No one who has ever lived through the hormonal coming-of-age known as senior prom is likely to forget it. The suburban community of Levittown, Pennsylvania, takes this rite of passage very seriously. A committee of students spends all year planning the senior prom’s theme and decorations, and residents line up early to watch and cheer as Pennsbury High School students arrive for the event.

Sports Illustrated reporter Michael Bamberger spent a year behind the scenes at Pennsbury, documenting the prom preparations. The result, Wonderland: A Year in the Life of an American High School, is much more than a book about a dance. Bamberger has produced a sweet, moving story about students balancing between the safety net of high school and the uncertainty of looming adulthood.

Bamberger was able to coax some powerful stories from normally reticent teenagers. One young couple struggles after becoming teenage parents. A star athlete faces doubts about his post-high school career. A classic overachiever spends the entire year begging pop singer John Mayer to sing at the Pennsbury prom. Bamberger’s chronicle of one year in the life of ordinary teenagers is pitch-perfect. Reading Wonderland is like stepping back in time.

Amy Scribner writes from Olympia, Washington.

Homeschoolers are a growing bunch there are an estimated 1.5 million in the U.S. today, and the number is expected to double by 2010. Parents take on this enormous task for many reasons, from religion to dissatisfaction with local schools. Whether you’re trying to decide if you’re up to the job, or you’re already making homeschooling a daily reality, the following books will give you tips and ideas for making the task easier. No matter what your educational philosophy, you’re bound to find plenty of golden nuggets in these new titles.

A GREAT PLACE TO BEGIN exploring the topic is A Parent’s Guide to Homeschooling: Expert Answers to Tough Questions About Home Schooling (Parent’s Guide Press, $22.95, 306 pages, ISBN 1931199094). Written by veteran homeschooler Tamra Orr in a question and answer format that makes the text highly readable, the book is filled with interesting tidbits and plenty of great, basic information. (Did you know that Ansel Adams, Mark Twain and LeAnn Rimes are among the many famous people who have been homeschooled?) Chapters include “How do I get started?” “Where can I find help?” and “What about the teen years?” Other nuts and bolts issues, such as the legalities of homeschooling, are also covered in this comprehensive volume. CHRISTINE FIELD LEFT A CAREER as a criminal prosecutor to homeschool her four children, and she readily admits, “My days are so much more complex than I ever dreamed they could be as a stay-at-home mom.” In Help for the Harried Homeschooler: A Practical Guide to Balancing Your Child’s Education with the Rest of Your Life (Shaw Books, $13.99, 278 pages, ISBN 0877887942), Field concedes that her educational choice has resulted in personal sacrifice. But the rewards, she says, far outweigh the price. Using humor and biblical teachings along with examples from her own experience, Field presents solutions that will help overwhelmed parents maintain their sanity. She also guides readers through some of the toughest conflicts presented by teaching at home. Topics include how homeschooling can affect marriages, homeschooling through personal crises and dealing with student-siblings of various ages.

WHAT MAKES THESE FAMILIES TICK? “Are home-schooling parents superhuman, always patient June and Ward Cleaver types?” Rhonda Barfield asks in Real-Life Homeschooling: The Stories of 21 Families Who Teach Their Children at Home (Pocket, $14, 299 pages, ISBN 0743442296). Barfield, mother of four home-schooled children, was astonished by the diverse lifestyles and educational philosophies she found when she interviewed 21 families in 18 states. Here’s a book of interest to anyone, whether you simply want a peek into the lives of different families or you’re looking for tips for schooling at home. Each profile includes a photo, advice from the families and a list of helpful resources. Fascinating as well as informative, the volume offers an in-depth look at the homeschooling experiment. Without promoting any particular curriculum or religious views, as many homeschooling books do, Creative Home Schooling for Gifted Children: A Resource Guide by Lisa Rivero offers numerous resources as well as short quotes and insights from homeschooled children and parents. It’s a big book that addresses a multitude of issues, such as socialization and intellectual needs, varied learning styles, practical matters for parents and grade levels and standards. Full of well-organized information for any parent of a gifted child, the book includes reading lists and a fascinating unit that shows how entire areas of study can be organized around themes (like baseball) that will appeal to kids. From parents to teachers to camp counselors, this is a great guide for any educator.

