books
Inside School Turnarounds:
Urgent Hopes, Unfolding Stories
Pappano's new book, Inside School Turnarounds, is an on-the-ground journalistic take on the developing story that is urban school turnaround. The book delves into the in-the-moment challenges principals, teachers, students, parents and policymakers grapple with as they get serious about fixing our worst performing schools. Read an excerpt in the September/October 2010 issue of the Harvard Education Letter.
REVIEWS & Commentary
Q&A with Laura Pappano, author of Inside School Turnarounds—Voices in Education: the Blog of Harvard Education Publishing
“Having covered education for national newspapers and magazines for two decades, Pappano (Playing with the Boys) is primed to evaluate public school reform policy from its early years to the recent push for radical change led by the Obama administration and making headlines….Pappano surveys a broad spectrum of ideas that dynamic administrators have used to motivate, empower, and reward teachers and students.”
—Publishers Weekly
“In this well-researched, well-written, timely new book, Pappano takes us from the theory of education reform to the practical examples and inspiring, dedicated people on the front lines of making troubled schools work. With detailed case studies and thoughtful analysis, Inside School Turnarounds makes clear what is working and what more needs to be done. This is a must-read for policy makers, education reformers, and anyone committed to the goal of providing all of America’s children with the high quality public education they need and deserve.”
—Alan Khazei, cofounder, City Year and author, Big Citizenship
“This courageous book reveals what’s really happening in school reform today. It breaks the story of how some dedicated educators are forging bits of success, one student at a time, under incredibly daunting conditions. The author’s clear-headed account touches on all the hot buttons in education, from teacher unions to high-stakes testing, without getting snagged on the usual ideological hooks that have stalled our progress.”
—William Damon, professor of education and director, Center on Adolescence at Stanford University
“In this timely and important book, Pappano skillfully captures the complexity of the school-turnaround challenge. Inside School Turnarounds makes it clear that there is no silver bullet, no easy answer, but that there are a set of lessons and promising practices that we should be careful not to ignore.”
—Jesse Solomon, director, Boston Teacher Residency
“Once again, Pappano has captured and humanized many of the challenges associated with urban public education. Inside School Turnarounds highlights some of today’s most effective practices in urban education and considers their applicability in the turnaround context. This is the beginning of a very important story.”
—Evan Rudall, CEO, Uncommon Schools
Playing With the Boys:
Why Separate is Not Equal in Sports
Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2008 —NOW IN PAPERBACK
From small-town life to the national stage, from the boardroom to Capitol Hill, athletic contests help define what we mean in America by success. And by keeping women from playing with the boys on the grounds that they are inherently inferior to men, society relegates them to second-class status in American life.
REVIEWS & Commentary
“Convincingly argue[s] the notion that sports, like politics, higher education, and employment generally, should provide equal opportunity for women... Highly recommended.” — Library Journal
“In this informative, well-written book, [McDonagh and Pappano]...offer relevant information critical to understanding the role of gender in sport. The authors not only define the specifics of the problem but also probe questions associated with the formulation of gender roles... Highly recommended.” — CHOICE
The Connection Gap:
Why Americans Feel So Alone
Shopping online. Chatting on the cell phone. Computer games. Instant travel to wherever you want to go. Yet all these conveniences and entertainment come at a high price. By surrounding ourselves with gadgets and material comfort, we are cutting ourselves off from what matters most: our fellow human beings.
The Connection Gap explores the new loneliness of people who are over-committing and under-connecting. Laura Pappano takes a passionate look at the pressures and desires of modern culture by drawing on personal experience, academic studies, and perceptive observations of our culture as reflected in advertising, literature, and popular magazines.
REVIEWS
“In one of the most thoughtful of the recent spate of books on the disheartening relationship between technology, consumerism and community..., Boston Globe journalist Pappano examines our market-driven desire to have it all faster, bigger and better.... What separates this book from the pack is Pappano's careful examination of our changing feelings about technology and emotional connection. Pointing to 1950s magazines, she reveals that TV was first marketed as something that would draw families together and stimulate conversation, and that long-distance calls were touted as being 'almost like a visit.'”— Publishers Weekly
“An important human message for the 21st Century, compellingly presented.” — Desmond Morris, author of
“Pappano's method of close observation... takes into account the nickels and dimes of social capital, putting an individual, contextualized face on what can sometimes seem like an abstract phenomenon.” —The American Prospect
R. R. Cornelius, “The Connection Gap: Why Americans Feel So Alone.” CHOICE, January 2002.