School Sleuth: The Case of an Excellent School

Like an academic bell curve, America's K-12 landscape has a few bad schools on one side, a bulge of “good enough” schools in the middle, and a handful of excellent ones on the other side. In School Sleuth: The Case of an Excellent School, journalist John Merrow (of PBS's The Merrow Report) takes on the role of a film noir gumshoe to uncover the secrets of what makes an excellent school. Going beyond test scores, Merrow and commentators such as E.D. Hirsch, Ted Sizer, and Lisa Delpit, among others, offer suggestions on what parents should look for in terms of safety, facilities, principals and teachers, academics, and a school's sense of purpose. A Peabody Award-winning program, the DVD boasts several extra features, including extended interviews, web links, and perhaps the coolest feature: a printable facilitator's guide (complete with handouts). The only flaw in this otherwise “excellent” title is the absence of discussion concerning parental involvement: teachers know that parents are an essential component to school and student success; unfortunately, they're not addressed here beyond their role of school-shopping consumers. Highly recommended, nevertheless. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Reagan)