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COMMON SENSE FOR OUR COMMON GOOD

Name: COMMON SENSE FOR OUR COMMON GOOD
Author: Jim Baumann
ISBN: 978-0-692-43912-8

A PARENT GUIDE TO GOOD SCHOOLS

by Jim Baumann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 2017

A brief but thorough handbook for improving the relationships between schools and their communities.

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A debut manual delivers advice to parents looking to assess their children’s schools and strengthen local partnerships.

In this book, Baumann explores the qualities of a strong school, offers a rubric for evaluating a system, and provides guidelines for parents who want to get involved in their children’s education. The volume introduces the question of appraising school quality as a series of puzzle pieces reflecting the interactions among students, parents, educators, and the community. It then looks at school success through three lenses: culture, learning, and accountability. There is a strong emphasis on consensus (“This means the ‘community voice’ regarding education is never a single voice. It is a chorus of voices representing a variety of perspectives and motivations, not always in harmony”). And after a high-level overview of the factors that contribute to strong schools and effective learning, the book presents a series of contrasting perspectives on educational issues (accountability, transparency, curriculum) and advocates a middle-ground approach to each. An extensive appendix defines specialized terms from the world of pedagogy and interprets them from a parental perspective (“ ‘Standard’ has become an increasingly popular term to describe what a student, teacher or school is expected to accomplish in order to show excellence”). Baumann opens with an overview of his own education credentials (as a student, a parent, and a member of state and local school boards) and takes a positive approach to public schools throughout, acknowledging problems in the sector but presenting them as opportunities for an engaged community to make a difference. Although the graphics-heavy design adds to the book’s slightness (24 pages, more than a fifth of the volume, are left blank for note-taking), it does make for an engaging and easy-to-follow presentation in which key points are clearly highlighted. Parents who are interested in evaluating and improving their children’s schools without delving into the nuances of education policy will find this a useful tool for organizing thoughts and suggesting courses of action.

A brief but thorough handbook for improving the relationships between schools and their communities.

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-692-43912-8

Page Count: 118

Publisher: CSCG LLC

Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2017

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.