Rethinking High School : Best Practice in Teaching, Learning, and Leadership

In their previous book--Best Practice: New Standards for Teaching and Learning in America's Schools--Daniels and his colleagues drew on national curriculum standards to define good teaching and learning.

Then, the authors personally put those standards to work on the West side of Chicago, starting the city's first new public high school in thirty years.

Now, in Rethinking High School, they take us along on that adventure, from the earliest planning meetings to the school's first graduation six years later.

They tell exactly how Best Practice High School got started, what worked and what didn't, where they stumbled and soared, and what is still left to do.

Rethinking High School is organized around eleven fundamental choices that all secondary schools must make, the book serves as a checklist, an agenda, and a study guide for high school reform.

Instead of dictating right answers, the authors pose key questions and recount a range of creative alternatives developed by schools around the country.

By offering this rich array of stories and models, the book speaks directly to readers who wish to improve existing high schools, break larger schools into smaller ones, or start new high schools from the ground up.

Contents: 1. Best Practice by Design 2. Size 3. Climate 4. Voice and Leadership 5. Teaching 6. Curriculum 7. Community Experiences 8. Scheduling 9. Technology and Materials 10. Assessment 11. Professional Development 12. Relationships 13. Graduation Day