Key finding: All but the most psychologically handicapped students are able to achieve all of the learning objectives pursued through high school. The difference among students is the amount of instruction they may require to achieve the objectives.
(Block and Anderson, 1975 ; Bloom, 1968)

How Ensuring Student Success is organized

The book is divided into two parts:

Part 1, Key Issues, defines and clarifies critical issues and problems that need immediate attention. It then presents a fresh approach to a solution that can be applied within existing educational practices.

Part 2, Prescriptions, sets forth specific effective strategies to improve the effectiveness of your school.

• Instructional strategies that research shows to be effective in increasing academic achievement - and that can be incorporated easily into ongoing instructional programs
• How to implement corrective tutoring
• Strategies students can be taught to enable them to learn without instruction
• Identification of school factors that research shows impede instruction and learning
• Methods that have been proven effective in improving academic achievement in preschoolers
• Teaching students to innovate to advance knowledge, consumer products, the standard of living , and the quality of life

The variety of prescriptions enables educational institutions to plan their own programs, incorporating and combining the strategies that serve their purpose and accommodate local constraints.

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Instructional Strategies presented in an easy-to-use format

• Title of Strategy
• Brief Orientation (With number of studies supporting the effectiveness of the strategy)
• Instructional Tactics for administering the strategy
• Illustrations of Applications (These are provided to elaborate the use of the strategy and include everyday applications, instructional applications, and subject area applications)
• References (To obtain additional detail)

I. Key Issues

1. Education' s Crucial Challenge

· Student Deficiency
· Education and the American Way

2. Meeting The Challenge

· What Can Be Done?
· What Kind of Instruction is Needed Most?
· Basing Education Decisions on Evidence

II. Prescriptions

3. Implementing Corrective Tutoring
4. Making instruction Effective

· Defining Instructional Expectations
· Taking Student Readiness into Account
· Preparing Effective Instruction Evaluation
· Providing Corrective Instruction
· Providing Contiguity
· Utilizing Repetition Effectively
· Clarifying Communication
· Providing Subject Matter Unifiers
· Keeping Students on Task
· Providing Ample Teaching Time
· Providing Ample Learning Time
· Utilizing Reminders
· Providing Transfer of Learning Instruction
· Providing Decision-Making Instruction
· Facilitating Teamwork

5. Promising and Generic Instruction Strategies

· Enlisting the Control Motive
· Providing Prediction and Problem Solving Instruction
· Learning for Mastery
· Direct Instruction
· Success for All
· Accelerated School Programs
· The CABAS Program
· New Mexico Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (CETP)
· Discovery
· Mathematics and Science Teacher Education Program (MASTEP)

6. Empowering Students to Learn on Their Own
7. Preventing Impediments to Learning

· Student/Teacher Ratio
· Controlling Classroom Disruption
· Reducing School Violence and Crime
· Reinforcement
· Ability Grouping Students
· Whole Language Instruction
· Teacher Characteristics

8. Effective Preschool Instruction

· Effective Preschool Instructional Strategies
· Summaries of Exemplary Preschool Research on Instructional Strategies

9. Teaching Students to Innovate

Appendix: Statistical Data Supporting Conclusions of Preschool Research

Index of Researchers

Subject Index

"Ensuring Student Success provides an excellent resource to educators serving in every role. Even non-educators who want to devote energy to improving student achievement will find this book to be a thoughtful read. Myles I. Friedman's approach satisfies the logical, rational and sequential thinker. His work is founded on solid scientific reasoning for decision making in education. The logical writing sequence serves to define issues and problems followed by an analysis of them. Friedman, a retired education professor in South Carolina, describes necessary interventions, which include corrective tutoring, effective instructional strategies and empowering students with strategies for self-teaching."

"The work concludes with information on preventing impediments to learning, the benefit of effective preschool instruction and the benefit of teaching students to innovate. Friedman offers a comprehensive approach to improved learning. The book delves into key issues facing all citizens and professionals. School violence, teaching techniques, class size, disruptions and ability grouping are included among the factors affecting student learning and school culture. The book belongs on the reading list of conscientious citizens and educators interested in research and data - driven reform. My copy has become a regular reference source." - Joseph W. Rudnicki, Superintendent, Sunnyvale School District, Sunnyvale, California

"The chapters describing how to change practice in accordance with evidence are great. I like the book because it puts a fresh and refreshing spin on the goal of student improvement: increasing student success, especially defined as increasing the number of students who master high school objectives." - Dr. Lawrence Lezotte, school improvement leader. Head of Effective Schools Ltd. Former Chair, Department of Educational Administration, Michigan State University

"The book seems relevant and a useful guide for decision-making. I think you have attempted a bold and complex task in drawing together large bodies of work to address the problem of enhancing student success in school." - Dr. Carolyn Evertson, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University

"Discussing how American values can stand in the way of successful schools is a novel and effective approach... I concur completely with your premise that the only way to ensure student success is to implement educational practice that research shows to be effective." - John Anderson, Vice Chairman of New American Schools

"Friedman has done us a service."- Arnold F. Fege, President/ Public Advocacy for Kids

"...Friedman has a plan to fix American education. Our present system allows far too many student deficiencies, he contends, which contribute to a multitude of social ills. His solution is to improve teaching effectiveness. He thus advocates corrective instruction by individualized attention, with teachers evaluating students according to whether they have achieved "mastery" or "not yet"..."

"According to this method, advancement would only follow mastery, and teachers would have the authority to make educational decisions based on research evidence. Prescriptive teaching strategies and tactics cover a wide range of recommendations, including instructional expectations, evaluations, and keeping students on task...."

"Friedman is critical of current thinking on student discipline, ability grouping, and whole language instruction and supports his arguments with extensive bibliographic references. Some points are belabored, but overall effort is provocative and worth consideration by educators, parents, school boards, and citizens in general. Recommended despite the high price." - Will Hepfer, SUNY at Buffalo, Library Journal, January 2001.

About The Author

Myles I. Friedman, Ph.D., is the Chief Executive Officer of The Institute for Evidence-Based Decision-Making in Education (EDIE) and is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Educational Research, Department of Educational Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208. He has spent more than 20 years conducting and applying research to improve education. He is the author of a number of books on education, including: Rational Behavior, Teaching Reading and Thinking Skills, Improving Teacher Education: Resources and Recommendations, Teaching Higher Order Thinking Skills to Gifted Students, Taking Control: Vitalizing Education, and, with Steven P. Fisher, Handbook on Effective Instructional Strategies: Evidence for Decision-Making.