Education Teaching Books

Jonathan Kozol's "The Shame of the Nation" is an insightful analysis into the re-segregation of America's schools.

Kozol spends an equal amount of time examining the root causes for the re-segregation of America's school as well as the on-the-ground effects that re-segregation has wrought.

The analysis regarding the root causes is pretty near flawless. Kozol rightfully excoriates those who have abandoned the promise of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. He also rightfully pinpoints the moment in legal history where the momentum of Brown v. Board of Education was reversed in the Supreme Court case of San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez. For a more in-depth treatment of the broken promises of Brown v. Board of Education, one should read Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools by Jonathan Kozol and Jim Crow's Children: The Broken Promise of the Brown Decision by Peter Irons. Instead, Kozol points out that America's educational system has reverted back to a perverted Plessy v. Ferguson "separate but equal" system allegedly discredited by Brown v. Board of Education.

For the teachers locked inside this system, Kozol depicts the demoralizing impacts the system has upon its students, its teachers and its administrators.

Kozol's solution appears to be twofold: (1) reform from inside the system and (2) completing what was started in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's. One gets the feeling that Kozol is not altogether sanguine about either prong of the solution. Reforming the inside of the system would require a concerted effort on the part of teachers, administrators (and even students) and becomes more difficult each and every day in an era in which schools and school districts are receiving less and less resources. Re-starting the Civil Rights movement seems even less likely given the inertness of politics at almost every layer of government and the large degree of escapism afforded to the citizenry of the United States (internet, tv, movies, video games, etc.).

Kozol wonders aloud why Brown v. Board of Education is celebrated and it is clear that the answer is that it allows America to soothe its collective conscience to celebrate the "end" of segregation. If only that were true...

Sheesh....if Kozol is suppose to be some type of expert in public education, you think he would have marshaled a few facts to bolster his case. If, as other reviewers assert, the target audience for this book is the comfortable suburban parents and schools, then the book has failed. Suburbanites are sophisticated enough to require valid data to support an argument. Kozol offers nothing but anecdote and appeals to emotion. Not very convincing.

Jonathan Kozol is very good at exposing the shameful conditions of inner city schools serving an overwhelmingly poor and minority student population. As after I read his earlier book "Savage Inequalities" a number of years ago, I came away shocked at just how bad things still are for so many of this nation's schoolchildren.

Kozol's solution to all the problems facing urban schools is simply to fund them at the same level as the wealthiest suburbs. There is no examination of whether that funding target is appropriate, which is a very important question. Perhaps the ritzy suburbs are spending too much and wasting money on frills such as lavish sports facilities and so on. It's one thing if the residents in that community are willing to pay for those frills but quite another to ask the overburdened taxpayer to provide the same to all schools.

Kozol takes the typical educrat position on all the hot button issues, from vouchers to standardized testing to phonics to gifted & talented programs (all of these are bad in his view) to universal government-run preschool (good in his view). He doesn't provide much in the way of convincing data to support his arguments, which suggests that they are based on ideology rather than sound research.

Kozol's got this rag doll in his mouth and won't let go. Who can blame him? The schools are in bad shape and, one supposes, someone is at fault. Why not blame everyone except the students? An alternative perspective might suggest the rise of a new phenomenon rarely mentioned by those advocating increased funding: Willful ignorance and the cult of pride. I work in the inner city. Many of my students refuse to do anything and are backed up by their parents. "You can't make me" is their slogan. No administrator will back up a teacher who assigns homework to kids who won't do it. The kids come to school three days a week and routinely take 6-weeks to visit their grandparents south of the border. The girls wear $100 nail jobs, $150 tennis shoes, and won't carry their books because they have bad backs. 25% of the kids stay home on rainy days. Charter schools make the rules the public schools refuse. The kids drop out because they won't accept discipline programs based on "consequences." After years in the local PS, they can't cope with being forced to take responsibility. No doubt, Kozol knows well that some schools have more lap tops than others. This may be a "savage inequality," but for the life of me I can't see how a lap top is going to make up for the lack curiosity in students devoted to gang culture.

