Phone Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
1-800-933-ASCD (2723)
Address 1703 North Beauregard St. Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
Complete Customer Service Details
Mike Schmoker
Table of Contents
About the Author
In this 2nd edition of Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning, Mike Schmoker extends and updates the case that our schools could be on the cusp of swift, unparalleled improvements. But we are stymied by a systemwide failure to simplify and prioritize; we have yet to focus our limited time and energy on the most essential, widely acknowledged, evidence-based practices that could have more impact than all other initiatives combined. They are: simple, coherent curricula; straightforward, traditional literacy practices; and lessons built around just a few hugely effective elements of good teaching. As Schmoker demonstrates, the case for these practices—and the need for them—has grown prodigiously.
In every chapter, you'll find late-breaking discoveries and practical advice on how to simplify the implementation of new state standards in the subject areas; on the hidden pitfalls of our most popular, but unproven instructional fads and programs; and on simple, versatile strategies for building curriculum, planning lessons, and integrating literacy into every discipline. All of these strategies and findings are supported with exciting new evidence from actual schools. Their success confirms, as Michael Fullan writes, that a focus on the best "high-leverage practices" won't only improve student performance; they will produce "stunningly powerful consequences" in our schools.
See the book's table of contents and read excerpts
Share This Page
Study Guide
Product No: 118044
ISBN-13: 978-1-4166-2634-3
Availability: July 2018
Examination & Desk Copies
Premium, Select, and Institutional Plus members who either chose this Editor's Selection or made no selection get the print book. Premium Online and Select Online members get the e-book.
Log in to read full chapters.
Mike Schmoker is a former administrator, English teacher, and football coach. He has written six books and dozens of articles for educational journals, newspapers, and Time magazine. Schmoker's previous best seller, Results Now (2006), was a finalist for the Association of Education Publishers' Book of the Year award.
Read more
Teaching
Instructional Leadership | school improvement and reform | instructional strategies | literacy
Subscribe to ASCD Express, our free email newsletter, to have practical, actionable strategies and information delivered to your email inbox twice a month.
ASCD respects intellectual property rights and adheres to the laws governing them. Learn more about our permissions policy and submit your request online.