Books: Fall 2014

Beyond Banneker: Black Mathematicians and the Paths to Excellence
Erica Walker
An in-depth look at the lives, experiences, and professional careers of black mathematicians in the United States, Beyond Banneker takes the emphasis off the usual discussion of underachievement and moves it instead to excellence. Walker, Ed.M.’97, Ed.D.’01, explores mathematics teaching and learning in various contexts to suggest ways in which to capitalize on the potential of underserved communities.

Designing Teacher Evaluation Systems: New Guidance from the Measures of Effective Teaching Project
Thomas Kane, Kerri Kerr, and Robert Pianta
Providing original research from an extensive study from the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) Project, Designing Teacher Evaluation Systems shows where past assessment methods have been effective and where they have not. The authors collected results from MET researchers around the country into a volume that will help school districts implement new evaluation systems that will enhance teacher performance and student achievement.

Meeting Wise
Kathryn Parker Boudett and Elizabeth City
Kathryn In Meeting Wise, Lecturers Boudett and City, Ed.M.’04, Ed.D.’07, show how meeting planning can become a key strategy in school improvement and argue for a shift in how meetings are approached. Providing a checklist to help schools redefine their meeting styles, the authors argue that meetings can be important venues for organizational learning in schools and an important step to bettering student achievement.

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The Power of Teacher Rounds: A Guide for Facilitators, Principals, & Department Chairs 
Katherine Boles and Vivian Troen
The practice of instructional teacher rounds — a process inspired by hospital rounds — is a design for professional learning that promotes teacher collaboration by making teacher practice public. In The Power of Teacher Rounds, Troen and Senior Lecturer Boles provide a practical step-by-step plan for facilitating successful rounds, focusing on individual teachers’ classrooms and discussing how they can play a role in the implementation of the Common Core.

When Boys Become Boys
Judy Chu
When Boys Become Boys focuses on the transition in boys’ development from exhibiting natural qualities such as emotional perception and responsiveness to the more “masculine” qualities of stoicism, competitiveness, and aggressiveness. Based on a two-year study that followed boys from preK through first grade, Chu, Ed.M.’96, Ed.D.’00, finds that boys’ tendency toward the latter comes not from nature, but from an adaptation to cultures, one that ultimately may causes them to renounce parts of their humanity.

Read a full list of books featured in this issue.

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