Homeschoolers are a growing bunch there are an estimated 1.5 million in the U.S. today, and the number is expected to double by 2010. Parents take on this enormous task for many reasons, from religion to dissatisfaction with local schools. Whether you’re trying to decide if you’re up to the job, or you’re already making homeschooling a daily reality, the following books will give you tips and ideas for making the task easier. No matter what your educational philosophy, you’re bound to find plenty of golden nuggets in these new titles. A GREAT PLACE TO BEGIN exploring the topic is A Parent’s Guide to Homeschooling: Expert Answers to Tough Questions About Home Schooling (Parent’s Guide Press, $22.95, 306 pages, ISBN 1931199094). Written by veteran homeschooler Tamra Orr in a question and answer format that makes the text highly readable, the book is filled with interesting tidbits and plenty of great, basic information. (Did you know that Ansel Adams, Mark Twain and LeAnn Rimes are among the many famous people who have been homeschooled?) Chapters include “How do I get started?” “Where can I find help?” and “What about the teen years?” Other nuts and bolts issues, such as the legalities of homeschooling, are also covered in this comprehensive volume.

CHRISTINE FIELD LEFT A CAREER as a criminal prosecutor to homeschool her four children, and she readily admits, “My days are so much more complex than I ever dreamed they could be as a stay-at-home mom.” In Help for the Harried Homeschooler: A Practical Guide to Balancing Your Child’s Education with the Rest of Your Life (Shaw Books, $13.99, 278 pages, ISBN 0877887942), Field concedes that her educational choice has resulted in personal sacrifice. But the rewards, she says, far outweigh the price. Using humor and biblical teachings along with examples from her own experience, Field presents solutions that will help overwhelmed parents maintain their sanity. She also guides readers through some of the toughest conflicts presented by teaching at home. Topics include how homeschooling can affect marriages, homeschooling through personal crises and dealing with student-siblings of various ages. WHAT MAKES THESE FAMILIES TICK? “Are home-schooling parents superhuman, always patient June and Ward Cleaver types?” Rhonda Barfield asks in Real-Life Homeschooling: The Stories of 21 Families Who Teach Their Children at Home. Barfield, mother of four home-schooled children, was astonished by the diverse lifestyles and educational philosophies she found when she interviewed 21 families in 18 states. Here’s a book of interest to anyone, whether you simply want a peek into the lives of different families or you’re looking for tips for schooling at home. Each profile includes a photo, advice from the families and a list of helpful resources. Fascinating as well as informative, the volume offers an in-depth look at the homeschooling experiment. Without promoting any particular curriculum or religious views, as many homeschooling books do, Creative Home Schooling for Gifted Children: A Resource Guide (Great Potential Press, $26, 430 pages, ISBN 0910707480) by Lisa Rivero offers numerous resources as well as short quotes and insights from homeschooled children and parents. It’s a big book that addresses a multitude of issues, such as socialization and intellectual needs, varied learning styles, practical matters for parents and grade levels and standards. Full of well-organized information for any parent of a gifted child, the book includes reading lists and a fascinating unit that shows how entire areas of study can be organized around themes (like baseball) that will appeal to kids. From parents to teachers to camp counselors, this is a great guide for any educator.

Homeschoolers are a growing bunch there are an estimated 1.5 million in the U.S. today, and the number is expected to double by 2010. Parents take on this enormous task for many reasons, from religion to dissatisfaction with local schools. Whether you’re trying to decide if you’re up to the job, or you’re already making homeschooling a daily reality, the following books will give you tips and ideas for making the task easier. No matter what your educational philosophy, you’re bound to find plenty of golden nuggets in these new titles.

