Foreword - Paul Nachtigal The Troubled House Divided Students Pursuing Academic Excellence Teachers Getting Beyond Bittersweet Belonging Principals Moving Toward Instructional Leadership Superintendents Becoming Community Leaders School Boards Forging Links to Parents and Community Restoring the Dream of a United House Blueprints for Action
The authors of this volume visited 25 small school districts in the US to meet, observe and interview students, teachers, principals and administrators. Here they present research that connects with reality. Through their fascinating description of the physical and educational landscape, the authors capture life in nonurban schools `as it is', and present information that is brutally honest. They provide the beginnings of a road map to help small, nonurban districts and communities begin their own journey on the road to better schools.
Richard A. Schmuck is professor emeritus at the University of Oregon, where he chaired the dissertations of 132 doctoral students who are from all parts of the world. He taught thousands of other educators worldwide about action research, group dynamics, and organization development. He has served on the faculties of the University of Michigan, Temple University, and Leuven University (Belgium), was the first president of the International Association for the Study of Cooperation in Education. Schmuck is a visiting Professor at Arizona State University-West. Schmuck is the author of 20 books and 190 articles. His best-known book is Group Processes in the Classroom (with Patricia Schmuck), now in its eighth edition. He received The Stevens Award from the Northwest Women in Educational Administration to honor his support of women in administration and his "commitment to equity, justice, and democracy." He received the Campbell Lifetime Achievement Award from the University Council on Educational Administration for "superior scholarship, distinguished service, and recognized international leadership" and "to celebrate an extraordinary and generous career." Schmuck continues to teach, consult, and write.