Introduction

The majority of our public school graduates are ill-prepared for both college and the working world. How does this betrayal of public trust happen? What can be done about it? Why is it that some public schools are effective and others are not? In Educating, Not Babysitting! veteran teachers Jon Ryker and Jo Rogers delve into the dilemma and recommend a set of principles for improving schools without spending additional money.

About the Book

Educating, Not Babysitting! explains how schools lose their way under competing priorities, a lack of leadership, and a lack of oversight. It also recommends how taxpayers, parents, students, teachers, and administrators can drive the process of refocusing a district on its sole critical mission—maximizing student learning. It explains that:

• Taxpayers must not write blank checks
• Students must seek to learn
• Teachers must believe in their students
• Parents must join in
• Administrators must be everyone's role model

Based on personal experience and presented in an informal, friendly format, Educating, Not Babysitting! demonstrates that education is everyone's concern. Together, these groups can rescue school districts from the malaise of at-riskness and get back to the business at hand—maximizing learning.