Table of Contents

This book pinpoints specific causes of the failure of decades of school reform.  

It also presents practical well tested and cost effective solutions.

Download  A FREE Digital Copy in pdf format, with internal hyperlinks

Table of contents 

INTRODUCTION 

CHAPTER 1

• Money is not the problem. It never was the problem and it’s not the problem now

• How much can people learn vs. the capacity of the system to teach?

• The causes of high achievement and good behavior: cause – effect confusion

• How fast can change happen?

 CHAPTER 2

• Deming and Glasser: genius applied to school reform

• Since the problem is at the policy level its correction must start there

• The solution is Deming’s systems ideas.  It’s the system stupid

• Coercion: the antithesis of quality

CHAPTER 3

• Policy problems at the state and national leadership levels                           

• Failed policy I: improve student achievement through accountability.                   

• Failed policy II: students are expected to achieve at their grade level.                     

• Failed policy III: higher standards of achievement in all academic curricula.          

• Failed policy IV: state and federal mandates for school improvement                   

• Failed policy V: improving schools must require more money.                                 

• Failed policy VI: reduce class size to improve student achievement

• Failed policy VII: failure of teacher evaluation mandates    

• Failed policy VIII: failure of teacher training mandates 

• Failed policy IX: failure of the foreign language mandate in NYS  

• Failed policy X: learning problems must be overcome at the pre k - 3 level   

• Failed policy XI: fifty years of failure of remedial education programs     

 CHAPTER 4                                                                                     

• Conventional practices that obstruct school improvement   

• System’s greatest weakness: failure to deal with individual student differences 

• Language the first essential curriculum       

• Understanding and dealing with student differences in language development   

• Solution 1 for language deficiency: effective individualized instruction 

• Solution 2 for language deficiency: adjust instructional time allocations   

• Solution 3 for language and other learning deficiencies: technology 

• Computers as teaching and learning tools                           

• Television and media as instructional tools                               

• The problem with homework                                                                                             

• Individualized instruction for inclusion

• Individualized instruction and class size for cost effectiveness

• The random curriculum

• Curriculum structured by grade levels

• An administrator’s job is to empower teachers to teach

 CHAPTER 5

• Over reliance on memory: the single greatest problem

• Recall memory vs. Recognition memory

• An empowering teacher

• Cheating: who is responsible?

• Test critical thinking not rote memory

 CHAPTER 6

• Ideal instructional programs for all students

• Restructuring curriculum to meet student needs

• Prioritizing curriculum: ongoing self-assessment

• Essential knowledge for all

• Knowledge beyond essential that is desirable

• Desirable areas of higher academic knowledge            

• Knowledge that should be deleted from curriculum

• Methods and materials will be modified and restructured

• Components of all ideal programs            

• Elements of an individualized program

• Benefits of an individualized program

 CHAPTER 7

• Alternatives to present tests and assessments

• The normal curve, kindergarten screening test and other sources of confusion

• Constructive use of standardized tests

• Observe and evaluate programs not teachers and students

• Open book tests: authentic assessments

• Ongoing formative self-assessment is the only kind that brings excellence

 CHAPTER 8

• Surveys for systemic assessment

• Self-assessment of the system: involving all stakeholders

• Rationale for using surveys to assess and improve the system

• Advantages of surveys

• Administering the survey

• Directions for completing the survey

• Interpreting the school profile

• How the survey printout works

• A case study in staff development needs assessment

• A case study in organizational self-assessment and self-improvement

• School improvement planning form

• Sample of curriculum needs: two year study using survey for writing

• General assessment of school curriculum and instructional program

• Professional staff assessment of school effectiveness

• Parent assessment of school effectiveness

• Secondary student assessment of school effectiveness 

• Other surveys available

 CHAPTER 9

The ideal pre-k – 12 + reading program for all

What’s wrong with the eclectic approach?

22 necessary strategies for teaching all students to read

Staff needs assessment survey for school reading program

What does not work?

The fallacy of phonics

The fallacy of the social promotion vs. Retention debate

The fallacy of lack of parental involvement

School reform can work

CHAPTER 10

• The ideal mathematics and writing programs for all students

• Mathematics needs assessment survey

• The ideal writing program for all students

• What is literacy?

 CHAPTER 11

• Learning disabilities vs. Teaching disabilities

• Scope of the problem

• Systemically inflicted teaching disabilities and their cures

• Individualized education plans (IEP’s)

• Remedial education for students below grade level

• Gifted programs for students above grade level

• Teaching to weaknesses: remediation vs. Compensation

• The structural flaw in departmentalization

• Self-inflicted teaching disabilities and their “cures”

• Spelling: tyranny of the irrelevant

• Gross motor coordination for gym

• Visual perception for reading

• Fear of public speaking and oral reading

• Auditory (sound) discrimination for reading

• Fine motor coordination for writing

• Fine motor coordination for reading

• Fine motor coordination for art

• Depth perception

• Auditory (tone) discrimination for music

• Gross motor coordination for swimming

• Number discrimination for mathematics

• Formula for the means to excellence

 CHAPTER 12

• The genius of Aristotle applied to ethics in school reform

• Character education: natural law, human happiness, & success

• Natural law

• Natural law and human happiness

• Virtues & values: categorical confusion & cultural chaos

• Some values commonly confused with virtues

• Monumental damage done by Sigmund Freud and B. F. Skinner

• The psychology of responsibility & freedom

• Natural law and the satisfaction of basic needs

• Virtue: the higher standards we need most

• Virtue and self-esteem

• Natural law and success

• Humility: the first virtue

• Responsibility: the necessary first premise for freedom

• The virtue of work

• The fallacy that poverty causes crime

• The solution to poverty

• High standards, imperfection, and humility

• The Little Engine, the Tortoise and the Lone Ranger

• The media and emerging gutter culture

• When bad is good

• When good is bad

• Beliefs: a matter of choice

• The power of knowledge

• The virtue of simplicity

• Euphemisms: camouflage for corruption            

 CHAPTER 13

• What can we do?

• Pursue virtue

• Improve my environment

• Teach virtue

• The fallacy of teaching by example only

• Self-improvement: the only kind that works

• Self-assessment: the only means to excellence            

• Virtue: standards for self-assessment & self-improvement

• Activities to increase virtue

• Character education needs assessment

• Materials for teaching virtue

• Poetry for teaching virtue

• Other materials for teaching virtue

 APPENDIX

• Power points for presenting / training / teaching

• Natural law

• Values & virtues:  categorical confusion

• The monumental damage done

• Paradigm shift

• Virtues are natural laws

• Some values commonly confused with virtues

• Natural law & satisfaction of basic human needs

• Virtue:  the higher standards we need most

• Natural law governs success

• Humility:  the first of all the virtues            

• Responsibility: the necessary first premise for freedom

• Work is a virtue, not a value

• The fallacy that poverty causes crime

• The solution to poverty

• High standards, imperfection, & humility

• The little engine, the tortoise and the lone ranger

• The media and emerging gutter culture

• When bad is good

• When good is bad

• Beliefs: a matter of choice

• The power of knowledge

• The virtue of simplicity

• Euphemisms: camouflage for corruption

• What can we do?

• Annotated bibliography

 The book is available at Amazon in paperback and Kindle versions and from numerous other distributors.

 ©2012-2019 Dr Thomas F. Kelly, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved