From the Ivory Tower to the Schoolhouse

Book excerpt: Why do so many promising ideas generated by education research fail to penetrate the world of classroom practice? In From the Ivory Tower to the Schoolhouse, education historian Jack Schneider seeks to answer this familiar and vexing question by turning it on its head. He looks at four well-known ideas that emerged from the world of scholarship--Bloom's Taxonomy, multiple intelligences, the project method, and direct instruction--and asks what we can learn from their success in influencing teachers. This lively and provocative volume highlights the complexity of the relationship between theory and practice in education and suggests how that tenuous connection might be strengthened to help new insights and innovations gain traction in our schools. "Jack Schneider's new book sheds light on one of the great mysteries of American education: why do some ideas from researchers gain acceptance, while others do not? Lucidly analyzing several high-profile cases, he offers insight into why the connection between scholarship and practice is so muddy--and explains how it might be clearer." -- Diane Ravitch, research professor of education, New York University "This book should be required reading for all people new to the field of education. It is a thoughtful, dispassionate, carefully documented analysis of how ideas in good currency--and their related practices--are formed, and why some persist and others don't. A sobering and powerful challenge to the field." -- Richard F. Elmore, Gregory R. Anrig Professor of Educational Leadership, Harvard Graduate School of Education "Bridging the gulf between the ivory tower and the schoolhouse is an ambitious undertaking. But Jack Schneider makes a significant contribution to the effort, clearly detailing the history of key theories and outlining their implementation in classrooms. This book offers us much to learn in the tough but crucial work of connecting research with practice." -- Adam Urbanski, founding director of the Teacher Union Reform Network and a vice president of the American Federation of Teachers "From the Ivory Tower to the Schoolhouse provides new perspectives on well-known concepts. Schneider's analysis is powerful and generates fresh insights." -- Michael Fullan, professor emeritus, University of Toronto Jack Schneider is an assistant professor of education at the College of the Holy Cross.