This accessible book offers research-based insights into six key educational trends and issues that are impacting the K-12 learning today: year-round schooling, assessments, educating minorities, anti-intellectualism, issues of social promotion and retention, and school design. "Dr. Lynch has provided his readers with a clear and concise primer on American education. Given the controversies that surround educational issues and the complex nature of the policies that the federal government has pursued to address them, this book will be a useful resource to students and others who seek to make sense of education in America today." - Pedro Noguera, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Education, Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, UCLA ? "Congratulations to Dr. Lynch for once again putting his provocative insights on the most important education issues of our time into his new book, Understanding Key Education Issues: How We Got Here and Where We Go from Here. This is the book that each K-12 administrator should make the top of their reading lists." - Marcia Herrin, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine "Matthew Lynch is an advocate for change and brings focus to each of the major issues in this book by providing a brief historical account of development, discussing what he considers to be the shortfalls of the issue and then giving some potential solutions for consideration.[...] He suggests some good supports for students not able to keep pace in the regular classroom."- Frank Kelly, Executive Director, Council of Ontario Directors of Education, Oakville, Ontario, Canada