In the 1950s and 1960s, students practiced ducking under their desks in case of an atomic bomb attack. We know that this was silly and provided no protection and many school practices that are popular today are equally silly. This book explores a wide range of what the authors label "duck and cover" policies-ideas that may have started for good reasons but whose usefulness has declined over time, ideas that may lack sound theoretical foundations or long-term evidence, ideas that violate basic logic and reasoning or cause serious and proven damage. Ginsberg and Zhao explore how and why these policies were adopted, along with the underlying factors that push school leaders to maintain them. They also offer recommendations for reconsidering, replacing, or just removing these dubious strategies from practice. Topics include standardized testing, kindergarten readiness, college and career readiness, social and emotional learning, teaching evaluations, class size, professional development, time management, and much more. Duck and Cover will help readers think about their schools' policies and practices in new ways, encouraging ongoing consideration and feedback about what actually works. Book Features: Invites K-12 educational policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to question the effectiveness of everyday practices. Shows that some commonly practiced and even sacred beliefs in education are not scientifically sound or even logical. Points to actions that leaders can take to remove, reconsider, or revise detrimental practices-a duck-and-cover audit guide with questions readers can use to examine what they do.
Rick Ginsberg is dean of the School of Education and Human Sciences, The University of Kansas. Yong Zhao is a Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education and Human Sciences at The University of Kansas.
Contents Acknowledgments?v Introduction?1 Part I: DREAMS, FANTASIES, AND NIGHTMARES 1.?Kindergarten Readiness?13 2.?College and Career Readiness?20 3.?Reading Proficiency by 3rd Grade?27 4.?The Achievement Gap?34 5.?Social and Emotional Learning?41 6.?Foreign-Language Instruction?52 7.?Educational Technology?60 Part II: OPERATIONAL BUGABOOS 8.?Professional Development?71 9.?Class Size?78 10.?Time?85 11.?Dress and Grooming Codes?93 12.?Teacher Evaluation?99 13.?Gifted and Talented and Exceptional Education?105 Part III: SYSTEMIC AND ANALYTIC CONUNDRUMS 14.?State Standardized Testing?115 15.?Governance by School Board?123 16.?How Teachers Are Paid?131 17.?Meta-Analysis?141 Conclusion?149 References?157 Index?180 About the Authors?185
"The book's fresh approach to productive work will appeal to all who wonder why current practices continue to provide mediocre results despite best efforts." -NASSP Principal Leadership " Duck and Cover illustrates the potential of school reform while documenting the frailties of past efforts at change." -Education Review "Though the advice in Duck and Cover will not change the public education behemoth overnight, the authors' ideas provide educational professionals and the general public with support for better decision-making in the future. Recommended. All readership levels." -CHOICE
