It’s Time for a Change: School Reform for the Next Decade is designed to appeal to all stakeholders concerned with education reform in the United States. Cutting through the obfuscations in the current school-reform debate, It’s Time for a Change confronts conventional “status quo” reform efforts and exposes the naïveté underlying reform strategies that rest on solutions such as class-size reduction, small schools, and enhanced professional development. It’s Time for a Change was published on November 4, 2011 by Rowman & Littlefield. Click on the book cover to be transferred to its Amazon page.
A Guide to Effective School Leadership Theories was published by Routledge on February 26, 2012. Many leadership books are an empty, feel-good read. You walk away with little insight or direction on how to make yourself a better leader. What is missing in the marketplace is a viable model that teaches school administrators how to lead effectively. A Guide to Effective School Leadership Theories will fill this void. Click on the book cover to be transferred to its Amazon page.
I am the editor of a two-volume set for Praeger entitled Before Obama: A Reappraisal of Black Reconstruction-Era Politicians. It will provide an intimate look at Black politicians of the era immediately following the Civil War, spotlighting their leadership and contributions during the Reconstruction Era, and illuminating how they fostered the development of a parallel civil society within Black communities. In addition, it will explain how their contributions set the stage for the Civil Rights movement and the world as we know it today. The book also explores the connections between these Black political forerunners and the election of Barack Obama in 2008. This project was published on October 31, 2012. Click on the book cover to be transferred to its Amazon page.
I am writing an introduction to an education textbook entitled The Call to Teach: An Introduction to Education. In it, I attempt to dispel myths and misconceptions about the teaching field, while providing students with an overview of the U.S. educational system. The Call to Teach can be used as a basic text for any “Introduction to Education” or “Educational Foundations” course. The textbook is being published by Pearson and has a tentative publication date of Fall 2013/Spring 2014.
I am the editor of a forthcoming book entitled Reimagining School Reform and Innovation. It endeavors to provide scholars and laymen with an assortment of theoretical and practical perspectives for questioning contemporary practices and forging new methods of education reform. This project aspires to establish itself as the leading collection of contemporary essays by the major thinkers in the field of education reform and innovation. Carefully attentive to both theory and practice, this project will also become the definitive source for learning about education reform and innovation, while also enhancing the existing literature. This project will attempt to move the field to the next phase of its evolution.
I am the author of a forthcoming book entitled, Pass or Fail: How Promotion and Retention are Ruining Public Education, which posits that retention and social promotion are equally undesirable choices, and schools can reduce the need for these either-or options by using alternative approaches. Studies indicate that retention negatively impacts students' behavior, attitude, and attendance, but it is still practiced in schools around the country. Social promotion undermines students' futures when they fail to develop critical study and job-related skills, however, it too is still practiced in many schools throughout the United States.
