Rigor Is Not a Four-Letter Word

As an educational consultant, I have used this book as a foundation for professional learning in a school district that is focusing on implementing rigor in every classroom and in every school in the school district. It provides many strategies for how a teacher, a school, and/or a school district can focus on raising the level of instruction being provided in the classroom. It is an excellent resource that should be used along with some sources of research where there has been a focus on rigor in the classroom.

Rigor is a term that is heard a lot in the teaching field these days, yet not many teachers really understand what it is. I think most teachers have some fuzzy idea that "rigor" equates to "harder" or more homework. In this book, Barbara Blackburn first clearly defines the terms, then shows that increasing rigor is more that just adding more problems or more homework. Using her background as both a public school teacher and a college professor, she provides a number of clear and easily implemented ideas to increase the rigor in your classroom. One of the things I like most about these books (I have read two of Barbara Blackburn's books this summer)is that they display an awareness of the problems faced by teachers and provide real-world, easily implemented solutions to adding rigor to your classroom. This is a great book and a real eye-opener. I recommend it to anyone in teaching or education.