The Bookshelf: June 11, 2015

Trib+Edu is joining with respected books authority Kirkus Reviews to bring you select reviews of books of note in the field of education. For more book reviews and recommendations, visit Kirkus.com.

MISSION HIGH: One School, How Experts Tried to Fail It, and the Students and Teachers Who Made It Triumph

by Kristina Rizga

Embedded with teachers on the front lines of education, Mother Jones education reporter Rizga delivers a firsthand report on a “failing” school system. … The author’s extended stretch enabled her to not only get an in-depth look at the effects of emphasizing the importance of individual student test scores, but to also essentially “follow” a group of students as they made their way through their high school years. … Mission High’s educators struggle to balance the Common Core requirements with a forward-thinking approach that evaluates students on how they apply the skills being taught — much like adults are evaluated in the workplace.

For a country that uses standardized testing more than any other in the world, this skills-based model represents a shift in thinking that could very well establish a shift in results.

For a full review visit kirkus.com.