A GREAT PLACE TO BEGIN exploring the topic is A Parent’s Guide to Homeschooling: Expert Answers to Tough Questions About Home Schooling (Parent’s Guide Press, $22.95, 306 pages, ISBN 1931199094). Written by veteran homeschooler Tamra Orr in a question and answer format that makes the text highly readable, the book is filled with interesting tidbits and plenty of great, basic information. (Did you know that Ansel Adams, Mark Twain and LeAnn Rimes are among the many famous people who have been homeschooled?) Chapters include “How do I get started?” “Where can I find help?” and “What about the teen years?” Other nuts and bolts issues, such as the legalities of homeschooling, are also covered in this comprehensive volume. CHRISTINE FIELD LEFT A CAREER as a criminal prosecutor to homeschool her four children, and she readily admits, “My days are so much more complex than I ever dreamed they could be as a stay-at-home mom.” In Help for the Harried Homeschooler: A Practical Guide to Balancing Your Child’s Education with the Rest of Your Life, Field concedes that her educational choice has resulted in personal sacrifice. But the rewards, she says, far outweigh the price. Using humor and biblical teachings along with examples from her own experience, Field presents solutions that will help overwhelmed parents maintain their sanity. She also guides readers through some of the toughest conflicts presented by teaching at home. Topics include how homeschooling can affect marriages, homeschooling through personal crises and dealing with student-siblings of various ages.

WHAT MAKES THESE FAMILIES TICK? “Are home-schooling parents superhuman, always patient June and Ward Cleaver types?” Rhonda Barfield asks in Real-Life Homeschooling: The Stories of 21 Families Who Teach Their Children at Home (Pocket, $14, 299 pages, ISBN 0743442296). Barfield, mother of four home-schooled children, was astonished by the diverse lifestyles and educational philosophies she found when she interviewed 21 families in 18 states. Here’s a book of interest to anyone, whether you simply want a peek into the lives of different families or you’re looking for tips for schooling at home. Each profile includes a photo, advice from the families and a list of helpful resources. Fascinating as well as informative, the volume offers an in-depth look at the homeschooling experiment. Without promoting any particular curriculum or religious views, as many homeschooling books do, Creative Home Schooling for Gifted Children: A Resource Guide (Great Potential Press, $26, 430 pages, ISBN 0910707480) by Lisa Rivero offers numerous resources as well as short quotes and insights from homeschooled children and parents. It’s a big book that addresses a multitude of issues, such as socialization and intellectual needs, varied learning styles, practical matters for parents and grade levels and standards. Full of well-organized information for any parent of a gifted child, the book includes reading lists and a fascinating unit that shows how entire areas of study can be organized around themes (like baseball) that will appeal to kids. From parents to teachers to camp counselors, this is a great guide for any educator.

Homeschoolers are a growing bunch there are an estimated 1.5 million in the U.S. today, and the number is expected to double by 2010. Parents take on this enormous task for many reasons, from religion to dissatisfaction with local schools. Whether you’re trying to decide if you’re up to the job, or you’re already making homeschooling a daily reality, the following books will give you tips and ideas for making the task easier. No matter what your educational philosophy, you’re bound to find plenty of golden nuggets in these new titles.

A GREAT PLACE TO BEGIN exploring the topic is A Parent’s Guide to Homeschooling: Expert Answers to Tough Questions About Home Schooling. Written by veteran homeschooler Tamra Orr in a question and answer format that makes the text highly readable, the book is filled with interesting tidbits and plenty of great, basic information. (Did you know that Ansel Adams, Mark Twain and LeAnn Rimes are among the many famous people who have been homeschooled?) Chapters include “How do I get started?” “Where can I find help?” and “What about the teen years?” Other nuts and bolts issues, such as the legalities of homeschooling, are also covered in this comprehensive volume. CHRISTINE FIELD LEFT A CAREER as a criminal prosecutor to homeschool her four children, and she readily admits, “My days are so much more complex than I ever dreamed they could be as a stay-at-home mom.” In Help for the Harried Homeschooler: A Practical Guide to Balancing Your Child’s Education with the Rest of Your Life (Shaw Books, $13.99, 278 pages, ISBN 0877887942), Field concedes that her educational choice has resulted in personal sacrifice. But the rewards, she says, far outweigh the price. Using humor and biblical teachings along with examples from her own experience, Field presents solutions that will help overwhelmed parents maintain their sanity. She also guides readers through some of the toughest conflicts presented by teaching at home. Topics include how homeschooling can affect marriages, homeschooling through personal crises and dealing with student-siblings of various ages.

