The Eden Conspiracy: Educating for Accomplished Citizenship

The Eden Conspiracy is a unique book with at least four different audiences: policy makers and politicians seeking to dramatically improve the cost-effectiveness of education; educators who want to develop school programs that accelerate students' progression from school to lifetime success; community stakeholders, including parents, business people, and civic leaders, who want their schools to better address the needs of their communities; and educational reformers who are ready for a sustainable approach that anchors educational programs in the ongoing needs of the communities they serve. Author, Joe Harless, thought leader and master practitioner in the field of organizational performance improvement and learning, brings thirty years of pioneering experience to the challenge of improving our schools. His Accomplishment-Based Curriculum Development approach represents a paradigm shift from organizing curriculum by categories of subject matter to designing curriculum to enable students to achieve specific accomplishments needed for successful personal life and top-paying employment. He advocates a "conspiracy" among all the stakeholders in a community and the school system to define what their educational programs need to produce. This new edition includes a summary of what has occurred since the first printing in 1998: a showcase program in Coweta County, Georgia, replicated in 36 other locations, exported to other nations, and enabling students to achieve nearly twice the average salary range for American workers upon graduation while drawing tens of millions of dollars of investment to communities where schools prepare their students for 21st century jobs and 21st century citizenship.