Standards-Based Reform and the Poverty Gap - by Adam Gamoran (Paperback)
About this item
Highlights
- The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the latest in more than two decades of federal efforts to raise educational standards and an even longer stream of initiatives to improve education for poor children.
- About the Author: Adam Gamoran is professor of sociology and educational policy studies and director of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
- 350 Pages
- Education, Educational Policy & Reform
Description
About the Book
"The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the latest in more than two decades of federal efforts to raise educational standards and an even longer stream of initiatives to improve education for poor children. What lessons can we draw from these earlier efforts to help ...
Book Synopsis
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the latest in more than two decades of federal efforts to raise educational standards and an even longer stream of initiatives to improve education for poor children. What lessons can we draw from these earlier efforts to help NCLB achieve its goals? In Standards-Based Reform and the Poverty Gap, leading scholars in sociology, economics, psychology, and education policy take on this critical question. Armed with the latest data and up-to-date research syntheses, the authors show that standards-based reform has had some positive effects, particularly in the area of teacher quality. Moreover, some of the critics' greatest fears have not been realized: for example, retention rates have not shot upward. Yet the overall pace of improvement has been slow, owing in part to poor implementation. Based on these findings, the contributors offer recommendations for the implementation and impending reauthorization of NCLB. These proposals, such as national testing and a rethinking of achievement targets, are sure to be at the center of the upcoming debate. Contributors include Thomas Dee, Laura Desimone, George Farkas, Barbara Foorman, Brian Jacob, Robert M. Hauser, Paul Hill, Tom Loveless, Meredith Phillips, Andrew C. Porter, and Thomas Smith.Review Quotes
" "Standards-Based Reform and the Poverty Gap" is an excellent resource for professors, administrators, teachers, and researchers interested in the area of education law and policies. The book is organized and designed to capture the important aspects of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 while maintaining the focus on the role of NCLB has played on reducing the poverty gap." --Laura Baylot Casey & Kay Reeves, "Education Review"
"In 1993, when the movement was in its infancy, Al Shanker predicted it would take decades to get standards-based reform right. Adam Gamoran's sober and even-handed edited volume will help guide legislators in the hard work of accomplishing that mission." --Richard D. Kahlenberg, "Teachers College Record"
"This book is an excellent window on the possibilities and problems of NCLB. While it is too soon to be definitive about impact, the chapters in this book shed important light on the law's emerging effects. Most important, they do so thorough rigorous original analyses, demonstrating the various sources of data that can be mined to address NCLB's progress." --Susan H. Furhman, "Teachers College, Columbia University"
About the Author
Adam Gamoran is professor of sociology and educational policy studies and director of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His books include "Stratification in Higher Education: A Comparative Study," co-edited with Yossi Shavit and Richard Arum (Stanford University Press, 2007).
