Kathryn Neckerman's Schools Betrayed.

How about us young grad students that haven't had time to read much more than a stack of journal articles?

I've picked up Dan Lortie's Schoolteacher. What else should I be reading?

Hi, you're running a great blog.. keep up the nice work. Here are some things I've enjoyed reading over the past year:

Charles Tilly. (2004) Social Movements, 1768-2004.

Jean M. Twenge. (2007) Generation Me.

Seth Godin. (2007) Meatball Sundae.

Chris Anderson. (2006) The Long Tail.

Jim Collins. (2005) Good to Great and the Social Sector.

On the K-12 education front-

Herbert J. Walberg. (2007) School Choice, The Findings.

Rick Hess, Editor (2006) Educational Entrepreneurship: Realities, Challenges, Myths.

Fordham Institute (2008) Who Will Save America's Urban Catholic Schools?

Tom Loveless. (2007) 2007 Brown Center Report on American Education.

* Full disclosure.. I am biased because I used to work in the Brown Center, so this has personal meaning to me.

Best, Paul

Thanks, Paul and Sherman. I've heard great things about the Neckerman book.

I also received a suggestion via email for K-8 science teachers - Ready, Set, Science! Putting Research to Work in K-8 Science Classrooms.

Corey, let us know what topic areas you'd like to dig into this summer, and I'm sure we'll have lots of ideas.

urban education reform in general, but especially:

-teacher retention/turnover (I have the SM Johnson book)
-discipline
-school climate/culture
-motivation, particularly of students
-reactions of teachers to reform

among others . . .

Corey, here are a couple of possibilities:

Richard Ingersoll (2003), Who Controls Teachers' Work? Power and Accountability in America's Schools.

Katherine Newman et al. (2005), Rampage: The Social Roots of School Shootings.

Richard Arum (2005), Judging School Discipline: The Crisis of Moral Authority.

Lea Hubbard, Mary Kay Stein & Hugh Mehan (2006), Reform as Learning: When School Reform Collides with School Culture and Community Politics.

Jere Brophy (2004), Motivating Students to Learn.

Thanks.

I have the first one, and I'll take a look at the others.

How about this new title that is blowing up in charter circles but will no doubt resonate in any serious discussion about public education:

"The Lights of El Milagro: How One Charter School's Revolt Could Transform Public Education."

The author is Kevin W. Riley, a principal who holds nothing back. Funny, irreverent, very readable style.

Eduwonkette - I enjoy reading your blog and your perspective on reform and research. I'm one of the co-authors of "Finders and Keepers," so thanks for the plug.

Corey - Dan Lortie's "Schoolteacher" is a must read for anyone wanting an understanding of the teaching profession, so it's good that you've picked a copy up. I agree with Schoolboy that Richard Ingersoll's "Who Controls Teachers' Work?" is another book worth taking a look at. Another book I'd suggest is Mary Kennedy's "Inside Teaching: How Classroom Life Undermines Reform" (Harvard University Press, 2006). I suggest it because it raises important questions about some of the common assumptions that reformers make about why teaching practice is slow to change. Also, given your interest in school climate, you might want to take a look at Bryk and Schneider's "Trust in Schools: A core resource for improvement" (Russell-Sage, 2004).

If anyone is in the mood to read fiction (say, at the beach!) try "19 Minutes" by Jodi Picoult. It's about a high school shooting, and I found it to be petty gripping and a good reminder that we are teaching KIDS!

Rudy Crew (2007) "Only Connect: The Way To Save Our Schools"

I recommend The Game of School: Why We All Play It, How It Hurts Kids,and What It Will Take to Change It by Robert L. Fried (2005). This book explores how learning has become a job, not a joy, for both students and teachers and suggests changes for putting students' natural interest in learning back into the classroom.