The Educator's Guide to Emotional Intelligence and Academic Achievement.

The Educator's Guide to Emotional Intelligence and Academic Achievement

edited by Maurice J. Elias and Harriett Arnold, Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, Calif., 2006, 273 pp. with index, $79.95 hardcover, $39.95 softcover 

While the title of his book is certainly a lure to the educator, The Educator's Guide to Emotional Intelligence and Academic Achievement: Social-Emotional Learning in the Classroom is a lost opportunity as the book makes no direct tie-in to the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards or the national certification process.

This would have been a natural fit as the national board calls for focusing on the professional learning community. The book does address relationships in the classroom and provides strategies for all students to feel welcomed.

Edited by Maurice J. Elias, a professor at Rutgers University, and Harriett Arnold, an associate professor at the University of the Pacific, the book offers a comprehensive overview of social-emotional learning and its impact on student achievement.

When one mentions academic achievement in today's era of high-stakes testing, interest is immediately aroused as educators seek the magical solution to raise test scores. This work takes a more qualitative perspective, exploring the intangibles of classroom instruction with the underlying premise that students cannot learn best if social and emotional aspects of their thinking are ignored.

The major strength of the book is its research base, as well as the rich cadre of educators who have contributed. These master teachers provide three decades of teaching experience to validate their contributions.

Reviewed by Tressie Shaw Harper, retired superintendent and professor, Hattiesburg, Miss.