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Overview
As culturally-diverse students feel trapped in failing public schools and abandoned by the system school choice offers a way out and a way up for students who have not succeeded in existing public schools. Many of the intractable problems that plague culturally diverse students are deeply rooted in the poverty, unemployment, crime, racism, and cultural differences that pervade the neighborhoods around them. Educators who work in our nation's schools represent the conscience of a society because they shape the conditions under which future generations learn about themselves and their relationships to others in the world. Educators, families and community members need to reinvigorate the language, social relations, and politics of schooling. We need to address the issues of school culture, poverty and violence. We need to look at new and future trends in education. Our goal is to achieve results. Parents, teachers and students must come together to make a difference. Ideas and people can change the course of history.
Editorials
Francine Haywood
As a parent, I have the highest regard for Darlene and her teaching strategies. Her latest book, Winds of Change, speaks volumes about her caring for the education of youth and how she used those strategies tohelp my daughter, Natosha, graduate from high school and move on to become a life-long learner.Quintin Pettigrew
Dr. Leiding’s research concerning schools and their role in the education of America’s future generations raises some provocative questions. She challenges readers to consider the impact of schools that fail to meet the needs of students, especially the needs of underserved populations. No longer is it acceptable to focus on teaching but results demand that schools focus on learning. Dr. Leiding’s message is one that will test your basic assumptions about education and cause you to think about the future needs and demands that will be placed upon schools as they attempt to prepare students for the future.Judy Schulze
When educating our young people, we can't continue doing what has worked in the past, but will need to meet tomorrow's needs and invest in its future in order to succeed. Darlene Leiding addresses those needs with thoroughly-researched ideas on how to invest in our children's futures, leading to their educational success. Administrators, school board members, educators and, yes, parents need to be aware of this information as today they plan, build and equip our schools of tomorrow.Mona Stegeman
Dr. Darlene Leiding examines the present state of affairs in our public school system and comes up with a real appraisal of what needs to be done. Most startling is her observation of the deterioration of school culture and many of the developments which have led to it. She observes that schools need to admit to and deal with school violence. School violence has become a significant handicap to moving ahead with building productive schools.Her observation of the inability of one-size-fits-all schools to adjust to theneeds of different groups of students is insightful. We need to be more creative than this.
This is an important book which can lead us all to an understanding of how we can reconstruct a learning environment necessary for school success.