After his time spent as an educator, Jonathan Kozol devoted his career to that of an educational reform activist. He has visited what seems like thousands of schools throughout the United States and the communities that make up those schools to bear witness to the shameful secret that lies hidden in plain sight. Kozol's message in "The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America" is not too different from the message he has written about in previous books - America still has 'second class citizens' who do not receive the same schooling, services, opportunities, rights, the same anything that the white majority does. With his argument that school integration has regressed to a level almost on par with the school segregation that existed before Brown vs. Board of Education, his message is a wake up call to anyone in education and to any American citizen.

As a teacher I have witnessed what Kozol writes about firsthand. I taught in a de facto segregated school that exhibited the classic signs of neglect Kozol mentions - antiquated building, overcrowded classrooms, military-style discipline, heavy emphasis on test preparation - the list goes on and on. I've witnessed firsthand the trials and tribulations that children of color and poverty can often bring to the classroom, only to have their education shortchanged as well. Kozol's plea is passionate; it is a shame that America continues to have segregated schools and that some school districts do whatever they can to guarantee that minorities are excluded all the while claiming that race isn't the issue. It is a shame that minority children have to go to classes in condemned buildings and that their curriculum is centered almost solely around raising test scores in math and reading to meet government demands. How can they meet those expectations when they do not receive the same education as the majority students? It is a shame that the landmark decision of Brown vs. Board of Education has failed and we still hail it as a triumph. It is a shame that schools named for courageous civil rights leaders are segregated schools, bearing witness to the exact opposite of what these leaders hoped to bring about. It is a shame that too few seem to care about these issues and that it may take a movement even larger than the civil rights movement to make any changes. It is a shame that some fail to recognize still that separate is never equal.

Why should those who have the most receive the most (in terms of education and opportunities) while those who have not or have the least receive the least? This is a question that one elementary student posed to the author. He was saddened that the only response he could give her was that after numerous years of asking that same question, he didn't have any good answer for it. Perhaps there never will be one. And even though that is one issue other reviewers have raised with "The Shame of the Nation", there are limited answers or suggestions Kozol can give with the state that education is in today. One author and the teachers and principals and government officials that he interviews cannot give a simple answer to a complex problem that is sadly most likely never going away and that will only continue to get worse. To paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., America will never be a first class nation while it still has second class citizens. If we are failing our children in their education, how are they ever going to be prepared to succeed in life?

i didn't like the lab manual too much.. but anyone who is trying to buy this.. LOOK UP THE 8th ED.!! almost the same thing for less
ISBN # 0-8053-7249-0

I got the book in 3 business days in brand new condition, thank you. The only thing that I have noticed after getting my purchase and comparing it to my other class mate's books that the human skeleton atlas was missing. But that's OK, now. Otherwise as always, Amazon delivers!

Thank you, I recieved my book quick and in excellent conditions with any extras that came with it.

This book has lots of wonderful information and is put together in a way that has activities and readings to supplement understanding.

the book arrived promptly and in good condition. the transaction was very smooth, no hassle. would definitely do business again.

This book arrived in a timely manner. When it arrived it looked new, however only after a few days the spine started falling apart and all the pages began to come apart. I had to glue to book to keep it from all falling out of the cover.

This item was exactly as described in the item description. It was in the original packaging and is in excellent condition. I am very satisfied and I highly recommend this seller and product to everyone.

The book was approrpriate for the class I was taking. It is a very dry read, but it covers the topics that were needed and it was informative.

When my son was 3.5 years old, a parent I knew from the private school my other child went to told me most kids were reading in kindergarden and that I should start working with my child to help him be prepared for school. Things had changed in the five years since my other son started school! Of course I went right home and started doing research and found the Bob books. My son was reading at a 10th grade level in 2nd grade and is in all advanced/honor classes now as a freshman. I credit this all to teaching him the joy of learning how to read at a young age and how rewarding it is to succeed. The reward system works well when things get a little boring when reading these books. They are very basic and I have to admit when I first saw them I wasn't sold but boy did they pay off!

