintendents.