edited by Rafael Heller, Rebecca E. Wolfe and Adria Steinberg, Harvard Education Press, Cambridge, Mass., 2017, 310 pp. with index, $32 softcover

What does it mean for young people to be truly well-prepared for college, careers and civic life? The answer to this urgent question is the focus of this timely work by Rafael Heller, Rebecca E. Wolfe and Adria Steinberg, Rethinking Readiness: Deeper Learning for College, Work, and Life.

The editors take a deep look at children in various types of scenarios and with multiple types of needs; for example, the inequities seen in schools that serve children living in poverty, children with a variety of disabilities and special needs, and English Language Learners. A discussion on what is needed to better prepare these, and all children to be successful in a competitive world is the heart of this book.

Strategies such as creating opportunities for on-the-job training are suggested to connect learning to the real world. In this day and age of confusion and constant change, we can’t expect our children to do better until we, as educators, do better. In order to prepare our children for college, work and life, it must be recognized that students’ performance in college is related to more than how they perform academically.

While today’s children are different than children were years ago, unfortunately the laws and policies are not. The authors call for policies to focus less on high-stakes tests and the wrong type of accountability; their hope is that newer policies, particularly the Every Student Succeeds Act, will improve instruction and learning for all.

Heller, Wolfe and Steinberg stress that more serious and creative investments in supporting the nation’s vulnerable children cannot be optional — they must be demanded. A thought-provoking statement made by the editors of Rethinking Readiness: Deeper Learning for College, Work, and Life is, “thirteen years from now, when today’s kindergarteners finish high school, they will immerse into a world that will be dramatically more complex and technology led.” If nothing more, that should scoot all educators to the edge of their seats to take a look at what’s happening now and think about what really should be happening in order for all children to be prepared for a civil and professionally successful future; not mere survival skills.

Reviewed by Priscilla A. Boerger, chair, Department of Education, Regis College, Weston, Mass.
A Road Map to PLC Success
by Sean McWherter, Routledge, New York, N.Y., 120 pp., $34.95 softcover

Many educational leaders say they have professional learning communities (PLCs) in their schools, but often admit that they don’t really know how PLCs are supposed to function. In his book, A Road Map to PLC Success, Sean McWherter makes it quite clear that the sole purpose of a PLC is to provide opportunities for educators to engage in data-focused discussions. He then proceeds to give readers a step-by-step approach that they can use “to turn PLCs into the well-oiled growth machines that they should be.” 

As the executive director of support services for Asheboro City Schools in North Carolina, McWherter shares his experiences as a school administrator who successfully implemented PLCs that led to improved student and teacher growth. The logistical framework that he recommends for collaborative teacher teams focuses on reviewing curriculum guides, unpacking the standards, engaging in common lesson planning, and using common assessment to make improvements in teaching and learning.   According to the author, everything in PLCs revolves around the use of frequent common assessments, the analysis of data and the implementation of intervention strategies in team-based learning communities. 

The book not only maps out the process for implementing PLCs, but also provides an appendix that contains templates, diagrams and sample schedules to assist the reader with the implementation of data-driven collaboration in schools. In addition, the author created a chapter full of advice about some common mistakes to avoid to decrease stress levels during the PLC process. The journey to success takes time and the strategies discussed in this book are for those who wholeheartedly endorse the PLC as a mechanism to increase teacher capacity and improve student achievement.

Reviewed by Deitra Spence, educational consultant, Philadelphia, Pa.