This is an excellent series for children who are first learning how to read. These small square books are 16 pages each, lightweight and nicely sized for little hands to hold. The hand-drawn illustrations are so cute! Most of the words are only three letters long which makes them very easy for kids to read. Yet even with such a simple text, the stories are unique and entertaining. These books aren't meant to be read to your child, but to have your child read to you. I really enjoy having my son read them to me. We used Bob Books in conjunction with the Alpha-Phonics program (Alpha-Phonics: A Primer for Beginning Readers), and my son was able to read the first two Bob Books all by himself after just finishing his second lesson in Alpha-Phonics. This was great because it helped him to build confidence in his new skill right away!

~Teri Ann Berg Olsen, author of Learning for Life: Educational Words of Wisdom

I love this series. We purchased this about 1 month ago and we are already on book 6. My son is very energetic and does not have a lot of patience. He did great on the first 2 books and then started to get bored and frustrated when he could not figure out the new words. I changed my teaching technique to where he would "teach" me how to sound out the word so I could learn new words. Since then, he has loved helping teach me to read.

We are on book 6 and getting close to starting 7. I am so impressed with how much he loves them. He reads them to his younger brother and is just so proud of himself. Bob books does a great job of keeping the books easy to read with cute stories and pictures. I am only giving them 4 stars because the books are very flimsy. None of them have fallen apart, but I have a feeling they won't last long with my 2 boys! It is such a small thing compared to how much my son has gained, though.

When using the Bob Books, I found if used in conjunction with a phonics program, it just reinforced what I was trying to teach. We homeschool so it was vital to find something that not only encouraged my child at the stage of very early reading but was also simple. I have an accelerated learner.
She started her first few Bob Books when she was just 3 yrs old... I know many of you may think that is too young, but she was writing her own name before she turned 3 and adding & subtracting a year later.

Anyway back to the Bob Books, we originally started them and then she got hung up on one and didn't want to move on, I put the books away... Fast Forward a year later... when she was 4... we started using the phonics program called "Explode The Code" she quickly progressed and I pulled the Bob Books back out and started a reading tree, so that for every book she would read by herself, she would earn a leaf on her 'reading tree' and we put the date she read it. (This included the Bob Books) With the Bob Books we quickly mastered what was needed in addition to the Explode The Code workbooks and let me tell you.. She has EXPLODED with her ability to read.
The 2 working in conjunction the Bob Books and the Explode the Code set the stage for her ability to be strengthened as well as confidence and she is reading on a 2nd grade level and most of her peers are only starting Kindergarten this school year 2008-2009. I kinda let her learn at her pace and that is one of the many advantages of Homeschooling... we now don't have to wait for everyone to catch up... we can keep on going. :)


These are only some suggestions that have worked for our family.
Remember to do what is best for you and your family.

I got recommendation for Bob books from my kid's school teacher. I liked the content but for the price I paid for this, I expected better pictures. It seemed like the publisher skimped on colors etc. At times my kid asks that the book says 'red car'then why isn't car red? Well, because publisher saved a penny there! Either this needs to be a bit cheaper or the quality needs to be improved.

However, the reading content is very good. My kid is enjoying it and learning words. I would recommend this to beginner readers.

I was shocked by this textbook. Sue makes many blanket statement about the racism of White people with out providing any research to back up his statements. I was also surprised to discover that he cited himself when he made the claim that white people are socialized to be racist. On the other hand this book made me question my own whiteness and the relative ease that I have at making it through life. It also provided further understanding of different cultures and how psychotherapy is viewed in those cultures. This textbook was great it made me think and reflect on race and culture.

I have to read this for a class that just started. So far, it is readable unlike some textbooks. It seems well organized. The subject matter seems to be relevant.

