Beyond the Classroom: Why School Reform Has Failed and What Parents Need to Do (Paperback)

by Laurence Steinberg (Author) "Some sixty miles west of Philadelphia, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the Derry Township School Board faced a problem..." (more)
Key Phrases: disengaged homes, alienated crowds, authoritative homes, United States, Temple University (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
America's inner-city schools are not the only ones in trouble, according to social scientist Steinberg, an authority on adolescent development. In 1985, he and his colleagues began "the most extensive study ever conducted" on forces in youngsters' lives that affect interest and performance in school in order to understand why students' commitment to school was apparently so tenuous. The results of their nationwide study, presented here in jargon-free, accessible language, indicate a widespread peer culture that demeans adolescents who are seriously engaged in their schooling and indifference on the part of parents to their children's academic achievement. Taking issue with school reform, Steinberg offers a different perspective where remedy will be found not in schools but in students' lives outside of school and in changed social and parental attitudes. Steinberg directs the Division of Developmental Psychology at Temple. Brown and Dornbush are social scientists at the University of Wisconsin and Stanford, respectively.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
In its refutation of the idea of educational reform, this book is quite different from many others that propose ways to improve our schools and classrooms. The key findings are based on a nationwide survey of more than 20,000 students in junior high schools and high schools. Rather than criticize teaching methods and theory, Steinberg (developmental psychology, Temple Univ.) focuses on life outside of school: students' homes, peer groups, parents' attitudes, and community environments. These important factors, the author argues, have a great impact on student achievement. Steinberg's analytical studies of declining SAT scores, comparisons of ethnicity and adolescent achievement, and examination of the family's role in education provide valuable information for every concerned parent, teacher, journalist, and school administrator. The book is written for a general audience. Recommended for all types of libraries.?Samuel T. Huang, Northern Illinois Univ. Libs., Dekalb
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (October 17, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684835754
• ISBN-13: 978-0684835754
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #650,766 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for Those Interested in Reform, April 29, 2001

By	Stacy L. Sinclair, Doctoral Student (Marina del Rey, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Steinberg's book is a splash of cold water making readers face the real state of student achievement in America by focusing on what is influencing our high school students. Through this 10 year longitudinal study, interviewing more than 20,000 students and their parents, and comparing these findings with other prominent studies, Steinberg uncovers the root causes for low student achievement in America as compared to students in other countries and therefore why school reform initiatives have failed.

With an emphasis on student engagement in learning, the study looks at factors such as parenting strategies, the influence of peers and extracurricular activities. Steinberg looks primarily at issues beyond the school walls as the data shows these influences (large scale) are greater indicators of student success or failure than teacher's classroom practice or organization of the school system. Each factor is analyzed through the lens of socio-economic status, ethnicity, peer relationships and length of time since immigration to this country. As a result, the reader is forced to question the American culture; the attitudes, beliefs and values we perpetuate.

The good news is working hard in school is a strong predictor of academic achievement. Friends and group identity at school make a difference as do parenting techniques. The issues that we need to face are the rampant disengagement of parents in their children's lives, a peer culture that demeans academic success and scorns students who work hard and the negative impact on excessive extracurricular activity on student's achievement.

Steinberg makes 10 recommendations to begin refocusing the country's efforts. Each requires our society to take a good hard look at how we `do business'. To increase academic success for all students will require compromises and change on the part of students, parents, schools, businesses, government and mass media.

In a sobering thought, Steinberg asserts that "no curricular overhaul, no instructional innovation, no change in school organization, no toughening of standards, no rethinking of teacher training or compensation will succeed if students do not come to school interested in, and committed to, learning. In order to understand how this commitment develops, why it has waned over the past three decades, and, more importantly, how we can reengage students in the business of learning, we need to look, not at what goes on inside the classroom, but at students' lives outside the school's walls. Until we do just this, school reform will continue to be a disappointment, and our students' achievement will fail to improve."

I finished the book out of breath. We're in a race to save our children. Will our country pull together in time?

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Research that Supports Reality, October 18, 2000

By	Jonathan Corey (Portsmouth, RI United States) - See all my reviews

Steinberg's book "Beyond the Classroom" uses extensive research to determine what every teacher knows really goes on in schools. The VAST majority of schools do their very best to prepare students for whatever the student's future holds, but many students and their families don't value the education enough to really work at it. That is why American performance lags behind that of other industrial nations. I teach high school and I see the "slacker" culture that pervades. Although Steinberg would not go that far, I know that the Media portrays underachievers, and goof offs as cool people, and academics as nerds. Many students simply don't make the effort to learn because they take it for granted and they put things like jobs, sports, and social life ahead of study. Our problems with public education do not begin in the schools, the consumer culture of America teachees children how to think and the results are manifest in the schools. His research supports what I see every day in the classroom. I don't buy what conservative policticians say, because they are not on the front lines like I am. They never include teachers in Ed Reform because they see us as part of the problem. We can help make schools better, but only when parents and children care about it enough. Steinberg hits the nail on the head.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A new Perspective on why our public schools are in trouble, January 23, 2000

By	L. Ralston (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There is no doubt that our schools are living through tough times. The public school system was created with the premise that many students would not do well and would go on into blue-collar jobs. The schools were there to educated those who would go into college. Today, almost all parents want their kids to go to college, thus schools are expected to get all kids ready, using an old system.

The battle cry over the past few years has been "back to basics" and "tougher standards for students and teachers." Steinberg claims we need to refocus our attention away from reform of schools to changing students and parents attitudes about school and learning. He claims a way to do this is to make grades mean something - parents have to emphasize doing well in school as more important than socializing, sports or after-school work. Colleges have to create and enforce tougher admissions, and eliminate remedial college courses that simply bring freshman up to college-level expectations. Parents have to be involved in school. He even claims that standards can be useful, if they are uniform for every participant in the system, from K-12 to higher Ed. And lastly, students need to realize that not only the grades they earn, but what they learn, will have a huge impact on the rest of their lives.

As a parent of a 13-year old - soon-to-be HS freshman, this book has given me a new perspective on how to support her. As a K-8 educator, I see new ways of looking at standards and the back-to-basics push. I don't agree with all that Steinberg has said, but this book does speak of the public school systems difficulties in a fresh new manner.