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The Educator's Handbook for Understanding and Closing Achievement Gaps
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The Educator's Handbook for Understanding and Closing Achievement Gaps

Edited by:


December 2009 | 304 pages | Corwin
'Beginning with a remarkably comprehensive and accessible analysis of the gap's causes, the book offers a refreshingly balanced, evidence-based, state-of-the-art outline of productive solutions that should inform the work of all educational stakeholders' - Ken Leithwood, Professor, OISE/University of Toronto

'No one is better positioned than Joseph Murphy to provide lessons for education leaders on this important topic' - Andrew Porter, George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education , University of Pennsylvania

'For too long, the achievement gap has been proclaimed, discussed, and then dismissed as a subject of despair. Seldom has it been systematically defined, placed in historical perspective, or positively addressed. Through thorough scholarship, comprehensive knowledge, and creativity, this book fills that void' - James W. Guthrie, Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Educational Leadership and Public Policy, Vanderbilt University

'While offering no simple pathway to progress, this book reminds us how much more we can do to close achievement gaps' - Michael S. Knapp, Director

Center for the Study of Teaching & Policy, University of Washington

Distinguished researcher Joseph F. Murphy has gathered and analyzed the most up-to-date research and data to help headteachers understand what the achievement gap is, why it persists, and what teachers can do about it. This comprehensive handbook:

- Examines external factors that contribute to achievement gaps, such as socioeconomic status, family environment, racism, and individual differences

- Covers internal factors such as instruction, school culture, and school support

- Provides strategies for addressing both internal and external factors to make an impact.

 
About the Author
 
Part I. Background
1. Bringing Achievement Gaps Into Focus

 
2. Portraying and Tracking Achievement Gaps

 
 
Part II. Grinding Up Hope: Explaining the Development of Achievement Gaps
 
Introduction
 
Environment
3. An Introduction

 
4. Socioeconomic Status

 
5. Family Environment

 
6. Community, Racism, and Individual Differences

 
7. Out-of-School Learning Experiences

 
 
Schooling
8. Instructional Program

 
9. School Culture, Structure, and Support

 
 
Part III. Opening the Doors of Possibility: Strategies for Closing Achievement Gaps
 
Introduction
10. Focusing on the Social and Economic Environment

 
11. A Focus on Schooling

 
 
References
 
Index

"No one is better positioned than Joseph Murphy to provide lessons for education leaders on this important topic. He offers an exceptionally comprehensive, timely, wise, and well-researched treatment of the achievement gap."

Andrew Porter, George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education and Dean, Graduate School of Education
University of Pennsylvania

"For too long, the achievement gap has been proclaimed, discussed, and then dismissed as a subject of despair. Seldom has it been systematically defined, placed in historical perspective, or positively addressed. Through thorough scholarship, comprehensive knowledge, and creativity, this book fills that void."

James W. Guthrie, Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Educational Leadership and Public Policy
Vanderbilt University

"This book speaks directly to the central challenge now facing educational practitioners and policy makers: how to close the achievement gap. Beginning with a remarkably comprehensive and accessible analysis of the gap's causes, the book offers a refreshingly balanced, evidence-based, state-of-the-art outline of productive solutions that should inform the work of all educational stakeholders."

Ken Leithwood, Professor
OISE/University of Toronto

"This volume offers a balanced, comprehensive, and practical resource for those who continue to struggle against enduring educational inequities. While offering no simple pathway to progress, it reminds us how much more we can be doing to close achievement gaps."

Michael S. Knapp, Director
Center for the Study of Teaching & Policy, University of Washington

For instructors

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ISBN: 9781412964555
£35.99

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