How Schools Really Work: Practical Advice for Parents from an Insider [Paperback]

Saul Cooperman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 29, 1999

Is your child's school doing a good job or is it failing your child? How Schools Really Work gives you the answer. It explains what to look for and what questions to ask. Once you have read this book, you will quickly and easily be able to determine how well or badly your school is run. You will never again be baffled or sidetracked by the evasions of school administrators. And if you find that your school is 'broken', you will know how to overcome the opposition of the bureaucracy, and fix it.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Open Court (January 29, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812693353
• ISBN-13: 978-0812693355
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,683,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm an elected School Board member and I love this book!, November 22, 2002

By 

Gary Grant (Earlysville, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Schools Really Work: Practical Advice for Parents from an Insider (Paperback)

The absolute best book I've ever owned on how public schools and public school officials operate. This is a must read for anyone interested in helping improve public education - whether it's for your own children or all the children in your community. Saul Cooperman, former Commissioner of Education in New Jersey, has done the lay person a huge favor by writing this book. It's simple and honest. I've taught public school, I've been a newspaper education reporter, I have children in public school, and I'm an elected member of a School Board in Virginia. This is THE book on understanding and coexisting with the public schools. Buy it now!

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the book I have always wanted, December 11, 2007

By 

Emma (Sarasota, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Schools Really Work: Practical Advice for Parents from an Insider (Paperback)

This book cuts through all the smoke that superintendents and principals have been giving me for years. Now, I know how to ask tough questions to make my school and school system better. This book wastes no words and is written so everyone can understand it. Cooperman may be an educator, but he talks to parents in clear language.

5.0 out of 5 stars His title says it all! GREAT BOOK!, August 20, 2003

By 

Lynn Kennedy (South Orange, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Schools Really Work: Practical Advice for Parents from an Insider (Paperback)

I sympathize with teachers and school administrators, really, I do. I know they are overworked and funds are tight and we expect a lot of them. And my son's future and (dare i say it) the future of this country is too important to just sit back and let the wheels grind on as they have.

Cooperman's book gave me strategies to make things different in my son's school. The bottom line of "How Schools Really Work" is that you have to ACT in order to make changes in your schools. I think I always knew that, but I wasn't really sure what the most effective course of action was. Cooperman's book completed the equation for me.

In easy, conversational prose, this former Commissioner of Education in NJ (during "Education Governor" Tom Kean's tenure -I have a feeling Cooperman had something to do with Kean getting that nickname!) opens the curtain and shows the inner workings of public schools; he debunks myths and offers countless practical and workable plans to help make a difference in your schools.

His caring for kids is evident, and like the former teacher that he is, Cooperman clearly wants to see his students (readers) succeed in their endeavors to change the educational system one school at a time.

If you really want to make a difference in your child's education, I highly recommend this book.