The current climate of travel bans, violence and conflict, and reconciliation and accountability in this country and across the globe make the three books discussed here timely and relevant, as they each point out early in their introductions. Individually and collectively, these volumes provide a fascinating way to view the affordances of…

Two recent reports on education that should be read by policy makers are reviewed with a focus in the achievement of Hispanic American students. The first is "Quality Counts: A Report Card on the Condition of Public Education in the Fifty States", published in "Education Week." The second is "What Matters Most: Teaching…

Giroux attempts to bring several new discourses into ongoing scholarly conversations about radical pedagogy, attempting to introduce radical educators to the principles and language of scholarship in modernism, postmodernism, postcolonial studies, and cultural studies. Educators who cross disciplinary boundaries are certain to develop more…

"Order in the Classroom" tests assumptions about what works to create a good classroom environment using longitudinal student data and information about policies in the schools the students attended. Evidence is presented that shows the true link between school disorder and student achievement. (SLD)

"Contested Ground: Performance Accountability in Adult Basic Education" (ABE) is one of the most important books on adult literacy policy at the turn of the century. In it, Juliet Merrifield examines the critical issues of policy, practice, and theory with which the field is currently consumed. She and her colleagues maintain that the concept of…

Reviews four books on issues and concerns surrounding kindergarten entrance requirements, assessment, and curriculum: (1) "Kindergarten Policies: What Is Best for Children" (Peck and others); (2) "Changing Kindergartens: Four Success Stories (Goffin and Stealing, Eds.); (3) "Teaching Kindergarten: A Developmentally Appropriate Approach" (Walmsley…

Reviews "War against the School's Academic Child Abuse," by Siegfried Engelmann, which criticizes the government, textbook publishers, colleges of education, professional organizations, and businesses for playing politics and not acknowledging what schools need to change to benefit students. Relates Engelmann's experience in promoting…