Ah . . . Summer . . . First on My List: Taking Time to Read

 

A book about time

Time to Learn: How a New School Schedule Is Making Smarter Kids, Happier Parents, and Safer Neighborhoods. Chris Gabrieli and Warren Goldstein (2008, Jossey-Bass.)

As you might guess, this title got my attention, given my interest in the topic and the fact that there’s a book with a similar title over there in the left-hand menu! It’s exciting to see educational time being taken seriously in school reform efforts. I’ve been impressed by what I’ve seen firsthand in schools in Massachusetts and heard from other teachers and principals who are implementing longer school days through state grant funding.

Gabrieli and Goldstein note that over 1,000 schools nationwide are currently implementing some form of the longer school day. Their book is a pioneering picture of what is being tried and of the possibilities for major educational change. And as the authors say, they produced their book in time “to dovetail with the 2008 presidential election.”

In these difficult economic times, big questions loom about whether we can make the wonderful changes being proposed and attempted in Massachusetts and elsewhere a sustainable reality. But those questions make the ideas presented in this book all the more compelling. Thinking about the cost of implementing and sustaining school change certainly made me give special attention to the sections of this book called “The Money” and “Beyond Bake Sales.”

I also heartily recommend this book if you’re seeking great ideas for your before- and after-school programs, even if you currently can’t afford to launch broader initiatives.

By the way, I had the pleasure this past year to have served with Chris Gabrieli on one of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s Education Readiness Sub-Committees. The governor just released his education agenda through a groundbreaking report, Ready for 21st Century Success: The New Promise of Public Education. The report is sure to put Massachusetts in the thick of national education discussion about new directions for our schools. It will also make Gabrieli and Goldstein’s book very useful to teachers, administrators, legislators, and policy makers here in my home state.

Another great summer read

(In case you missed this on the blog earlier in the year)

Elaine’s Circle: a Teacher, a Student, a Classroom and one Unforgettable Year. Bob Katz (2005, Marlowe & Company.)

A review, a recommendation, a veneration . . . I had picked up and put down this book in one of the education sections of a chain bookstore several times over the last couple of years but just couldn’t quite believe the endorsement by Lynne Cox on the front that reads, “There are books . . . that stay with you all your life—Elaine’s Circle will be one of them.” Boy, was I wrong not to believe it!

What a new school year children would have if every teacher, every principal, every parent, every politician could read this book this summer!