Despite the impact local school board members have on public education, little has been written about them and the experiences and motivations they bring to the board table, particularly from a board member’s perspective.
Report Card: The Weekly Education of an American School Board Member fills that void. Authored by James Patrick Hussey, it includes 100 essays ranging from surprisingly interesting treatises on budgets and bond levies to impassioned articles underscoring the role of public education in a free society. Each essay serves as a catalyst for classroom discussions or independent writing assignments that engage students intellectually and often emotionally, in the topic it explores. Hussey uses his extensive experiences in education and journalism to create a work that is intellectually rigorous, but accessible to a wide audience. Unlike some books exploring public policy, Report Card rarely shouts at its readers. Instead, Hussey writes with the humility of someone required to live in his community after the newspaper columns from which these essays are adapted, were published. It will be of special interest to persons with current or anticipated roles in America’s public schools, particularly administrators, teachers, education students, and elected officials. This book will also make an excellent supplemental text for teacher preparation or educational leadership classes, from introductory courses to doctoral seminars.