WHAT MAKES THESE FAMILIES TICK? “Are home-schooling parents superhuman, always patient June and Ward Cleaver types?” Rhonda Barfield asks in Real-Life Homeschooling: The Stories of 21 Families Who Teach Their Children at Home (Pocket, $14, 299 pages, ISBN 0743442296). Barfield, mother of four home-schooled children, was astonished by the diverse lifestyles and educational philosophies she found when she interviewed 21 families in 18 states. Here’s a book of interest to anyone, whether you simply want a peek into the lives of different families or you’re looking for tips for schooling at home. Each profile includes a photo, advice from the families and a list of helpful resources. Fascinating as well as informative, the volume offers an in-depth look at the homeschooling experiment. Without promoting any particular curriculum or religious views, as many homeschooling books do, Creative Home Schooling for Gifted Children: A Resource Guide (Great Potential Press, $26, 430 pages, ISBN 0910707480) by Lisa Rivero offers numerous resources as well as short quotes and insights from homeschooled children and parents. It’s a big book that addresses a multitude of issues, such as socialization and intellectual needs, varied learning styles, practical matters for parents and grade levels and standards. Full of well-organized information for any parent of a gifted child, the book includes reading lists and a fascinating unit that shows how entire areas of study can be organized around themes (like baseball) that will appeal to kids. From parents to teachers to camp counselors, this is a great guide for any educator.

For most parents, thinking about their child’s college years brings great pride, much anticipation and, well, complete and utter dread. College tuition has been increasing at staggering rates over the past decade and for many parents the task of funding their children’s higher education seems nearly impossible. That’s where Sallie Mae’s Guide to Paying for College: A Practical Guide for Families comes in. The book offers expert advice from Gen and Kelly Tanabe, authors of nine previous books on college planning, tips from financial aid officers from universities around the country and data from Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading educational lender. Jargon-free sections explain important issues like how much college really costs, how to choose the right financial aid package for your family, and where to find information on state funding and the multitudes of available scholarships. The ultimate resource for families with children in preschool and high school alike, Sallie Mae’s Guide to Paying for College will teach you how to save for, finance and facilitate your child’s college education. Recent college grad Abby Plesser writes from New York City.

ing your child to the topLet’s face it: not every child is a happy, self – motivated, eager learner. If you’ve already tried every motivational technique under the sun to no avail and the approach of a new school year fills you with parental guilt and dread, Empowering Underachievers: How to Guide Failing Kids (8 – 18) to Personal Excellence is a must read. By “underachiever,” authors Peter A. Spevak, Ph.D., and Maryann Karinch mean a student who has a problem with attitude not ability. Four types of underachievers – Distant, Passive, Dependent and Defiant – are defined, and methods for understanding, coping with and motivating each type are discussed in separate chapters. Spevak and Karinch encourage parents to be aware of their own attitudes about life and learning. They advocate setting a living example of the motto “life is what you make it.”Linda Stankard has been a public school teacher and a homeschooling parent. She currently teaches at a community college in Tennessee.

ing the most from schoolOf course, no matter how confident you are in your parenting skills, “letting go” of your child for the first time can be an event faced with trepidation and angst. If you or someone you know needs some comforting advice before the big day, an excellent book for your backpack is Ready, Start, School! Nurturing and Guiding Your Child Through Preschool and Kindergarten by Sandra F. Rief. This practical, “plain – language” handbook addresses topics of critical concern to parents with small children. Chapter titles include such subjects as “Enrolling Your Child in Kindergarten or Waiting Another Year” and “Protecting and Influencing Your Impressionable Young Child.” Rief also offers strategies for getting your little one off to a good start in the important areas of reading, writing and math, and advice about what to do if you suspect your child has a developmental delay or disability. If you need a little nurturing of your own as you prepare to launch your child into the academic world, this is a good book to have in your information arsenal.With your own backpack full of new books to learn from, you’ll be ready and able to set the pace.Linda Stankard has been a public school teacher and a homeschooling parent. She currently teaches at a community college in Tennessee.