We are not born racist. Racism is taught by adults, society and the media. My father-in-law and great grandmother grew up in Oklahoma when there were signs that said "No Indians Allowed" even though Native Americans were the original inhabitants and white people were the invaders. If you study the history of the United States, our history is colored by racism against blacks, various European immigrants, Chinese and Japanese immigrants, and the original inhabitants, Native Americans.

When you are an accepted member of the dominant culture, it can be difficult to discern the obstacles and discrimination individuals from other cultures experience. This book seeks to educate the reader and counselor/student to an awareness of discriminatory and racist behavior that is common in the United States in order to better serve counseling clients from cultures different than our own. It should only be the first step towards gaining multicultural counseling skills.

The goal of this book is to provoke the student to rethink their own attitudes towards racism and other cultures and to better understand how their actions and comments may be perceived by individuals from different cultural/racial backgrounds. Students who approach this book with an open mind will become better counselors and citizens of the world.

I teach a masters level counseling psychology course. I require this book for my students. I don't require that they agree with it, but I require that they are open enough to reading it and having an intelligent discussion about issues of diversity in therapy. Many of my students will work with clients who are of a different ethnicity than themselves. Although understanding some of the cultural norms of differing populations is important, it is more important that my students are aware of the conscious and often unconscious biases that they as therapists carry into their sessions. It saddens me that so many seemingly good White people, have issues discussing race and their own privilege. Racism is one of the most contagious diseases on the planet, and unfortunately to some degree- we have all caught it. But if we simply deny it, we will never heal. And even if you feel you are the most enlightened of White people, your clients of color may still see you as White, which will add a very important dimension to the therapy.
I also have had the luxury of working in several large agencies where I hire and fire therapists. I always ask a question about diversity. I would never be able to hire many of the reviewers here. With their indignation when told they have privilege, and their 1950's attitudes about race and culture, they would lack the necessary competence to work with people of color. One day, ethical standards will change- and they will find it difficult to find a place in the therapeutic community to do any work at all.

Previous critical reviews have detailed pretty much everything I found of this book (except the expectedly mindless "liberal" comments), so I'm just adding to the general consensus of this text as deeply flawed but useful. The revolutionary rhetoric Sue and Sue utilize is indeed dated and counterproductive; what may have been necessarily and productively inflammatory fifteen or twenty years ago now plays as tired and old. There is much to be said for smashing the cocoon of power and privilege, but critical thought long ago graduated to more comprehensive vistas than "whitey bad, everybody else good." My biggest beef with this text is that it's used in graduate courses when it should be applied at the introductory, first year undergraduate level where shock value has considerable weight. At the graduate level I expect far more comprehensive, subtle, and nuanced investigations of whatever subject I'm studying.
However, at the same time I read on this site more than a smidgeon of exactly the sort of calcified, racially privileged bleating which the authors try so clumsily to fracture, so obviously their task is hardly finished. I just hope they either a) pass the torch to a younger, more adept generation of cultural authors, or b) attend to the coherent criticisms of their work carefully, and take them to heart for the next edition.

Two weeks in to my 8th year of teaching, and I am using many ideas from this book. It really helps set a positive tone and reminds the teacher to spend the first few weeks modeling desired outcomes with the help from the students. Although I am not folowing it to a tee, the book is set up with down to the minute lessons plans, which could really be a bonus for a new teacher. I think this book would be helpful for both a new and experienced teacher!

This book gives valuable detail to ensure that your school year gets off to a great start. It covers songs, games, rules and procedures to be used during the first six weeks of school. It is the best of many books I've read. I highly recommend this one!

This book provides exactly what it says it will. It gives you a week-by-week schedule for all elementary grade levels and the rationale behind doing each thing. This would be really helpful to have before the first week of your first year teaching.

This book is a great source of information and guidance for new teachers or teachers whose school is encompassing the Responsve Classroom Approach.
IT IS AMAZING! It is explained clearly through out and the student's adaption to the concepts is simply wonderful to watch.

