New book by Matthew Knoester receives national recognition

A recent book by Matthew Knoester, associate professor of educational studies, has been recognized by the American Educational Studies Association.

Beyond Testing: Seven Assessments of Students and Schools More Effective than Standardized Tests received a Critics’ Choice Book Award. The co-author is Deborah Meier, an educator and a strong advocate of the school reform movement.

An earlier book, International Struggles for Critical Democratic Education, documents the attempts of educators and students to prevent the unequal opportunities of parents from affecting the next generation and was edited by Knoester. It received a Critics’ Choice Awarded in 2013.

The AESA, established in 1968, serves as a society for students, teachers, research scholars and administrators interested in the foundations of education.

“I am honored to be included in this group of outstanding and thoughtful scholars of education,” Knoester says. “I hope this award means more people will consider the critical issues that are raised in these books. In the case of standardized testing, the topic of the book I co-authored with Deborah Meier, we propose better alternatives for assessments that are more honest about the difficulty of understanding a students’ knowledge and more helpful in informing educators on how to best prepare their students for success. These are assessments with a track record of success, which all educators should have at their disposal.”

Jillian Heidenreice ’22
Monroe, Wisconsin