ate yourself before school starts: books to help you help your childA new school year is a lot like New Year’s Day; it offers the chance to wipe the slate clean and make a fresh start, the chance to move ahead in new and productive ways and the chance to work harder and do better than you did the year before. If you’ve made a new school year “resolution” to help your child succeed in school this fall, you’ll need to do some homework.Michael Gurian’s Boys and Girls Learn Differently! explains the biological factors behind male/female learning, what these differences consist of at various developmental stages and most importantly, how this information can be used to build a student’s self – esteem and facilitate learning. Gurian points out that there are no hard and fast “gender rules,” but that brain – based research indicates certain tendencies. For example, he writes, “Boys tend to be deductive in their conceptualizations . . . girls tend to favor inductive thinking.” Gurian outlines what he calls the “ultimate” learning environment for both boys and girls from preschool through high school. He reminds us what it is like to be a sensitive nine – year – old or a turbulent teen and points out that by understanding what our children are going through at different stages in their lives, adults can more effectively help them achieve in school.Linda Stankard has been a public school teacher and a homeschooling parent. She currently teaches at a community college in Tennessee.

Plato said, “The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life.” With so much at stake, it’s no wonder that helping students succeed is a daunting task for all involved. Just in time for a new school year, several new books offer parents ideas for cultivating a prosperous environment that yields better results for their children.

School reform In Making Schools Work: A Revolutionary Plan to Get Your Children the Education They Need (Simon &and Schuster, $25, 304 pages, ISBN 0743246306) UCLA professor William Ouchi advocates bold, unconventional methods for turning around low-performing schools. Wondering, for example, how much your school district really spends on its students? Ouchi proposes attending a school board meeting to ask board members in public.

An intensive study of the management systems in six metropolitan areas, Making Schools Work examines an array of public and private schools. Through interviews with superintendents, principals and teachers, Ouchi gleans a complete picture of what works. He finds that the keys are an entrepreneurial spirit and parents who arm themselves with information.

“Once the principal and teachers in your school realize that you know what questions to ask . . . they’ll come up with answers for you,” Ouchi writes. “If you don’t ask, though, they’re likely to continue business as usual, with the same results as before.” Ouchi concludes that bureaucratic, top-heavy school districts collapse under their own weight, while districts that allow all parties to participate in decision-making thrive.

Arriving on the heels of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, a stringent federal education law that demands academic improvement, Making Schools Work is a pragmatic, meticulously researched and engaging glimpse at what happens and what should happen behind schoolhouse doors.

Conference time Harvard University professor Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot offers a fascinating meditation on the dynamics of an age-old school tradition, the parent-teacher conference, in The Essential Conversation: What Parents and Teachers Can Learn From Each Other (Random House, $24.95, 288 pages, ISBN 037550527X).

The author contends that adults coming together to discuss a child’s progress are accompanied by what she calls their own “autobiographical scripts.” In other words, their exchanges are colored by their own experiences as students.

As a child in a rural New York school district, Lawrence-Lightfoot’s teacher informed her crushed parents that she might not be college material. Years later, Lawrence-Lightfoot’s mother still wished she had advocated harder on her child’s behalf.

The Essential Conversation instructs parents and teachers alike how to do just that. At the start of most conferences, parents are terrified of negative feedback about their children, and teachers worry that they’ll hit a nerve, causing parents to withdraw from the discussion. Instead of conversations that yield solutions, conferences can devolve into rigid, polite exchanges that are, ultimately, a waste of time.

“[We must] modify our portrayal of parent-teacher meetings as civilized, ritualized encounters devoid of passion and heat, and replace it with a much more realistic picture that admits the threats, the vulnerabilities, the wounds,” says Lawrence-Lightfoot.

Lawrence-Lightfoot writes with great precision and compassion about this crucial but often-minimized component of the school experience. She offers specific and constructive ideas on how to transform an anxious, sometimes awkward interaction into the essential conversation that it should be.

Empowering parents Any parent who has ever done a slow burn trying to understand what really goes on in the classroom would do well to pick up A+ Teachers: How to Empower Your Child’s Teacher, and Your Child, to Excellence. Author Erika Shearin Karres offers a straightforward manual that instructs parents on specific questions to ask that can contribute meaningfully to their child’s education.

