You wouldn't go to your doctor's office and advise him on running his practice, or propose reforms for how a CEO ought to run his company. Yet every day, your neighbors, politicians, and business owners complain about the failure of schools and call for change without ever setting foot in them. Criticism abounds regarding what schools are doing (and how they're doing it wrong). In Unlocking the Schoolhouse Door, Larry White examines how repeated and misguided attempts at reform-testing, unfair expectations placed on teachers, and an overemphasis on content-are undermining schools' efforts to prepare students for the future. Whether you're a teacher, an administrator, a parent, a politician, a business owner, or simply a citizen concerned about the state of education, this book will shed light on what is-and what should be-occurring in classrooms today. This collection of newspaper columns, culled from the author's 34 years of experience as a high school teacher and mentor to both students and teachers, deals with such hot-button issues as teacher tenure, the role of parents, discipline and behavior management, grading and assessments, addressing special needs, and the real purpose of schools. Filled with observations, anecdotes, and practical tips from the front lines, Unlocking the Schoolhouse Door will take you inside today's schools to show you the realities of so-called reform, while pointing the way to a better future for America's schools.
About the Author: Larry White taught for thirty-four years at Lincoln High School in Stockton, California. His main areas of instruction were American government, United States history, world history, and economics. During this time, he also instructed new teachers and served as a visiting educator on loan to the San Joaquin County Office of Education. In addition, he served as Social Science Department chairman, mentor teacher, and master teacher at Lincoln High School, and he supervised student teachers for the University of the Pacific. Also, he worked with students of all ability levels, from Advanced Placement to at-risk youth, through a program he helped establish called the Academic Success Center. Upon retirement, Larry began volunteering his time as an aide to primary grade students and working with a local Rotary club's literacy program to provide books and readers to low-performing schools. Larry currently resides in Stockton with wife, Cheryl. He is the father of three grown children and has one beautiful granddaughter, Kaia.