Narrowing the Achievement Gap - (Issues in Children's and Families' Lives) by Susan J Paik & Herbert J Walberg (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This book promotes an understanding of the challenges and strengths of minority children in U.S. schools. It also recommends effective practices, interventions, and policies to improve their achievement in school and their success in life. Coverage not only informs about the most identifiable minority groups, but also provides explicit recommendations for educators, policy makers, and practitioners. The central idea of the book is that educational, psychological, and social research, to put it simply, should be used. Conceptualizing opportunities and challenges in working with minority children in the context of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the book analyzes educational and social policy and provides recommendations for educators, psychologists, researchers, policymakers, and others.

From the Back Cover

The fastest growing populations in U.S. schools are minority children and youth from Latino, Black, and Asian-American communities. Multiple economic, family, and social risk factors pose challenges to these students. Not surprisingly, evidence continues to show that these children face an ever-widening achievement gap throughout their school years.

Consequently, school psychologists, educators, and other allied professionals must become better informed to improve the academic and life prospects of these children. To help these children succeed in school, Narrowing the Achievement Gap: Strategies for Educating Latino, Black, and Asian Students will serve as a valuable professional tool by:

• Providing effective strategies from experienced scholars and professionals that can be used to improve academic achievement and well-being of minority students.
• Examining, collectively, three cultural groups in one concise, yet comprehensive book on themes related to diverse families, immigration issues, and teaching and learning.
• Conceptualizing opportunities and challenges in working with minority children in the context of the federal No Child Left Behind act, related state and local educational policies, and current social trends.
• Tailoring the message of voluminous research to the practical needs of professionals working with minority children in accessible terms.

This volume is a must-have reference for educators, psychologists, researchers, policymakers - and for anyone who works with children.

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"This volume is an important and impressive collection of scholarship that addresses one of the more intractable education problems of our times--ensuring that ALL children receive a quality education."

-- Gloria Ladson-Billings, Kellner Family Professor in Urban Education

University of Wisconsin at Madison, and 2005-2006 President of AERA

"A major contribution to the field, the in-depth analyses provided by the chapter authors should be of substantial appeal to a wide audience because of its interdisciplinary approach and orientation to theory, research, and practice."

-- Stanley Sue, Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Asian American Studies

University of California at Davis

"In considering the broad problems and in recommending solutions, the book provides breadth, concision, and unique organization."

-- Edmund W. Gordon, John M. Musser Professor of Psychology at Yale University Richard March Hoe Professor of Education and Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University

"This volume addresses the most important issue in contemporary education: understanding diversity while making it a pedagogical asset."

-- Luis C. Moll, Professor & Associate Dean, College of Education, University of Arizona

Review Quotes

From the reviews:

"This volume is an important and impressive collection of scholarship that addresses one of the more intractable education problems of our times--ensuring that ALL children receive a quality education."
-- Gloria Ladson-Billings, Kellner Family Professor in Urban Education, University of Wisconsin at Madison, and 2005-2006 President of AERA

"A major contribution to the field, the book provides important insights into the schooling experiences of Latino, Black, and Asian Americans and offers implications for improving educational outcomes and well-being for ethnic minority groups. The in-depth analyses provided by the chapter authors should be of substantial appeal to a wide audience because of its interdisciplinary approach and orientation to theory, research, and practice."
--Stanley Sue, Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Asian American Studies, University of California at Davis

"In considering the broad problems and in recommending solutions, the book provides breadth, concision, and unique organization... The ideas and recommendations in this book will certainly contribute to the national debate concerning how we face the challenge to help all our children learn well."
--Edmund W. Gordon, John M. Musser Professor of Psychology at Yale University, Richard March Hoe Professor of Education and Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University

"This volume addresses the most important issue in contemporary education: understanding diversity while making it a pedagogical asset. Written by prominent scholars, the chapters feature incisive, interdisciplinary analyses of the social and historical situation of the groups and draw implications for schools, homes, and neighborhoods as environments for learning and development. The book is not only a wonderful read, but also a superb addition to the literature and our common knowledge about these vital issues."
--Luis C. Moll, Professor andAssociate Dean, College of Education, University of Arizona

"The challenge undertaken in this book is to understand the similarities and differences across ethnic and racial groups. ... For a reader unfamiliar with specific minority populations, this book will identify and explain many of the complex challenges facing minority families and students that can interfere with students' achievement." (Jennifer B. Unger, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 52 (47), 2007)

"The purpose of the conference and the subsequent book was to unite interdisciplinary scholars, practitioners, and policy makers in understanding the achievement gap for each of the three largest minority groups in the United States from multiple perspectives and varied theoretical foundations. ... The primary target audience of the book is researchers, educators and those who influence policy who have an interest in narrowing the achievement gap for Latino, Black, and Asian minority students." (Troy E. Beckert, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 37, 2008)

About the Author

Susan J. Paik is Associate Professor at the School of Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University. Her research interests include urban and international studies, educational productivity, family-school partnerships, minority learning, research methods and evaluation. She has participated in education projects in Africa, Asia, Central America, Europe, and the U.S, where she founded and directed a character-development program for inner city children and youth. Dr. Paik has presented her work at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Oxford University in England, University of Cape Town in South Africa, University of Bologna in Italy, University of Oviedo in Spain as well as professional meetings in South America, Australia, Germany, and the U.S. She has been awarded Young Scholar by the Stanford University Hoover Institution Koret K-12 Task Force. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, fellowships, grants, including the AERA-NSF-IES grant, NIMH fellowship for prevention, Center for Urban Educational Research and Development (CUERD) fellowship, Chancellor's Service Award, Teaching Incentive Award, and Early Outreach Award for her dedication and service to inner city youth by the University of Illinois. Among many published articles, she is the author of a research monograph called Educational Productivity in South Korea and the United States published by the International Journal of Educational Research (IJER). She is the co-author of a booklet called Effective Educational Practices published by UNESCO and translated and disseminated to almost 150 countries. Dr. Paik is the editor of Advancing Educational Productivity: Policy Implications from National Databases. She has recently co-edited a special IJER journal issue on family-school partnerships.
Herbert J. Walberg was on the faculty of Harvard University and is now Emeritus University Scholar and Research Professor of Education and Psychology at theUniversity of Illinois at Chicago. Dr Walberg is also Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford University and a Principal Investigator at the U.S Department of Education-sponsored Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement and the U.S. Institute of Education-sponsored National Research and Development Center on School Choice, Competition, and Achievement. An editor or author of more than 50 books, he has contributed more than 300 papers to peer-reviewed psychology and education journals, and he has written extensively for educators and policy makers. Dr. Walberg currently edits a series of booklets on effective education practices for the International Academy of Education that the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Educational Organization distributes in hard copy in more than 150 countries and on the Internet for down loading and re-publication. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Academy of Education, and the Royal Statistical Society. In 2004, the U.S. Senate confirmed his presidential appointment to the National Board for Education Sciences, which will provide guidance and oversight for federal research on education.