"What role should education play in students' lives? Are schools purely dispensaries of academic knowledge, or are they training grounds for developing minds seeking to know themselves, their potential, and their place in greater communities? Perhaps the bigger question is: Why can't schools be both? In Marzano Mastery Approaches: A Decision-Making Process for Competency-Based Schools, Robert J. Marzano, Bill Zima, and Julia A. Simms argue the merits of competency-based education in creating equitable engaging school systems where all students develop socially, emotionally, and intellectually. In supportive, collaborative environments, where teachers are guides rather than lecturers, students assume active roles in their education, becoming independent, self-motivated learners and thoughtful, enthusiastic collaborators and problem-solvers. With comprehensive coverage of competency-based practices and recommended steps to explore new approaches to instruction and assessment, readers of Marzano Mastery Approaches will empower themselves to encourage and lead their schools through the necessary changes to realize a vastly improved and profoundly impactful educational experience for their students and community"-- Provided by publisher.