Educators today face the challenge of moving beyond standardized bubble-sheet tests to more meaningful ways of measuring student growth. One approach gaining traction is the use of authentic assessments, which allow students to demonstrate their understanding through real-world tasks and performances instead of fill-in-the-blank tests. If you’re curious about how this works in practice, you can learn more here: What is authentic assessment?.
In 1970, Lonnie Palmer earned a bachelor’s degree in physics with plans for a Ph.D.—until a U.S. military draft notice redirected his career. What began as a short‑term high school science teaching position evolved into a 40‑year journey as a teacher, principal, superintendent, and turnaround specialist in urban, suburban, and rural districts.
The Politics of Education K‑12 distills Palmer’s firsthand experience exploring the central questions:
Why are we spending more on public education yet seeing stagnant achievement?
Why do U.S. test scores lag behind other countries?
Where should educational resources be invested to meaningfully boost student performance?
This book challenges conventional thinking, sharing solutions-focused strategies drawn from decades of real-world reform. It’s a compelling call to realign resources for the benefit of student outcomes.
Across the United States, authors writing about education and politics are changing how parents, teachers, and communities understand what truly happens inside K–12 schools. In
An excerpt from The Politics of Education K-12, available on Amazon by Lonnie Palmer There is one thing stopping us from combining resources in schools
