Books

Competition and Compassion in Chinese Secondary Education
Xu Zhao
In Competition and Compassion, Xu Zhao, Ed.M.’07, Ed.D.’11, a native of China, examines the genesis of academic competition between Chinese schools and between Chinese students, and what she sees as a lack of compassion that has led to high test scores and toxic levels of stress. As a result, she writes, education in China faces an unprecedented challenge to figure out how the learning experience can be both competitive and compassionate, rigorous and humane.

Race to the Bottom
Michael McGill
Focusing on the push over the past few decades to “save” the nation’s schools by applying rigorous business strategies, Michael McGill, M.A.T.’67, C.A.S.’70, Ed.D.’72, a former superintendent, argues that corporate reform has actually weakened public schools, with narrower curriculums and a slashing of “nonessentials” like art and languages. Educators, he writes, feel demoralized. In a chapter called “Stop the Madness,” McGill offers concrete suggestions for change.

Looking Together at Student Work
Tina Blythe, Barbara Schieffelin Powell, and David Allen
In this revised version of a book published 20 years ago, the authors, including Tina Blythe, Ed.M.’02, and Barbara Schieffelin Powell, M.A.T.’65, Ed.D.’70, set out to do what they did the first time around: provide tips and strategies for teachers and other educators to use when working together to examine and discuss student work. In this version, the authors have updated the research, provided new case studies, and included protocols — steps and structures — to help guide the collaboration.

Fifteen Letters on Education in Singapore
Fernando Reimers and E.B. O’Donnell
In the fall of 2015, a delegation of educators from Massachusetts traveled to Singapore to learn more about the country’s journey from developing nation to major manufacturing and financial center, with one of the most high-performing education systems in the world. From that visit, the team, including Professor Fernando Reimers, Ed.M.’84, Ed.D.’88, and current doctoral student E.B. O’Donnell, Ed.M.’10, decided to write a series of letters, 15 in all, reflecting on what they experienced visiting schools in Singapore and to determine what lessons could be implemented here in the United States.

The Leading Edge of Early Childhood Education
Nonie Lesaux and Stephanie Jones
In 2014, Professor Nonie Lesaux and Associate Professor Stephanie Jones brought together 300 scholars, practitioners, and policymakers for a one-day conference to talk about early childhood education. Inspired by what they heard, Lesaux and Jones asked several attendees to write chapters focused on pressing issues in the field, including pieces on assessing the needs of bilingual learners, programs for students and their parents, and early intervention strategies.

Full list of books featured in this issue:

Competition and Compassion in Chinese Secondary Education Xu Zhao, Ed.M.’07

Dilemmas of Educational Ethics Professor Meira Levinson and current doctoral student Jacob Fay, Ed.M.’14

Fifteen Letters on Education in Singapore Professor Fernando Reimers, Ed.M.’84, Ed.D.’88, and current doctoral student E.B. O’Donnell, Ed.M.’10

The Gatekeepers of Democracy Bill Lewers, M.A.T.'66

Harvard Educational Review Spring 2016

Higher Education Access and Choice for Latino Students Patricia Perez, Ed.M.’00, and Miguel Ceja

The Leading Edge of Early Childhood Education Professor Nonie Lesaux and Associate Professor Stephanie Jones

Looking Together at Student Work Tina Blythe, Ed.M.’02; Barbara Schieffelin Powell, M.A.T.’65, Ed.D.’70; and David Allen

Multicultural Conference Planning Guide Randie Gottlieb, Ed.M.’77

The Observation Hive Handbook Frank Linton, Ed.M.’86

100 Pieces of Sun: Diary of a Potted Plant C.L. Kennedy, M.A.T.’73

Overloaded and Underprepared Denise Pope, Ed.M.’88; Maureen Brown; and Sarah Miles

Race to the Bottom Michael McGill, M.A.T.’67, C.A.S.’70, Ed.D.’72

ThinkTrix: Tools to Teach 7 Essential Thinking Skills Frank Lyman Jr., Ed.M.’60

An Unlikely Strength: Tourette Syndrome and the Search for Happiness in 60 Voices Elena DeVos, Ed.M.’83, Ed.D.’86 (edited)

If you are part of the Ed School community and you have recently published a book, let us know: booknotes@gse.harvard.edu.

Photo by Ekaterina Smirnova