The public discourse on access to higher education is singularly dedicated to the ever-popular debate on affirmative action. Likewise, the discourse on secondary education is dominated by concerns about high-stakes testing and the meaning of the diploma. Despite the clear overlaps in pedagogical and policy concerns that ought to unite these two independent strains in American education talk, rarely do the twain meet in a constructive dialogue about the relationship between secondary school preparedness and access to higher education. Jumping in to fill this yawning gap is a thoughtful, well-researched, and readable volume from the Stanford Bridge Project, the intellectual leader in the kindergarten-through-college (K–16) movement. Edited by project directors Michael W. Kirst and Andrea Venezia, From High School to College: Improving Opportunities for Success in Postsecondary Education comprises an introduction and conclusion by the editors, as well as six case studies assessing states’ efforts at articulating streamlined pathways between the... (preview truncated at 150 words.)
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The topic of mentoring is gaining a widespread audience across many settings including education, business, government, and the health professions (Mullen, and Lick, 1999). Mentoring programs are being established between and among people of all ages and for a wide variety of purposes, making information about how to create, maintain, and assess successful programs in high demand (Evans, 2000). Andrew Miller’s book, Mentoring students and young people will help fill that demand for many groups, organizations, and individuals. Miller describes the book’s purpose as serving as “a guide to current practice in a rapidly developing field” (p. iv). It is not only a guide but also an excellent overall resource on the topic from a global perspective. The text is organized into four sections The first section contains an excellent description of the concept of mentoring, including its historical roots, definitions, behaviors, aims and objectives, program classifications, and the issues that require further research and discussion. It also includes a case study of a mentoring program developed... (preview truncated at 150 words.)
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In reading A Classroom of Her Own: How New Teachers Develop Instructional, Professional and Cultural Competence, one may wonder if there is a need for another case study on young white teachers in urban schools. What could this author possibly add to the abundance of previously published works? The author dispels these and other concerns also most immediately. Cattani examines the lives of 6 young white teachers working in California’s urban public schools in hopes of “highlight[ing] their paths toward instructional competence, professional competence and cultural competence” (p. 2). The teachers have from 1 to 5 years previous teaching experience, and 5 out of the 6 teach in low income and low achieving schools. All are working with children that have economic and/or racial backgrounds that differ from their own. In constructing this book, she vividly allows each case story to fill in a piece of the complex world of teaching. Cattani begins with a justification for why there needs to be more examination of this already saturated... (preview truncated at 150 words.)
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