Changing the Status Quo

Reviews / Votes

Scott Wurdinger's new book is a challenge to educators and others who approach education with a "one size fits all" approach to educating our students. Hopefully we will heed his call for educators to be courageous and confront the status quo in their classrooms to empower their students in ways that allow them to be critical agents in transforming their world. -- Howard Fuller, PhD, distinguished professor of education, director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning, Marquette University Dr. Wurdinger's latest book, Changing the status quo: Courage to challenge the education system is a must read for educators, leaders and policy makers to better understand the need for transformation in American education. He addresses some of the primary barriers we face in educational policy and practice that must be solved in order to create the schools our students need. The book clearly defines the current challenges that contribute to stifling the innovative approaches and mindsets that have the potential to engage students and create the conditions for every student to meet their true potential. The book provides examples and solutions to these barriers and provides us with the vehicles for hope and courage for a better tomorrow. -- Lisa Snyder, EdD, executive director, EdVisions This book forcefully challenges the existing system of assessment in U.S. schools and colleges and the type of instruction it promotes: instruction that limits students' learning and does not speak to their passions, nor prepare them for life beyond school. I hope many educators will heed Scott Wurdinger's call for experiential, active, project-based learning, along with his warnings about the blind use of technology in education and the need for attention to issues of racial equity. -- John Larmer, editor in Chief, Buck Institute for Education Scott Wurdinger's examination of three conditions that present impediments to many students is a must-read for leaders and faculty across the education spectrum. Top-down assessment, blind faith in technology, and deeply-rooted racial discrimination limit the success of individual students. Wurdinger goes on to provide a compelling case for the power of experiential learning and individual perseverance. Faculty participating in the annual Institute for Pedagogy in the Liberal Arts at Oxford College of Emory University have benefited from Professor Wurdinger's wisdom. -- Jeffery W. Galle, PhD, director, Center for Academic Excellence, Oxford College of Emory University