Educators Books

In "Building Bridges with the press: A guide for educators," reporter Julie Blair discusses her experiences as a reporter for Education Week and offers ways for educators improve their relationship with the media.

"Over time," Blair writes, "I've come to believe that we in the press haven't done nearly enough to educate educators about what we do. As a result we've unwittingly widened the chasm between schools and the media. . . . My hope is that this book will make clear to school administrators both the obligations and benefits of developing an open and cooperative relationship with the press."

Schools that dodge reporters frequently get even less press than they desire and potentially a bad reputation, she says, whether or not they are doing a good job educating children. Her message to educators: Let the media in. Deal with us openly and honestly, and let us learn to cover you better by walking your hallways, attending your classes, and talking at length with your students, teachers, and staff.

Often, the first critical step is to build a personal relationship between the schools and the media, she says. This isn't to say educators need to become best friends with the reporters who cover them, but making regular contact with reporters and even editors can help ensure that journalists better understand how schools work, which will definitely make a difference in how the schools are covered.

Blair offers 13 tips under the rubric: "Meeting the Press: Things to talk about." Getting together regularly with reporters can be helpful. One place to begin is to ask reporters about their education, their background in education policy, and the types of stories theylike to write or produce. Or begin by explaining how your district's budget works.

If you'd like to get more positive publicity about your school, highlight the achievement of faculty and tout them as experts on various topics. Introduce reporters to your innovative special education teacher, the band leader who runs the million-dollar fund raiser, and the mathematics instructor who helped write the state curriculum.

Blair offers the caveat: "Make sure you are on the same page regarding open access. Many PR people I've come into contact with perceive themselves to be protectors of their school districts. Rather than disseminating news, they work to keep the press out of school business. They don't return phone calls promptly, dodge questions, answer inadequately, or worse yet, provide inaccurate information. Such an individual can poison your relationship with the press and community."

EducationPR [...]

If you work in higher education and are thinking of planning any studies abroad, you will need this book as your guide. The book is very well planned and contains tons of information. The guide is very practical and much of the information will be new to you. A wise investment, buy it before you plan your trip(s) abroad.

I'm a Major in Music Education and for me it was a great resource. Here in Mexico we don't have choral programs like in the United States and it was very interesting to read all the experiences from the author. Great tips and very important advices. I recommend it for those who want to improve into the Choral Education

James J. Lorence (professor emeritus of history, University of Wisconsin-Marathon County) presents A Hard Journey: The Life of Don West is the biography of poet, ordained Congregationalist minister, labor organizer, educator, leftist activist, and political figure Don West, a twentieth-century American advocate for traditional religious values who dedicated himself to building a nonracist, egalitarian south. Chapters meticulously scrutinize West's adolescence, the passion with which he threw himself into his life's work, the ethical and religious roots of his dogged antifascism, and his lifelong determination to defend mountain culture and his advocacy for the rural poor. Extensive notes, a bibliography and an index round out this heavily researched account of a life well and dutifully lived.

THE HARVARD BOOK is awarded by the Harvard Alumni Association to High School juniors who combine excellence in scholarship with achievement in other fields. The book contains more than 100 short articles about Harvard experiences by a wide assortment of contributors - many of whom are famous writers. The essays cover almost the entire period of Harvard's existence since 1636. Some of my favorites are by Samuel Eliot Morison, William James, John P. Marquand, David McCord, John Reed, John Updike and David Halberstam. The book is easy to enjoy and praise. The quality of the writing is very high.

This is book two of a series about a school inspector in Yorkshire and it is delightful. (You should read book one first if possible). I was first drawn to it because of my enjoyment of James Herriot's books but after just a few pages I was hooked on it for its own merits. Any one who is a parent, a teacher, or just a lover of children will enjoy this. It is a gentle story with a running thread of romance but the primary emphasis is on the children and the teachers in the various schools inspected by Mr. Phinn. He obviously loves his job and is passionate about helping children reach for the stars. I'm really looking forward to books three and four.

This is a handy resource! I spend 45 minutes just flipping through the book when I first got it. So far I've used the concise information found here to write a newsletter article, find an illustration for a lesson, check a fact without going through my files, and have used one list as the outline for a presentation.

Susan R. Easterbrooks and Ellen L. Estes' HELPING DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING STUDENTS TO USE SPOKEN LANGUAGE focuses on young children who are learning spoken language and NOT sign language: this focus lends particular value to educators working with both hard of hearing and everyday students in classroom settings, with chapters providing models based on how infants and children learn spoken language. Real-world examples reinforcing teachings accompany analytical and framework viewpoints and conclude with chapter summaries, making this a valuable library reference and text recommended for student teaching classrooms and college-level educator's libraries alike.

Any ideas supporting an end to the cycle of violence and discrimination in our teen population developed by these authors is a guarantee of a resource that is valuable and effective. The activities, excercises and information presented in this book seek to encourage teachers, parents and counselors of teens and the teens themselves to look into their own experiences and enlighten and expose their own potentially violent and discriminative attitudes. By acknowledging, exploring and identifying their own biases each person becomes a critical thinker capable of reading between the lines of human behavior and political propaganda. The authors explain the cycle of violence as beginning with the oppression and discrimination of people based on race, religion, gender, class, etc. The frustration and hopelessness felt by the oppressed manifests itself in the form of a violent act on the individual him or herself or on another person. By using this perspective the authors demonstrate the importance of not trying to stop violent behavior by encouraging teens to simply act in ways that others deem proper and simultaneously deny and repress true thoughts and feelings. As an educator I strongly recommend this book for you and your students and/or children.

Mildred Norman has written a very informative and entertaining book about the mid-20th century. As baby boomer whose parents lived through this amazing period I found the book full of new insights. Norman's optimistic outlook, humbleness, and sense of humor give the book a personality not usually found in such memoirs. I highly recommend this book for those who want to get a sense of the Great Depression, WWII and the post war period. Definitely not a history oriented book -- just a great read.