Description
Book SynopsisTest scores are the go-to metric of policy makers and anxious parents looking to place their children in the best schools. Yet standardized tests are a poor way to measure school performance. Using the diverse urban school district of Somerville MA as a case study, Jack Schneider’s team developed a new framework to assess educational effectiveness.
Trade ReviewIn the K–12 arena, I recommend Jack Schneider’s
Beyond Test Scores: A Better Way to Measure School Quality for an approach that gets us past the testing charade and reintroduces some of the values we used to associate with ‘good’ schools. -- John Warner * Inside Higher Ed *
Everyone cares about ‘good’ schools but, as Schneider makes painfully clear in this well-written book, almost no one agrees on what constitutes a ‘good’ school. By broadening the story to talk about what we mean when we discuss school quality, he makes a critical contribution to policy, discourse, and the public good. This is a great book about an important subject that gets at the heart of American inequality. -- Tressie McMillan Cottom, author of
Lower EdIn this engaging, provocative, and at times inspiring book, Jack Schneider not only asks how we can go beyond standard measures of scholastic achievement—he details an approach that is at once original and practical. -- Howard Gardner, author of
The App GenerationA clear-eyed, thoughtful step forward in an endeavor everyone should care about: finding out more about how our schools are doing. -- Anya Kamenetz, author of
The TestIn this thoughtful and thorough account, Schneider writes about issues that are critical to the future of education and our efforts to ensure that all students have access to good schooling. For those who are ready to move beyond the polarized debates over standardized testing, this book will be enlightening and a breath of fresh air. -- Pedro Noguera, author of
Schooling for ResilienceIn this important book, Schneider asks us to reconsider the purpose of schools and how we evaluate them. He reminds us that public schools are a public good, and that their original purpose was to foster the development of good citizens. -- Diane Ravitch, author of
Reign of ErrorBy rooting the discussion in what we value, [Schneider] creates a true framework for making informed choices, challenging the ‘failing schools’ narrative by putting test scores in their proper, limited place. -- John Warner * Chicago Tribune *
