In “Defying Standardization” by Christopher H. Tienken, he makes excellent points about setting public education policies and practices back on the right path. It’s time we all come to understand the misinformation that has surrounded this most important of topics.

In the foreword to Professor Tienken’s book, Professor Carol A. Mullen appropriately refers to the policy mandates of past decades and their resultant classroom practices as an “education reform misadventure.” Tienken takes it from there to inform others how they can “develop unstandardized curricula even when trapped in a standardized environment.”

And the facts he presents contribute much to the effort of defying standardization of public education — the primary battlefield upon which the American Education Wars are being fought. He clarifies why our education policies are flawed.

“Policies that seek to standardize public education output rarely take into account the variety of inputs involved.”

Tienken gives everyone that reads his book the facts needed to justify their stance in defying standardization. Then he goes on to translate theory into practice.

As one reviewer wrote;

“His well-researched work exposes the flaws upon which the current education reform movement rests and provides practical strategies for defying standardized practices in K-12 education. This is a must-read if you care about quality curriculum and a vibrant public education system in the United States.”  — J. Kenneth Young, PhD, associate professor of educational leadership at Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas

Check it out! It is especially relevant to anyone in a school leadership position or the field of teaching educational leadership.