THE GOOD SCHOOL

"[Tyre] adds new perspective to the depressing state of American education with real-world lessons for parents. The author provides respectful ways for approaching—or changing—the system. This is not an indictment of teachers, but rather an eye-opening tool for parental involvement."
   —Kirkus Reviews

There was a time when the education of children was pretty much left up to teachers and schools. Parent enrolled their kindergartners in the local school, attended a parent-teacher conference once a year, signed their child's report card when it was required and when asked, whipped up a batch of brownies for the bake sale. Thirteen years later, they attended a high school graduation.

Those days are long gone. These days, parents know they need to take a hard look at what schools are doing to insure their children—and the children in their community—get the best possible education. But it can be tricky to know what to look for. In suburban areas, parents pay top dollar to buy homes in areas where the school system's reputation is strong. But too often they find that their child's experience falls short of ideal. In urban areas, parents participate in "school choice" programs—a driver of school reform in our country—but too often, they find they don't know how to tell a great school from an average one.

THE GOOD SCHOOL wades through decade of education research and offers, in a highly readable form, a way for parents to figure out the best option for their child. While there is no blueprint for a perfect school, there are key components of a solid education every parent should know about—and demand—for their child.

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