Overview

Reform of the educational systems in the United States and all over the world are coming from a wide variety of sources―philanthropists and businesses, federal and state governments, administrators and teachers, both large and small school districts. More nimble school districts have the best chance of creating a revised model of educational delivery that will produce successful students. The national statistics are awful. For every 100 low-income students that enter high school, only 65 will get a high school diploma, 53 will enroll in college, and will 11 actually complete a college degree. (Nachazel and Dziuba 2014) And the statistics for students living in poverty are far worse. This is one of many reasons why Roger Cook and the Taylor County Schools are of particular interest. Any district with a 61% poverty rate and over 40% of students attending college and zero (yes, zero) dropouts deserves to be examined.

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9781475821154

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Public schools are being asked to do more for more children than at any point in time of the history of US public education. While we are asked to do more, more children are in poverty and many schools are facing significant demographic and funding changes. Teaching and learning processes must change if we are to reach the increased expectations. Taylor County Schools in Kentucky under the leadership of Superintendent Roger Cook have developed new models of teaching and learning that focus on mastery rather than the traditional seat time and Carnegie unit models. Taylor County provides hope to many educators who are looking to find creative and innovative ways to help more students reach success. -- Terry Holliday, PhD, commissioner of education, Commonwealth of Kentucky Mike Raible clearly captures the way that Roger Cook continuously collaborated with the entire staff in Taylor County to benefit all students. Too often, this collaboration, and then validating the great work done by staff as Cook does, is missing from America's school districts. The work of Roger Cook provides us an example to learn from. -- Peter Gorman, executive vice president, education services, Amplify, Brooklyn, New York Mike Raible's 14 steps to prevent dropouts are on the money. I especially like the options for students and creative staffing. -- Lory Morrow, PhD, superintendent, Davidson County Schools, North Carolina Having worked with Roger Cook, I can safely say that he represents the type of leader that doesn't need mass amounts of funding or the savviest pieces of technology to create lasting change in a district. Not everyone can afford to fly to Kentucky to see his work in reality, but luckily, this book takes educators into the halls of the Taylor County Schools to see Cook's vision in action. District leaders, you'll want to read this story. -- Mary Jo Madda, senior editor, EdSurge

Author Information

Mike Raible is founder and CEO of The School Solutions Group. An award-winning planner and educational strategist, he has worked to improve educational organizations throughout the United States for over 25 years.

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