It's the Classroom, Stupid: A Plan to Save America's Schoolchildren

For educators, policy makers, parents, and the public, Hettleman, an education policy analyst who has served as deputy mayor for education and as a school board member in Baltimore, challenges conventional wisdom about K-12 education in the US, particularly for poor children, and provides an untraditional prescription for reform that focuses on the classroom. He draws on policy research and analysis, and his own experiences, to detail a plan that mandates a single set of national standards and tests, guarantees funding for high-quality instruction, and ensures that teachers and students benefit from first-class research and development into the most effective instructional programs and methods. He argues that local school boards should be eliminated and mayors put in charge of local school policy, and outside leadership--including non-educators--should be brought in to retool and manage instructional support systems for teachers. He also addresses equity, and groundbreaking initiatives in specific states. There is no index. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Kalman R. Hettleman has had a notable career on the frontlines of urban policy and politics, including service in Baltimore as a member of the school board and deputy mayor for education and other social programs, and as a nationally acclaimed education policy analyst. He has also served as Maryland cabinet secretary for social welfare programs, taught at universities, been a public interest attorney and managed state and local political campaigns.