Description
Book SynopsisAn ethnography of an underfunded public elementary school in the era of accountability and high stakes testing. This book juxtaposes the experiences of mostly minority children of poverty and their teachers with an examination of high stakes testing policies and the loss of a comprehensive education to political dictates.
Trade ReviewI know of no other book that so clearly shows how our fascination with testing, standards, and accountability fails miserably to deal with the daily realities of education and poverty in this country. High States provides a richly detailed picture of these realities and deserves to be read by anyone concerned with the educational lives of poor children. -- Michael W. Apple, John Bascom Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison; author,
High Stakes represents the moral compass for school improvement that has been missing in the accountability discourse. High Stakes should be required reading for policy makers bent on equating school improvement with accountability measures. * Journal of Anthropological Research *
A critical, passionate, firsthand account....The authors challenge the effectiveness of using standardized tests to make decisions in a school that lacks basic amenities and suffers from excessive student and teacher stress. * Library Journal *
High Stakes is a poignant look at the reality of public schools today. * The Louisiana Weekly *
...an excellent first hand account of the impact of testing ...could inspire teachers, administrators, and parents not just to accept the message of those who advocate for high stakes testing and not to feel powerless. -- Dr. Liz Keefe, University of New Mexico
A book so compelling that it just might become a classic. * American School Board Journal *
High Stakes: Poverty, Testing and Failure in American schools, by Dale and Bonnie Johnson, is exceptional. The authors graphically yet dispassionately document the incongruities and inequities of poverty and high stakes testing in American schools. The book is a gripping report of first hand experience coupled with thoughtful analysis. It should be read widely, particularly by policymakers. -- Peter Johnston, The University at Albany
This text reveals the detrimental impact of high-stakes standardized testing and other accountability measures on public schools serving poor communities. … New to the second edition is a chapter describing how accountability mandates have become the dominant influence in public education at all levels nationwide. * Reference and Research Book News *
All of the graduate students in my educational psychology classes, many of whom are public school teachers, who read the first edition of this book called for every school board member, legislator, and taxpayer to read it. I felt the same way when I first read it. It deserves to be read widely, especially by policymakers. * PsycCRITIQUES *
A unique and sobering case study of a single poor, rural school with many children left behind. * Future Survey *
...offers a timely and important account of the current policy climate and of the unfortunate consequences it inflicts on disadvantaged children and their teachers. * Journal Of Children and Poverty, September 2007 *
Table of ContentsChapter 1 The Realities of an Underfunded School Chapter 2 September: The Children We Teach Chapter 3 October: Regulating Teaching Chapter 4 November: Drugs, Poverty, and Test Scores Chapter 5 December: "Clamp Down" Chapter 6 January: Test Preparation-The Pace Quickens Chapter 7 February: Pep Rallies for Tests Chapter 8 March: Test-Day Traumas Chapter 9 April: Freedom to Teach and Learn Chapter 10 May: "I Don't Want to Spend My Time on Paperwork" Chapter 11 How Can We Build a Better Future? Recommendations for Policy Change Chapter 12 Today a Nation of Testing Chapter 13 Epilogue
