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| Bullying Prevention: Creating a Positive School Climate and Developing Social Competence, by Pamela Orpinas and Arthur M. Horne (2005). An overview of research that describes the causes of bullying, dispels myths, and suggests practical strategies to minimize risk factors and build safe and productive school environments. Fires in the Bathroom: Advice for Teachers from High School Students, by Kathleen Cushman (2003). This collection of interviews conveys a uniform message: students do want to learn. They also have ideas for teachers on how to best make learning happen: from getting to know students, to earning their trust, to judging their behavior, to what to do when things go wrong. A Framework for Understanding Poverty, by Ruby Payne (2001). Explains how children from generational poverty possess values and behaviors different from those usually emphasized in schools, and offers concrete strategies for working with some of our most misunderstood students. Girlfighting: Betrayal and Rejection among Girls, by Lyn Mikel Brown (2003). Through interviews with over 400 girls of diverse racial, economic, and geographic backgrounds, Brown chronicles the journey girls take from direct and outspoken children who like and trust other girls, to distrusting and competitive young women. She argues that this familiar pathway can and should be interrupted and provides ways to move beyond girlfighting to build healthy relationships. Keeping Track: How Schools Structure Inequality (2nd ed.), by Jeanne Oakes (2005). This provocative, carefully documented work shows how tracking—the system of grouping students for instruction on the basis of ability—reflects the class and racial inequalities of American society and helps to perpetuate them. Visionary Middle Schools: Signature Practices and the Power of Local Invention, by Catherine Cobb Morocco, Nancy Brigham, and Cynthia Mata Aguilar (2006). An in-depth look at three schools, each organized around a "signature practice" that reflects the school's particular beliefs about learning. Despite obstacles such as poverty, low English-language proficiency, and new immigrant status, each of these schools is the strongest performing in their respective districts and presents approaches and lessons of relevance to urban schools across the country. |