Book Review

If you’re in education, this just may be the “feel good” book of the season. Granted, the book was published six years ago, but if you’re in education and you haven’t read it yet, do.

Most of us have a pretty good idea of what the problems are with public education. But when it comes to solutions, few people are quick to suggest they have the answers.

Robert Barr and William Parrett’s book is almost certain to give anyone down on public schooling an “a-ha" moment. The book provides a thorough and straightforward look at the alternative education movement.

As the title implies, the book presents a compelling case for alternative, magnet and charter schools, with input from those pioneers who dared to abandon the “one size fits all” approach to public education.

The book also includes a helpful resource section, frequently asked questions and evaluation criteria.

“Public education must abandon the idea that learning can occur only inside a classroom at a particular time of day, in a prescribed set of minutes, with a group of 15 to 30 students,” say Barr and Parrett.

Traditional public education, the authors conclude, focuses too much on the 20 percent of kids who will graduate from college. This book provides inspiration for those seeking solutions so that no child is left out in public education.

NOTE: The authors' have a new book, Saving Our Students, Saving Our Schools: 50 Proven Strategies for Revitalizing At-Risk Students and Low-Performing Schools, which will be reviewed in a future issue. – by Allison Seale

How to Create Alternative, Magnet, and Charter Schools
By Robert D. Barr and William H. Parrett
National Educational Service, 1997
ISBN: 1-879639-48-3