I began using Morning Meeting [ASIN:1892989093 The Morning Meeting Book (Strategies for Teachers, 1)] as a part of my teacher education program last year and found it to be a great benefit for encouraging positive social interactions between my elementary students. This year, I began following and implementing The First Six Weeks of School's suggestions and my students LOVE it! They enjoy greeting each other, sharing and doing the activities. I have likewise seen a decrease in the amount of behavioral issues within my classroom. The program will work with your own ideas of discipline, rules and expectations and I have found it to be invaluable as I begin my teaching career. I would recommend The First Six Weeks of School to any teacher (new or experienced) who wants to encourage a positive, socially interactive classroom experience for their students.

Professor stated it is a book we will refer to for a long time. Havent read it. Came quickly and in good condition.

This is a great textbook for ABA. It is perfect for studying for the Board Certification for Behavior Analysis (BCBA).

Book is essential for any Behavior Analyists career to understand the science of ABA.

Very helpful for the field!

Just kidding. This is a clear, concise text that I am finding to be very user-friendly. This text is not nearly as difficult to understand as Michael's Concepts and Principles of Behavior Analysis, at least for someone like myself who is fairly new to behavior analytic textbooks.

This text is spectacular. This edition is a triumph. I was a bit dubious when the forward obliquely compared this book to The Beatles (The White Album), but have become more sympathetic to the perspective as I have spent more time with it. Cooper/Heron is simply the book to use in studying Applied Behavior Analysis. It's not chummy or dated like some texts of 70s (an effort to reduce the response effort of learning the material, no doubt). Instead it is complete, precise and well written. My sincere thanks to the authors. Worth twice the going price.

First of all, I realize this book is slightly dated, in that it was published 17 years ago. The unfortunate thing is that I don't believe much has changed since Kozol wrote it... if there have been major changes, he wouldn't have found it necessary to write his second book, Shame of the Nation, or continue to push for equal-opportunity education like he is still doing today. So, although this book was researched and written awhile ago, I do believe it is still relevant for discussion today.

This book is sad. Plain and simple, it made me very sad to read about the way these kids have to "learn" every single day. Children who live in poverty every single day of their lives, who struggle just to get a decent meal and a good night's sleep, who cannot count on safety, a clean environment, or even love from their families, should absolutely, 100% have one place they can call their sanctuary - their school. Unfortunately, this book showed that is simply not the case. Children who live in these horrifying conditions of dire poverty are going to "schools" (and I say that loosely because some of the schools Kozol describes simply are not places to learn) that are decrepit, dirty, disgusting, with not enough space, not enough teachers, not enough books, no computers, and sometimes not even enough working toilets. There isn't another way to describe this book other than horrifying. Pure and simple, we should not be allowing any child to spend a minute in these conditions, let alone every day for eight hours a day. This book is heartbreaking to read, but it needs to be read, because I truly do not think that conditions have changed since the book was published in 1991. This is something that, as a country, we need to improve, big time. Our future literally depends on it.

Kozol begins his book by writing about east St.Louis. Wikipedia writes about East St.Louis as one of the most crime-ridden cities in the nation. This is one of the poorest cities in America and of course the school system suffers. The school buildings are run down, bathrooms are broken, and the kids don't have textbooks to study from. The physics labs haven't had water for 25 years and the sports field is completely in ruins . A lot of industrial waste is dumped here from the chemical factories that have established themselves in these areas. Usually it happends by accident when trains with the stuff spills it out on the ground. Then an alarm sounds and people have to take cover. But the kids here suffer from lead poisoning, high asthma rates and other diseases that can be traced to the toxic elements that surround them. The neighbourhoods themselves are filled with 24 hour liquor stores, strip bars, gambling houses, and dealers roaming the streets at night. Its hard to think of a worse start for a kid.

