School Lane Book List

Bloom, Sandra L. Creating Sanctuary: Toward the Evolution of Sane Societies . Routledge, 1997. Psychiatrist Sandra Bloom provides a very moving account of the impact of violence on our lives and what it takes to create an environment where we can recover from our wounds. Dr. Bloom's call for a therapeutic approach to violence stands in stark contrast to popular proposals for meeting violence with more violence. She interweaves the individual and the social, the personal and the political, by presenting the story of how she and a group of colleagues created a unique 'Sanctuary' based on social psychiatric principles.

Bloom, Sandra L. and Reichert, Michael. Bearing Witness: Violence and Collective Responsibility . The Haworth Press, Inc., 1998. Bearing Witness offers a unique lay person's introduction to the scope and causes of violence and trauma theory and suggests ways we can all work to eliminate these causes. After establishing a strong knowledge base, the authors give you the beginnings of an outline for reorganizing society with the aim of establishing a community that is responsive to the basic human need for safety and peace.

Charney, Ruth Sidney. Teaching Children to Care: Classroom Management for Ethical and Academic Growth, K-8 . Northeast Foundation for Children, Second Edition 2002. Provides the essentials for establishing and maintaining a "responsive" classroom throughout the year, in all types of activities. Three sections lead teachers from the basic foundations through a variety of skills and techniques.

Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. Simon & Schuster, 1989. Stephen Covey, an internationally respected leadership authority, realizes that true success encompasses a balance of personal and professional effectiveness, so this book is a manual for performing better in both arenas. Before you can adopt the seven habits, you'll need to accomplish what Covey calls a "paradigm shift" --a change in perception and interpretation of how the world works. Covey takes you through this change, which affects how you perceive and act regarding productivity, time management, positive thinking, developing your "proactive muscles" (acting with initiative rather than reacting), and much more.

Cowan, David. Teaching the Skills of Conflict Resolution .Innerchoice Publishing, 1992. Prevent conflict by creating more peaceful, cooperative learning environments. Use win win strategies, such as Sharing Circles are used to resolve conflicts when they occur and learn to view conflict as an "opportunity for agreement."

Cowan, David. Conflict Resolution Skills for Teens .Innerchoice Publishing, 1994. This books is a developmental and sequential program of activities designed to build a base of awareness, understanding, and skills required for conflict prevention and resolution. It gives students practice using a variety of strategies for managing and resolving conflict, creates opportunities for real life problems and conflicts, and encourages students to transfer their learning to the resolution of issues and conflicts in the family , community, nation and world.

Creighton, Alan and Paul Kivel. Helping Teens Stop Violence : A Practical Guide for Educators, Counselors, and Parents . Hunter House, 1992. Based on programs developed by Battered Women's Alternatives and the Oakland Men's Project, this book offers a proactive, multicultural approach for getting at the roots of violent behavior. The activities and workshops described in the book explore how violence manifests in families and dating; how issues of race, gender, and age are involved; and how teens can work to stop the violence in their lives. It includes curricula for classrooms and support groups, and strategies to support peer counselors and help abused teens.

Eisler, Riane Tennehaus. Tomorrow's Children : A Blueprint for Partnership Education in the 21st Century . Westview Pr, 2000. When Riane Eisler published her classic book The Chalice and the Blade in 1987 she introduced the idea of "partnership," a model for society that stresses environmental sustainability, nonviolence, multiculturalism, and gender fairness. Now, in Tomorrow's Children, Eisler applies the partnership model to modern education, providing parents and teachers with specific ways to apply her ideas to the teaching of school age children.

Eisler explains how for too long a dominator model, which emphasizes control, authoritarianism, violence, and gender discrimination, has characterized our educational system. Tomorrow's Children recommends sweeping changes in both the content and process of teaching and maintains that ideas of struggle, conquest, and destruction can successfully be supplanted by those of cooperation, mutual aid, and respect for creation. The result is a revolutionary and inspiring picture of how education, and by extension, society, might look in the twenty-first century.

Faber, Adele and Mazlish, Elaine and Coe, Kimberly Ann. How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk . Avon, 1991. "How to" advice on how to talk productively with children in the interest of harmony and cooperation, reinforcing the tenets that people should be treated with respect, don't deny emotions, state the facts, and then listen.

Gatto, John Taylor. Dumbing Us Down : The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling . New Society Publishers, 1991. John Taylor Gatto reveals the lessons schools really teach students. He was NY State Teacher of the Year not once, but twice, and yet gave up trying to reform schools from the inside. Recommended reading especially for parents of young children who are most susceptible to the "hidden curriculum," and about whom there is still some hope they can still prevail with their integrity and their love of learning intact.

Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ . Bantam Books, 1995. In this fascinating book, based on brain and behavioral research, Daniel Goleman argues that our IQ-idolizing view of intelligence is far too narrow. Instead, Goleman makes the case for "emotional intelligence" being the strongest indicator of human success. He defines emotional intelligence in terms of self-awareness, altruism, personal motivation, empathy, and the ability to love and be loved by friends, partners, and family members. People who possess high emotional intelligence are the people who truly succeed in work as well as play, building flourishing careers and lasting, meaningful relationships. Because emotional intelligence isn't fixed at birth, Goleman outlines how adults as well as parents of young children can sow the seeds.

Hammerschlag, Carl A. and Silverman, Howard D. Healing Ceremonies: Creating Personal Rituals for Spiritual, Emotional, Physical, and Mental Health . Turtle Island Press 1997. Scientific and medical research now confirms the long held belief that faith promotes healing. In this book, a leading proponent of the mind-body-spirit approach to health joins forces with a family practice medical doctor to teach readers--in practical terms--how to incorporate such healing power into day-to-day life.

Heydenberk, Warren and Heydenberk, Roberta. A Powerful Peace: The Integrative Thinking Classroom Allyn & Bacon, 2000. From the Back Cover With ever-increasing incidents of youth violence and disruptive behavior in schools across the nation, this is a critical question for every teacher today. According to studies, one of the best ways to encourage a supportive classroom environment is through effective conflict resolution and critical thinking instruction. To help teachers in grades 4-12 achieve this goal, this book provides research backed strategies and thoroughly developed activities for effective conflict resolution and critical thinking instruction. In addition, it serves as a practical guide on how to initiate conflict resolution in schools and how to link these initiatives with the larger community. This resource can be used with existing content areas or curriculum types with minimal planning, additions, disruptions, or cost. Its curriculum overlay approach integrates conflict resolution and critical thinking into content area instruction through the communication process: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. With over 150 flexible, easy-to-perform activities _ including journal writing exercises, discussion, and self-rating exercises _ it is a valuable tool for enhancing students' academic performance and social skills, and for creating the safe community that is essential for effective learning. For teachers of grades 4-12 across all content areas.

Kohn, Alfie. No Contest : The Case Against Competition . Houghton Mifflin Co., 1992. Updated for the 1990s, the award-winning book that stands as the definitive critique of competition. Kohn says that contrary to accepted wisdom, competition is not basic to "human nature," but actually poisons our relationships, damages our self-esteem, and holds us back from doing our best. Includes new material on "cooperative learning" in the classroom. "By perceiving that cooperation is the answer, not competition, Alfie Kohn opens a new world of living."--Dr. W. Edwards Deming.

Kohn, Alfie. Punished by Rewards: The Trouble With Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A'S, Praise, and Other Bribes . Houghton Mifflin Co., 1995. Alfi Kohn challenges the widely held assumption that incentives lead to improved quality and increased output in the workplace and in schools. The idea that competition and reward are effective motivators are the basis of our educational, economic, and managerial systems. He notes that the system of rewards and punishment we widely use is based on the theories of Pavlov and Skinner derived largely from experiments on animals. Kohn disdains rewards as bribes and suggests that collaboration (teamwork), content (meaningfulness), and choice (autonomy) are better motivators for both students and workers.

Kohn, Alfie. The Schools Our Children Deserve: Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and "Tougher Standards" . Houghton Mifflin Co., available Sept. 1999. Two forces now dominate the theory and practice of American education. The first, using the language of "tougher standards" and "accountability," is a heavy-handed, top down, test-driven version of school reform which assumes that harder is always better. The second is an aggressive traditionalism that has resulted in treating today's students like their counterparts were treated in years gone by -- as passive receptacles into which facts and skills are poured. Both doctrines are accepted on faith by politicians, parents, and pundits -- and both come in for sharp scrutiny by Alfie Kohn, the author of paradigm-shattering books on competition and rewards.

Kriete, Roxanne. The Morning Meeting Book . Northeast Foundation for Children, 1999. Since its publication three years ago, "The Morning Meeting Book" has introduced thousands of teachers to this powerful teaching tool that builds community, increases student investment, and improves academic and social skills. The book's step-by-step implementation guidelines; clear explanations of purposes; and specific examples of activities, greetings, and charts have helped teachers across the country lauch their schools days with Morning Meeting.

