Harnessing The Dynamics of Public Education

Dr. Timothy B. Jones is a leading consultant for school improvement initiatives and a former full time doctoral professor and now adjunct professor.Dr. David C. Barrett is a Senior Field Trainer and Analyst for the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk (MCPER) at The University of Texas at Austin. He also serves as the Assistant Director for the Middle School Matters Institute.

We love this book. It calls for an approach to education that is quite different from what is now the norm while simultaneously recognizing and celebrating much of what is great and inspiring about American education. That call for change is grounded in an understanding of leading edge developments in how the brain/mind learns naturally, as illustrated by the power of play. It explores the corresponding need for a more complex yet authentic approach to teaching that matches how people learn. It grasps and illustrates the power of context. And it has a deep appreciation of the immense importance of physical and emotional safety, and the crucial importance of great leadership. The book is well researched, beautifully written, elegantly colored with metaphors that bring the message to light, and is both practical and inspirational. It deserves to be very widely read.

• DedicationForewordAcknowledgementsAbout the AuthorsIntroduction: Harnessing the Dynamics of Public Education: Preparing for a Return to Greatness!Chapter 1. Building a Naturally Great SchoolChapter 2. Fostering a New Mindset for the FutureChapter 3. The War on American Public EducationChapter 4. Comprehensive AccountabilityChapter 5. Overcoming Pedagogical ParalysisChapter 6. Authentic LeadershipChapter 7. The Price of SafetyChapter 8. Our Return to Greatness