For far too long, public education had been under the shadow of terms such as failing schools, achievement gaps, and poor classroom management. While many publications have outlined these issues, the goal of this book is not to resonate despair but to illuminate our hopes and dreams for public education. For the authors of this book, having the audacity to hope for better public education means trusting teachers and children to engage in intellectual endeavors that advocate for the development of the whole person and active participation in a democratic community. This book will be a great resource for pre-service and in-service teachers, professors, administrators, and policy-makers in exploring a new pathway for educational reform.

Leseprobe

Contents: Terri Jo Swim/Keith Howard/Il-Hee Kim: Foreword – Barry Kanpol: Mr. President: The Time Has Come to Reskill Our Teaching Force, So Please, Please, Let’s Get Real! – Chris Strople: Expanding the Realm – Ben Mardell/Lisa Fiore/Marina Boni/Melissa Tonachel: The Rights of Children: Policies to Best Serve 3-, 4-, and 5-Year-Olds in Public Schools – Terri Jo Swim: School Readiness and the Power of Documentation: Changing the Public Image to See the «Rich Child» – Zeynep Isik-Ercan: Teachers Reclaiming Their Voices in Student Learning and Initiating Their Own Professional Growth: Suggestions for the Obama Administration – Jane M. Leatherman/Nancy J. Bangel/Tracy L. Cox/Amber Merrill/Rebecca D. Newsome: Teacher Collaborations Provide an Opportunity to Improve Education for All Students Along the Continuum of Learning – Il-Hee Kim: Developing Critical Thinking Skills in the Age of President Obama – Keith Howard: Hybrid Technology Classrooms for Mathematics Instruction – Alice H. Merz/Terri Jo Swim: The Hope for Audacity: Moving from Adversarial Contests to Respectful Alliances.