
Book Review Page 70
Journey to a High-Achieving School: Eliminate
Destructive Excuses
by Fred J. Abbate, Ken Biddle and Joseph M. Tomaselli, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, Md., 2013, 136 pp. with index, $50 hardcover
“How important is the education of our children?” ask
the authors of Journey to a High-Achieving
School.
Although no one denies the importance of education, many offer
excuses that become obstacles to achieving the highest quality education for
our students.
At the Academy for Educational Leaders, founded by the
book’s three authors, strong, authentic leadership is considered the key to
high achievement in education. The book examines seven common obstacles posed
by educators and encourages the reader to examine the root cause of each obstacle.
Only at their root can the journey to overcoming these barriers begin.
Within their “plan-do-check-act” model, the authors
provide steps to encourage school leadership to apply the techniques of system
thinking, while remembering that educational reform is not a quick fix, but
requires hard work, constant renewal and maintenance.
Reviewed by Jill Janes, retired superintendent, Hannibal,
Mo.