What does it take to make school reforms actually work?

That’s the question that authors and educators Jane L. David and Larry Cuban address head on in their clear and thoughtful take on improving the nation’s public schools in Cutting Through the Hype—A Taxpayer’s Guide to School Reforms.

Should mayors be in charge? What is the best way to teach math? Does parent choice work? What about merit pay? David and Cuban examine the frequently overheated claims behind a wide range of 20 popular reform ideas. They explain clearly and concisely the ins and outs of each reform, including shrinking class sizes, changing the way reading and math are taught, and improving high schools. They also tackle standards-based reform, high-stakes testing, and social promotion.

Cutting Through the Hype is the essential guide for policymakers, citizens, and educators. David, a Harvard-educated researcher, and Cuban, a Stanford University education professor emeritus, draw on their many years of experience as educators and researchers. Both authors taught at Cardozo High School in Washington, D.C. in the 1960s. Cuban served as the superintendent of the Arlington, VA public schools from 1974 to 1981. Their balanced appraisals of reforms, and rules of thumb for making sense of them, provide sound information and guidance to all those concerned with public education, from state and local school board members, legislative staff, and education professors to parents, teachers, and administrators.