Rubric Nation

What is a rubric and how are they being used in teacher education and evaluation? When did rubricsbecome ubiquitous in the field of education? What impact do rubrics have on students teachers teachereducators and the educational enterprise? This book is an edited volume of essays that critically examinethe phenomenon of rubrics in teacher education evaluation and education more broadly. Rubrics have seena dramatic rise in use and presence over the past twenty-five years in colleges of education and districtsacross the country. Although there is a wealth of literature about how to make rubrics there is scantliterature that explores the strengths and weaknesses of rubrics and the impact the rubric phenomenon ishaving in reshaping education. The chapters included in this edited volume will critically reflect on thecontemporary contexts of rubrics and the uses and impact of rubrics in education. Since rubrics havebecome indelible in education it is necessary for a fuller nuanced discussion of the phenomenon. Creatinga book that explores these aspects of rubrics is timely and fundamental to expanding the discourse on thisubiquitous evaluation tool.This book is not meant to be a series of chapters dedicated to best practices for creating rubrics nor is this text meant to present all sides of the rubricdiscussion. Rather this text intends to offer critical polemics about rubrics that can spur greater critical discussion about a phenomenon in educationthat has largely been unquestioned in the literature.