Levin, James and Shanken-Kaye, John M. The Self Control Classroom: Understanding and Managing the Disruptive Behavior of all Students Including Students with ADHD . Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1996 . This book describes a highly effective and innovative classroom management model which emphasizes student and teacher accountability and mutual respect, without relying upon rewards and punishments. Teachers and parents learn how to influence student behavior by increasing the success/failure ratio, intrinsic motivation, and pro-social self-esteem and by holding themselves and students strictly accountable for the choices they make. Readers will learn "The only person you can control, is yourself".

Levine, David and Lowe, Robert and Peterson, Bob and Tenorio, Rita. Rethinking Schools: An Agenda for Change . The New York Press, 1995. In 1986, a group of Milwaukee-area teachers, frustrated with the pace of education reform, created the quarterly journal Rethinking Schools . Since its inception, the journal has gained a reputation for insightful writing about some of the most controversial issues in contemporary education. A mix of thought-provoking essays, interviews, and practical suggestions culled from the journal, this book addresses the most pressing concerns of reformers in five different subject areas: "Multiculturalism and Antibias Education," "Rethinking the Curriculum," "Testing and Tracking," "National Policy Concerns," and "Teachers, Students and Parents."

Miller, John P. The Holistic Curriculum (Research in Education Series, No 17).Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 1996. Jack Miller's pioneering book on the essential themes of holistic education. . . . how it cultivates imagination, intuition, mindfulness, self-awareness, and social responsibility.

Odean, Kathleen. Great Books for Girls . Ballantine Books, 1997. The first reference of its kind, Great Books for Girls is an invaluable list of more than six hundred titles--picture books, novels, mysteries, biographies, folk tales, sports books, and more--that will encourage, challenge, and ultimately nurture in girls the strong qualities our culture so often suppresses.

Peck, M. Scott. A World Waiting to be Born: Civility Rediscovered . Bantam Books, 1994. Just as The Road Less Traveled provided hope and guidance for individuals seeking growth, this major new work by M. Scott Peck, M.D., offers a needed prescription for our deeply ailing society. Our illness is Incivility--morally destructive patterns of self-absorption, callousness, manipulativeness, and materialism so ingrained in our routine behavior that we do not even recognize them. There is a deepening awareness that something is seriously wrong with our personal and organizational lives. Using examples from his own life, case histories, and dramatic scenarios of businesses that made a conscious decision to bring civility to their organizations, Dr. Peck demonstrates how change can be effected and how we and our organizations can be restored to health. This wise, practical, and radical book is a blueprint for achieving personal and societal well-being.

Postman, Neil. The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School . Vintage Books, 1997. A critical analysis of American education states that poor motivational techniques and a lack of focus are at the core of most problems and offers four methods that can be implemented to promote educational reform. Postman transforms everything you take for granted and turns it upside down, forcing you to admit that you never really knew what you were looking at.

Ruiz, Don Miguel. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom . Amber-Allen Pub, 1997. In The Four Agreements shamanic teacher and healer Don Miguel Ruiz exposes self-limiting beliefs and presents a simple yet effective code of personal conduct learned from his Toltec ancestors. Full of grace and simple truth, this handsomely designed book makes a lovely gift for anyone making an elementary change in life, and it reads in a voice that you would expect from an indigenous shaman. The four agreements are these: Be impeccable with your word. Don't take anything personally. Don't make assumptions. Always do your best.

Sarason, Seymour B. Revisiting "The Culture of the School and the Problem of Change" . Teachers College Pr, 1996. Sarason describes how systems must create mechanisms for improving themselves. It provides a theoretical support for current attempts to create self-correcting, self-renewing schools. He improves our understanding of what a system is, how it must think about change, and how the system itself must become its own best critic.

Steinberg, Laurence. Beyond the Classroom : Why School Reform Has Failed and What Parents Need to Know . Touchstone Books, 1997. Drawing on a nationwide survey encompassing all ethnic and socioeconomic groups, this study identifies the real nature of the education crisis in America. It is based on research questionnaires and interviews conducted over a 10 year period with a cross-section of more than 20,000 teenagers from nine high schools. The findings are ones many parents might not want to hear, and that is, much of the responsibility for kids' success in school isn't all the schools' or the government's fault -- it has much to do with what happens at home. In fact, much of the success and failure in schools today has to do with factors "beyond the classroom"; peers, family, and the culture in which you're raised.

Sylwester, Robert. A Celebration of Neurons : An Educator's Guide to the Human Brain . Assn. for Supervision & Curriculm, 1995. A must read for anyone who thinks . . .Sylwester draws on research on brain neurochemistry, explores different models, and leads us on an exhilarating tour of our brains. It is written in easy to understand language, helping us understand the brain as Carl Sagan did in helping us to understand outer space.