He writes of another neighbourhood in Chicago, called North Lawndale. That was a vibrant community until the riots after Martin Luther Kings death when a lot of the businesses where destroyed. It never really recovered. Now the gangs have moved in and the industries have moved out. A pastor from the area says"kids like these will kill each other over nothing". Dr.Martin Luther King himself lived there but there is no memorial. Only an old truck stands at the spot where his house once was. The schools here are also in terrible condition. Out of a kindergarten class of 23 kids 14 will drop out. 4 at most will go to college. 1 of those 4 will graduate. Three of the twelve boys will have spent time in prison. A few teachers are great but mainly there is a shortage of teachers, leaving many classrooms without one. In fact these kids are economically getting much less than the kids are in the richer areas. Although many adults say that one should not tell these poor kids that because that would encourage "victim" thinking. Although I would feel like a victim if I was reading a textbook that said Nixon was president like some of these kids do! Top salary of a teacher in an underpriveledged innercity school is 40000 dollars a year whereas in a suburb up to 60000 dollars. About 2900 dollars is spent every year on a child in a poor neighbourhood whereas 7800 dollars is spent on a child in a rich one. There is a silent understanding amongst many corporations that the kids in the inner city schools are perfect for the bottom end jobs that they offer. They aren't expected to become doctors or lawyers. This has led to principles and teachers of these innercity schools in "framing their language carefully" when requesting grants or money from corporations to "train ghetto children to become good employees".

In the Bronx one school that is overpopulated is located in an old roller skating rink. It was made to fit 1000 people now there are 1550 people there. The interior is old and falling apart. Too many people crowd into small rooms and many of the windows are broken. There are hardly any computers and the school is surrounded by heavy traffic. In another Bronx school there is a gaping hole in a classroom floor, the blackboards are so cracked that students risk cutting themselves on them when writing, paint flakes off the wall and covers the floor, and when it rains theres a waterfall flowing down the six flights of stairs in the school. Out of 500 freshmen from one school 82 will go on to take the SAT. On the other hand a school in a well off district is close to a park with lots of flowers around it. 825 kids attend this school. Here the library contains 8000 books in contrast to the skating rink school library that contained 700 books.

Wan to understand why our education system is in the shape that it's in? READ THIS BOOK! Explains why lower income schools perform the way they do....must have for any educator's collective of continuing education books. Worth reading twice!!

Kozol's Savage Inequalities paints a frightening picture of urban schools in the United States. He describes schools that are overcrowded, dilapidated, and flooded with sewage. He asks why we allow our children to go to schools in conditions where none of us would choose to work. He deeply explores the issue of inequality in funding. While he does suggest equalizing funding, he is careful to mention that the problems facing schools are complex and require innovative solutions. I know many teachers have read this book, but we need policymakers and elected officials to read it as well.

I needed this book for a class I was taking. WOW!, it was a real eye-opener. As it was really hard to read because it is sad. How amazing that there are schools here in the United States that are in dire need. I would reccomend it, but be prepared to cry.

the book was in excellent condition and was very fast shipping. thanks for doing business!

THE BOOK WAS EVERYTHING AND THEN SOME. I NEEDED IT FOR AN EDUCATION CLASS,BUT I PLAN ON KEEPING IT FOR A RESOURCE BOOK!

I purchased this book for a class I took in spring 06 and found it extremly helpful. I've applied the balance approach method in working with young children. I've also applied the information helping my 3 year old learn to read. He is now 4 and enjoys reading. I highly recommend this book.

I found this book to be fantastic!!!! The green pages at the back give many great ideas for teachers of literacy.

I needed to order this book for a class. It is well written and easy to read. As a reading teacher I can say that I will keep this book as a reference long after the class has ended. This edition comes with a CD (or DVD) which I have not previewed yet, but the instructor of my class raves about it.

Creswell's third edition is a helpful reference for both graduate students and practitioners who are interested in conducting quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods research. This book provides step-by-step methods in data collection and analysis, helping one avoid common mistakes in research, and helping one increase the reliability and validity of a study. In this book, a discussion of different theories and research designs assists the reader in selecting the framework of the study. This is a practical and easy to read book with an excellent chapter on action research, which is especially beneficial to K-12 educators. As a doctoral student, I find this book extremely valuable.

This book covers research in great detail. The website is very helpful as well.

Received in a timely manner. There was a scratch on the cover, but otherwise it was in great condition.