A+ Teachers is particularly enlightening when Shearin Karres delves into the myriad overlooked factors that affect a learning environment. She contends that teachers’ personalities and attitudes, such as whether they treat their students with respect, can have an enormous impact on student progress.

“If kids notice constant grouchiness and feel dissed, they can’t learn,” she writes.

A former teacher, Shearin Karres is a frequent lecturer on education issues. Her breezy, tell-it-like-it-is prose makes reading A+ Teachers feel a lot like getting advice from a feisty friend. This book will be a welcome guide for parents trying to navigate the confusing maze of lesson plans, discipline and testing. Amy Scribner writes from Washington, D.C.

Plato said, “The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life.” With so much at stake, it’s no wonder that helping students succeed is a daunting task for all involved. Just in time for a new school year, several new books offer parents ideas for cultivating a prosperous environment that yields better results for their children.

School reform In Making Schools Work: A Revolutionary Plan to Get Your Children the Education They Need (Simon ∧ Schuster, $25, 304 pages, ISBN 0743246306) UCLA professor William Ouchi advocates bold, unconventional methods for turning around low-performing schools. Wondering, for example, how much your school district really spends on its students? Ouchi proposes attending a school board meeting to ask board members in public.

An intensive study of the management systems in six metropolitan areas, Making Schools Work examines an array of public and private schools. Through interviews with superintendents, principals and teachers, Ouchi gleans a complete picture of what works. He finds that the keys are an entrepreneurial spirit and parents who arm themselves with information.

“Once the principal and teachers in your school realize that you know what questions to ask . . . they’ll come up with answers for you,” Ouchi writes. “If you don’t ask, though, they’re likely to continue business as usual, with the same results as before.” Ouchi concludes that bureaucratic, top-heavy school districts collapse under their own weight, while districts that allow all parties to participate in decision-making thrive.

Arriving on the heels of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, a stringent federal education law that demands academic improvement, Making Schools Work is a pragmatic, meticulously researched and engaging glimpse at what happens and what should happen behind schoolhouse doors.

Conference time Harvard University professor Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot offers a fascinating meditation on the dynamics of an age-old school tradition, the parent-teacher conference, in The Essential Conversation: What Parents and Teachers Can Learn From Each Other.

The author contends that adults coming together to discuss a child’s progress are accompanied by what she calls their own “autobiographical scripts.” In other words, their exchanges are colored by their own experiences as students.

As a child in a rural New York school district, Lawrence-Lightfoot’s teacher informed her crushed parents that she might not be college material. Years later, Lawrence-Lightfoot’s mother still wished she had advocated harder on her child’s behalf.

The Essential Conversation instructs parents and teachers alike how to do just that. At the start of most conferences, parents are terrified of negative feedback about their children, and teachers worry that they’ll hit a nerve, causing parents to withdraw from the discussion. Instead of conversations that yield solutions, conferences can devolve into rigid, polite exchanges that are, ultimately, a waste of time.

“[We must] modify our portrayal of parent-teacher meetings as civilized, ritualized encounters devoid of passion and heat, and replace it with a much more realistic picture that admits the threats, the vulnerabilities, the wounds,” says Lawrence-Lightfoot.

Lawrence-Lightfoot writes with great precision and compassion about this crucial but often-minimized component of the school experience. She offers specific and constructive ideas on how to transform an anxious, sometimes awkward interaction into the essential conversation that it should be.

Empowering parents Any parent who has ever done a slow burn trying to understand what really goes on in the classroom would do well to pick up A+ Teachers: How to Empower Your Child’s Teacher, and Your Child, to Excellence (Andrews McMeel, $10.95, 224 pages, ISBN 0740735233). Author Erika Shearin Karres offers a straightforward manual that instructs parents on specific questions to ask that can contribute meaningfully to their child’s education.

A+ Teachers is particularly enlightening when Shearin Karres delves into the myriad overlooked factors that affect a learning environment. She contends that teachers’ personalities and attitudes, such as whether they treat their students with respect, can have an enormous impact on student progress.

“If kids notice constant grouchiness and feel dissed, they can’t learn,” she writes.

