Looking at Changing Trends in Education

“Chasing the Trend” is an engaging and often controversial book written by American education specialist, John Holt. In this book, you will be introduced to some of the many “changers” in education in the new millennium. You will find that many of the issues surrounding traditional classrooms and learning have been addressed in this text. What is most interesting about “Chasing the Trend” is that it addresses many of the challenges facing both teachers and students today.

Today, much of what used to be viewed as a “teacher’s challenge” has been effectively eliminated through the efforts of curricular and school administrators. Traditionalists may decry these developments, but they do not realize the positive changes that have occurred. These changes are having a tremendous impact on the quality of education. The ability to teach is no longer at risk due to budget cuts. More students are finding themselves enrolled in after school programs because they are offered a better quality of education.

“Chasing the Trend” is the perfect book for the school board, because it provides the readers with an inside look at the schools, teachers, and curriculum being employed in today’s colleges and universities. The book provides data and statistics that show the drastic changes taking place within the classroom. The statistics also illustrate the need for change within both teachers and students.

These trends, as presented in “Chasing the Trend,” provide the reader with a window into the educational system of a large urban school district. Students from one of the districts in the book had very high scores on standardized tests. However, they were behind their peers in terms of academic proficiency when it came to core academic subjects.

One of the biggest concerns was that students were being set to perform at grade level even though they did not understand the subject matter. Reading comprehension was at a low point. In some cases, students did not know the topics well enough to advance to the next grade level. In one school, science was essentially banned in the classroom. Only reading and writing were taught. This obviously created a problem with the students’ understanding of the subject matter.

The authors explain how this is a common problem throughout the educational system. Students who are not advanced in core subjects often feel like they are left out of the discussion. When teachers begin to make these changes, students often become frustrated and then upset. It is not the students’ fault, but rather a reflection on the curriculum. This can lead to unnecessary behavioral problems in the classroom.

Some of the solutions provided by Atkins include how to help educators identify these problem areas, how to institute changes that benefit students, and how to keep the educational dialogue open. The author even provides a side by side comparison of some of the schools with the same demographic indicators that are used in the report. Students who are more socially inept often join the lowest performing schools and those that are more academically proficient tend to end up at the top colleges and universities. Changing Trends in Education is meant to provide educators with a guide to helping them identify which strategies are successful and which are not.

The Changing Trends in Education book is a valuable resource for any educator who is serious about making a positive change in their students’ educational experience. There are many ways to approach the subject, and every school is different. Nevertheless, most teachers will be able to identify good practices that can be applied to their own classrooms. Educational systems all have a rough time in the recent years, and it is up to teachers to work with them and do whatever they can to help the educational system improve. Without assistance from the experts, it can be hard to make drastic changes to the teaching methods, but this book provides a glimpse into some of the ways that have worked for other educators.