Reference Reviews

Doug’s Student Reference Room

School Policies, edited by Jamuna Carroll. 232 p. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2008. ISBN 13: 978-0-7377-3826-1. ISBN 10: 0-7377-3826-X. $36.20.

It is the nature of adolescence to question and test boundaries at school and at home, and it has long been a strategy of teachers to channel that inclination toward academic goals. Students gravitate toward argument essay topics and research papers about school rules and students’ rights. School Policies, part of Greenhaven’s Opposing Viewpoints series, explores in four chapters a range of school policies through paired pro and con essays. The first chapter, “Are All School Policies Effective,” looks at drug testing, zero tolerance policies and the way evolution should be addressed in science classes. The second chapter focuses on safety, examining whether or not schools should use metal detectors, surveillance technology and internet filters. Chapter three introduces students’ rights through the topics of school uniforms, due process and whether or not students should be allowed to form Gay/Straight Alliance groups on campus. The final chapter examines issues that have only emerged recently, including cell phone use, cyberbullying and the growing problem of obesity among our youth. Each chapter is introduced with an overview, followed by the paired essays, generally written by journalists or topic experts. A one-page periodical bibliography at the end of each chapter directs readers to additional resources that continue to explore the range of views on the topic. As with the other volumes in this series, School Policies includes a set of guided questions on each topic that help students critically evaluate arguments and sources, and these volumes provide a perfect format for teaching students how to consider and address the best arguments in opposition to one’s own. Recommended for high school libraries.
—Doug Achterman