A former teacher, Shearin Karres is a frequent lecturer on education issues. Her breezy, tell-it-like-it-is prose makes reading A+ Teachers feel a lot like getting advice from a feisty friend. This book will be a welcome guide for parents trying to navigate the confusing maze of lesson plans, discipline and testing. Amy Scribner writes from Washington, D.C.

Plato said, “The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life.” With so much at stake, it’s no wonder that helping students succeed is a daunting task for all involved. Just in time for a new school year, several new books offer parents ideas for cultivating a prosperous environment that yields better results for their children.

School reform In Making Schools Work: A Revolutionary Plan to Get Your Children the Education They Need UCLA professor William Ouchi advocates bold, unconventional methods for turning around low-performing schools. Wondering, for example, how much your school district really spends on its students? Ouchi proposes attending a school board meeting to ask board members in public.

An intensive study of the management systems in six metropolitan areas, Making Schools Work examines an array of public and private schools. Through interviews with superintendents, principals and teachers, Ouchi gleans a complete picture of what works. He finds that the keys are an entrepreneurial spirit and parents who arm themselves with information.

“Once the principal and teachers in your school realize that you know what questions to ask . . . they’ll come up with answers for you,” Ouchi writes. “If you don’t ask, though, they’re likely to continue business as usual, with the same results as before.” Ouchi concludes that bureaucratic, top-heavy school districts collapse under their own weight, while districts that allow all parties to participate in decision-making thrive.

Arriving on the heels of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, a stringent federal education law that demands academic improvement, Making Schools Work is a pragmatic, meticulously researched and engaging glimpse at what happens and what should happen behind schoolhouse doors.

Conference time Harvard University professor Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot offers a fascinating meditation on the dynamics of an age-old school tradition, the parent-teacher conference, in The Essential Conversation: What Parents and Teachers Can Learn From Each Other (Random House, $24.95, 288 pages, ISBN 037550527X).

The author contends that adults coming together to discuss a child’s progress are accompanied by what she calls their own “autobiographical scripts.” In other words, their exchanges are colored by their own experiences as students.

As a child in a rural New York school district, Lawrence-Lightfoot’s teacher informed her crushed parents that she might not be college material. Years later, Lawrence-Lightfoot’s mother still wished she had advocated harder on her child’s behalf.

The Essential Conversation instructs parents and teachers alike how to do just that. At the start of most conferences, parents are terrified of negative feedback about their children, and teachers worry that they’ll hit a nerve, causing parents to withdraw from the discussion. Instead of conversations that yield solutions, conferences can devolve into rigid, polite exchanges that are, ultimately, a waste of time.

“[We must] modify our portrayal of parent-teacher meetings as civilized, ritualized encounters devoid of passion and heat, and replace it with a much more realistic picture that admits the threats, the vulnerabilities, the wounds,” says Lawrence-Lightfoot.

Lawrence-Lightfoot writes with great precision and compassion about this crucial but often-minimized component of the school experience. She offers specific and constructive ideas on how to transform an anxious, sometimes awkward interaction into the essential conversation that it should be.

Empowering parents Any parent who has ever done a slow burn trying to understand what really goes on in the classroom would do well to pick up A+ Teachers: How to Empower Your Child’s Teacher, and Your Child, to Excellence (Andrews McMeel, $10.95, 224 pages, ISBN 0740735233). Author Erika Shearin Karres offers a straightforward manual that instructs parents on specific questions to ask that can contribute meaningfully to their child’s education.

A+ Teachers is particularly enlightening when Shearin Karres delves into the myriad overlooked factors that affect a learning environment. She contends that teachers’ personalities and attitudes, such as whether they treat their students with respect, can have an enormous impact on student progress.

“If kids notice constant grouchiness and feel dissed, they can’t learn,” she writes.

A former teacher, Shearin Karres is a frequent lecturer on education issues. Her breezy, tell-it-like-it-is prose makes reading A+ Teachers feel a lot like getting advice from a feisty friend. This book will be a welcome guide for parents trying to navigate the confusing maze of lesson plans, discipline and testing. Amy Scribner writes from Washington, D.C.