Hidden Dangers to Kids' Learning: A Parent Guide to Cope with Educational Roadblocks

Hidden Dangers to Kid’s Learning: Parent Guide to Cope with Educational Roadblocks serves as an important reminder to parents, teachers and schools: we don’t teach reading, science, or mathematics – we teach children. By reading Dr. Gunzelmann’s informative book, parents will develop a better understanding of obstacles that could potentially interfere with their child’s learning and achievement. How can parents become empowered to be equal and active partners in their child’s education? This book provides concrete suggestions for achieving this goal, ensuring that not only their child, but every child, will be afforded the opportunity to thrive emotionally, socially, and academically in our schools. — Cathy Stavenger, associate professor, School of Education, Southern New Hampshire University

Kudos to Betsy Gunzelmann for opening the blinds and shedding light in a balanced, caring and empowering manner on the hidden dangers that exist in many of our nation’s schools and that if unaddressed will continue to impede the learning of our children.Gunzelmann reflects on the importance of a holistic, optimistic, and constructivistic approach to educating our nation’s young people and shows how we as students, parents, teachers, administrators and policy makers can take charge of our children’s education, how we can move beyond the status quo, and how we can work collaboratively to make positive, lasting change one student and one school at a time. This important and proactive guide is a must read for all parents whether their children are experiencing educational roadblocks or not, whether they have students just entering the school system or closer to graduation. It is never too early or too late to help our children tap into their unique potential and learn to take an active role in their education. It is never too early or too late to be reflective about what quality education means to us and to our children. In fact it is now time to work collaboratively at the local level, as Gunzelmann proposes in her call to action, and to advocate for school — Elizabeth Fletcher Foy, founder/president, Leadership Teacher, and cofounder, The SESL Challenge

Hidden Dangers to Kids’ Learning is every parents vade mecum, a companion book to empower parents as they advocate for their children making their way through the school system. She points out the systems potholes hidden but crippling and its compulsion to identify the problem as the child’s, cleverly shifting attention away from where it really belongs: on the entrenched resistance of schools to utilizing the latest research. Gunzelmann sees a new day emerging in education, hope reigniting. But if this is to unfold, it must come up from the grass roots from the parents trusting their own intuitions over the assertions of the experts. This new book flows with a delightful, conversational style that is down to earth, clear, and confident. Her words enable the parent to successfully support his or her child. Gunzelmann’s heart is truly in every page. — Hilary E. Bender, professor emeritus, School of Education, Boston University; core faculty at Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology; and

Gunzelmann provides a lense through which critical components of schools, climate and community, can be examined. She shows us why we cannot take these attributes of schools for granted and why parents and educators must insist on school communities that are safe, welcoming, and poised to assure success for every student. — Cathy Chesley, founder, Hopkinton Independent School