What's Worth Fighting For...
What's Worth Fighting For in Your School? by Michael Fullan and Andy Hargreaves
What's Worth Fighting For in the Principalship? by Michael Fullan
What's Worth Fighting For Out There? by Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan
New York: Teachers College Press, 1996, 1997, 1998
In this trilogy designed to alter the world of schooling, Fullan and Hargreaves ask us to reach deep inside and far outside to find what is worth fighting for. They challenge us to understand that we all hold responsibility for changing our schools and their communities. Only within ourselves will we find the courage, hope, and strength to undertake and sustain the battles.
But we must not look only within. We must use our inner strength to lift our eyes to a broader horizon and to create a collaborative culture that includes not only teachers, students, and administrators but also parents, community members, and policymakers. We must become "moral change agents" to translate transcendent values into deep relationships and shared visions.
The authors provide valuable philosophical guidelines that strengthen our resolve and create a new mindset to direct our actions. The books contain no formulas, no gurus, and no how-tos. Rather, this trilogy presents a framework for reculturing schools and their broader communities, which "involves changing the norms, values, incentives, skills, and relationships in an organization to support (and prod) people to work differently together."
The first volume sets forth the premises and guidelines for changing the teaching profession and the mindsets and dispositions for doing so. The second volume advances a sound view of formal leaders as inclusionary and visionary and as designers of reciprocal, purposeful learning. The third book is unique and challenging because it takes us into inadequately explored terrain the world of parents, community, and policymakers.
These three books belong together. They can inspire everyone who cares about our schools, especially new teachers and administrators. Fullan and Hargreaves invite us to move toward a "new consciousness" that envisions and creates portraits of hopefulness.
Published by Teachers College Press, 1234 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY 10027. Price: $9.95 each.
—Reviewed by Linda Lambert, California State University, Hayward, California.
Failure to Connect
Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children's Minds—for Better and Worse by Jane M. Healy. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998.
Mass-market computer technology promised to be a panacea to many of our education woes. We now realize that the powers of this tool are limited and that its use may actually jeopardize other important learning pathways.
Healy brings to light significant and relevant questions and research findings. An experienced practitioner and scholar, she initially embraced using computers with children and hoped that this technology would resolve many learning and teaching issues. After witnessing years of computer use in the education arena, she now questions some of her earlier beliefs.
Healy's book reflects intensive observation and research and presents scholarly findings, yet it remains an easy-to-read text filled with clearly explained suggestions. The data on child development and brain maturation complement her guidelines for using computers to enhance children's learning. The references are pertinent and up-to-date, and parents and educators will find helpful resources and suggestions.
The author's skepticism about some current practices should cause the reader to think about what children should be learning and what role the computer should play. Her comments on the computer as “edutainment” and her attention to the young learner's interaction with the computer are thought-provoking. Scenarios from interviews and observations pique the reader's concern about the way this technology functions in many of the environments that encapsulate young children.
Published by Simon & Schuster, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Price: $25.
—Reviewed by Kathleen Fite, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.
Planning and Designing for Schools
Planning and Designing for Schools by C. William Brubaker. New York: McGraw Hill 1998.
Planning for growing enrollment is an art. The task of building and remodeling schools is upon us, and Planning and Designing Schools is an outstanding resource to inspire us, organize our thinking, and expand our vision of the possibilities of school design. Brubaker thinks about schools the way educators think about children—each is an individual, requiring unique, thoughtful solutions for diverse needs.
School administrators and teachers will be drawn to chapter 9, “Designing Schools with Character,” as a place to start conversations about planning new and remodeled schools. Brubaker anticipates the issues that school leaders confront and puts forth innovative and creative solutions. Special education, technology, library/media centers, community use, integrated learning, and the arts are given thorough treatement.
I am fortunate to be the principal of a school designed by Brubaker's firm, Perkins & Will, almost 60 years ago. I can attest to the flexibility, character, and focus on children's needs that were so carefully anticipated and naturally incorporated into the enduring design of Crow Island School.
Published by McGraw Hill, 11 West 19th St., New York, NY 10011. Price: $59.95.
—Reviewed by Elizabeth Hebert, Crow Island School, Winnetka, Illinois..
