Edspeak~A glossary of education terms, phrases, buzzwords, and jargon 2007

Education Speak Have you ever heard of Suggesto pedia? Do you know what a galle ry walk is? How about the difference between a stem and a foil? Maybe you don ’t think it’s necessar y to know these educati on terms Diane Ravitch thinks othe rwise Education, like most professions , has its own unique vocabulary that is often unfamiliar to outsider s But unlike those of other prof essi ons , Ravitch contends, the language of education must be clear and inte lligi ble to all Because education in larg e part determines the future of our society, economy, and culture, it’s crucial that education issues be underst ood by the general public And to underst and the issues, we need to underst and the specialized language used in the field In this book, Ravitch demystifies the often-obscure and ever-changin g lingo of the education field With more than 500 entries, EdSpeak translates what Ravitch refers to as the “str ange tongue” of pedagogese into plain English, adding historical context and lively commentary along the way This glossary will serve as a valuab le resource both for veteran educators who need to stay abreast of newly emerging terminology and for newcomers to the profession—be they teachers, administrators, parent s, students, or just citizens who care about what happens in the classroom A Glossary of Education Terms, Phrases, Buzzwords, and Jargon is Research ation She h is a historian ofrsityeduc Diane Ravitc d a senior fellow at the an on at New York Unive RAVITCH titution, Professor of Educati and at the Hoover Ins in Washington, D.C., ch in ear res of e arg Brookings Institution ch in istant secretary ass s wa e Sh W ty H rsi e ive Stanford Un tration of Georg ucation in the adminis Ed of t ard en Bo rtm g pa nin De ver the U.S sessment Go ed to the National As on Bush and was appoint eight previous books of r tho au n She is the strict Re s up Gro re by President Bill Clinto ssu Pre How The Language Police: education, including lyn, New York ok Bro in s live e Sh 03) What Students Learn (20 Speak $23.95 U.S Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Alexandria, Virginia USA BROWSE EXCERPTS FROM ASCD BOOKS: www.ascd.org/books EdSpeak Cover USE - Member.indd Many ASCD members received this book as a member benefit upon its initial release Learn more at: www.ascd.org/memberbooks DIANE RAVITCH 6/28/07 6:24:48 PM Speak A Glossary of Education Terms, Phrases, Buzzwords, and Jargon EdSpeak Member Title Pages.indd 6/28/07 6:37:50 PM Also by Diane Ravitch The Great School Wars: A History of the New York City Public Schools The Revisionists Revised: A Critique of the Radical Attack on the Schools The Troubled Crusade: American Education, 1945–1980 The Schools We Deserve: Reflections on the Educational Crises of Our Times What Do Our 17-Year-Olds Know? A Report on the First National Assessment of History and Literature (coauthor) The American Reader (editor) The Democracy Reader (coeditor) National Standards in American Education: A Citizen’s Guide Left Back: A Century of Battles Over School Reform The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn The English Reader: What Every Literate Person Needs to Know (coeditor) Speak A Glossary of Education Terms, Phrases, Buzzwords, and Jargon DIANE RAVITCH Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Alexandria, Virginia USA EdSpeak Member Title Pages.indd 6/28/07 6:37:52 PM ® Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development 1703 N Beauregard St • Alexandria, VA 22311-1714 USA Phone: 800-933-2723 or 703-578-9600 • Fax: 703-575-5400 Web site: www.ascd.org • E-mail: member@ascd.org Author guidelines: www.ascd.org/write Gene R Carter, Executive Director; Nancy Modrak, Director of Publishing; Julie Houtz, Director of Book Editing & Production; Miriam Goldstein, Project Manager; Reece Quiñones, Senior Graphic Designer; Valerie Younkin, Desktop Publisher; Dina Murray Seamon, Production Specialist/Team Lead Copyright Ó 2007 by Diane Ravitch All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from ASCD Readers who wish to duplicate material copyrighted by ASCD may so for a small fee by contacting the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923, USA (phone: 978-750-8400; fax: 978-646-8600; Web: www.copyright.com) For requests to reprint rather than photocopy, contact ASCD’s permissions office: 703-575-5749 or permissions@ascd.org Printed in the United States of America Cover art copyright Ó 2007 by ASCD ASCD publications present a variety of viewpoints The views expressed or implied in this book should not be interpreted as official positions of the Association All Web links in this book are correct as of the publication date below but may have become inactive or otherwise modified since that time If you notice a deactivated or changed link, please e-mail books@ascd.org with the words “Link Update” in the subject line In your message, please specify the Web link, the book title, and the page number on which the link appears ASCD Member Book, No FY07-9 (August 2007, P) ASCD Member Books mail to Premium (P), Comprehensive (C), and Regular (R) members on this schedule: Jan., PC; Feb., P; Apr., PCR; May, P; July, PC; Aug., P; Sept., PCR; Nov., PC; Dec., P PAPERBACK ISBN-13: 978-1-4166-0575-1 ASCD product #107072 Also available as an e-book through ebrary, netLibrary, and many online booksellers (see Books in Print for the ISBNs) Quantity discounts for the paperback edition only: 10–49 copies, 10%; 50+ copies, 15%; for 1,000 or more copies, call 800-933-2723, ext 5634, or 703-575-5634 For desk copies: member@ascd.org Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ravitch, Diane Edspeak : a glossary of education terms, phrases, buzzwords, and jargon / Diane Ravitch p cm ISBN 978-1-4166-0576-8 (hardcover : alk paper) — ISBN 978-1-4166-0575-1 (pbk : alk paper) Education—United States—Dictionaries Education— United States—Acronyms—Dictionaries I Title LB15.R285 2007 370.3—dc22 2007011242 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 10 11 12 For Mary EdSpeak: A Glossary of Education Terms, Phrases, Buzzwords, and Jargon Preface EdSpeak, A–Z Acronyms and Abbreviations 233 About the Author 244 Every profession has its own language Law, medicine, science, business, economics, psychology, sociology—each of these fields has evolved a specialized vocabulary that its members use to communicate with one another Perhaps this language is necessary to discuss sophisticated ideas that are beyond the understanding of the average citizen; perhaps not The result, if not the intent, is to mystify the public Education is no exception Like those of other professions, the language of education is often incomprehensible to those outside the field But more than other professions, education should strive to be intelligible to nonprofessionals Educators must be able to speak clearly and intelligibly to all those who care about what happens in classrooms It matters not only for the wellbeing of students but also for the well-being of public education Parents and citizens who are likely to vote on bond issues or to serve on local school boards need to understand the language of education, just as newcomers to and even veterans in the profession I first encountered the strange tongue of education many years ago, when I started my graduate studies at Teachers College, Columbia University Everyone, it seemed, understood the meaning of these unfamiliar words except me I thought I would never be able to master this vocabulary because new terms were constantly popping up Because I had been a journalist before I went to graduate school, I had a yearning to demystify what I ... Needs to Know (coeditor) Speak A Glossary of Education Terms, Phrases, Buzzwords, and Jargon DIANE RAVITCH Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Alexandria, Virginia USA EdSpeak...Speak A Glossary of Education Terms, Phrases, Buzzwords, and Jargon EdSpeak Member Title Pages.indd 6/28/07 6:37:50 PM Also by Diane Ravitch The Great School Wars: A History of the New York... desk copies: member@ascd.org Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ravitch, Diane Edspeak : a glossary of education terms, phrases, buzzwords, and jargon / Diane Ravitch p cm ISBN 978-1-4166-0576-8