A sharp critique of radically misplaced priorities in schools Etta Kralovec, whose acclaimed and controversial book The End of Homework showed the damage done by a culture of excessive homework, widens her lens and shows us vividly the fragmented, almost irrational shape of a typical school day, carefully, accessibly opening up the complex set of issues that lie behind it. Schools That Do Too Much argues that American schools systematically misspend their two most precious resources: time and money. From class schedules that fragment students’ time, to budgets that sink money into dozens of activities —especially sports—that distract from learning, schools over and over try to do too much and end up delivering too little by way of real teaching and learning. Kralovec argues that budgets and schedules are the crucial pivot points of school reform. All the new curricula in the world will be ineffective, she argues, if coupled with traditional school schedules and spending patterns. She argues for radical rethinking of the flow of time in a school day and for “zero-based” budgeting —an approach that starts with basic priorities first. Examples from schools and communities around the country illustrate the power of reorganizing these basic categories of school life. At a time when the desire for change is opening up the possibility of experiments in public education, The Overburdened School is a guide to how best to take advantage of that opportunity. Etta Kralovec was a teacher and professor of education for more than twenty years and is the author of The End of Homework (Beacon / 4219-6 / $11.00 pb). She is currently vice president for learning with Training and Development Corporation, in Maine. She lives in Orland, Maine. "The two dearest assets a school has are money and faculty time. Etta Kralovec shows how academic performance is sacrificed again and again as money and time are used for things that have little to do with how much or how well our children learn. She has done us all a great service." --Marc Tucker, President, National Center on Education and the Economy "If we want innovative, successful schools that break the dominant mold, we need exactly the kind of flexibility in changing traditional schedules and budgets that Etta Kralovec argues so well for here. Time and money are at the heart of what schools need to rethink, because thinking about them gets at the most important questions: 'To what end are we sending our children to school? What is it for?'" --Deborah Meier, founder of the Central Park East Schools, and author of In Schools We Trust

Schools That Do Too Much: Wasting Time and Money in Schools and What We Can All Do About It

Education & Teaching

Kralovec, Etta

Schools & Teaching

Beacon Pr

Schools That Do Too Much argues that American schools systematically misspend their two most precious resources: time and money. From class schedules that fragment students' time to budgets that sink money into dozens of activities-especially sports-that distract from learning, Kralovec shows us how schools over and over try to do too much and end up delivering too little by way of real teaching and learning.

Beacon Press

The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning

In 1901, California legally banned homework in its schools, citing health risks associated with too much homework. The progressive measure found followers all over the country, and the anti-homework movement grew until the 1957 launch of Sputnik sparked fears that US children were falling behind. Now children are doing more homework than ever before. But are we really doing what's best for children? The authors of this text (both former teachers) argue that we're not, pointing to studies showing that not only is too much homework unhealthy but that it interferes with family life, it exacerbates socioeconomic class divisions, and hasn't been conclusively shown to help (especially grade-school) students learn. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Buell, John

Etta Kralovec and John Buell are educators who dared to challenge one of the most widely accepted practices in American schools. Their provocative argument first published in this book, featured in Time and Newsweek, in numerous women's magazines, on national radio and network television broadcasts, was the first openly to challenge the gospel of "the more homework the better." Consider: * In 1901, homework was legally banned in parts of the U.S. There are no studies showing that assigning homework before junior high school improves academic achievement. * Increasingly, students and their parents are told that homework must take precedence over music lessons, religious education, and family and community activities. As the homework load increases (and studies show it is increasing) these family priorities are neglected. * Homework is a great discriminator, effectively allowing students whose families "have" to surge ahead of their classmates who may have less. * Backpacks are literally bone-crushing, sometimes weighing as much as the child. Isn't it obvious we're overburdening our kids?

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kralovec, Etta. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Kralovec, Etta

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kralovec, Etta. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Schools That Do Too Much: Wasting Time and Money in Schools and What We Can All Do About It

Schools That Do Too Much: Wasting Time and Money in Schools and What We Can All Do About It

The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning

The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning