Inside Urban Charter Schools

Author : Katherine Klippert Merseth
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781934742105
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.04/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Inside Urban Charter Schools written by Katherine Klippert Merseth and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inside Urban Charter Schools offers an unprecedentedly intimate glimpse into the world of charter schools by profiling five high-performing urban charter schools serving predominantly low-income, minority youth in Massachusetts.

Author : Joanne W. Golann
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691200017
Total Pages : 244 pages
Book Rating : 4.19/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Scripting the Moves written by Joanne W. Golann and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-06-08 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An inside look at a "no-excuses" charter school that reveals this educational model’s strengths and weaknesses, and how its approach shapes students Silent, single-file lines. Detention for putting a head on a desk. Rules for how to dress, how to applaud, how to complete homework. Walk into some of the most acclaimed urban schools today and you will find similar recipes of behavior, designed to support student achievement. But what do these “scripts” accomplish? Immersing readers inside a “no-excuses” charter school, Scripting the Moves offers a telling window into an expanding model of urban education reform. Through interviews with students, teachers, administrators, and parents, and analysis of documents and data, Joanne Golann reveals that such schools actually dictate too rigid a level of social control for both teachers and their predominantly low-income Black and Latino students. Despite good intentions, scripts constrain the development of important interactional skills and reproduce some of the very inequities they mean to disrupt. Golann presents a fascinating, sometimes painful, account of how no-excuses schools use scripts to regulate students and teachers. She shows why scripts were adopted, what purposes they serve, and where they fall short. What emerges is a complicated story of the benefits of scripts, but also their limitations, in cultivating the tools students need to navigate college and other complex social institutions—tools such as flexibility, initiative, and ease with adults. Contrasting scripts with tools, Golann raises essential questions about what constitutes cultural capital—and how this capital might be effectively taught. Illuminating and accessible, Scripting the Moves delves into the troubling realities behind current education reform and reenvisions what it takes to prepare students for long-term success.

Author : Joseph Scollo
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1475814453
Total Pages : 227 pages
Book Rating : 4.53/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Urban Challenge in Education written by Joseph Scollo and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2014-11-03 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the advent of charter schools in the United States, the face of public education has changed in this country. From its early beginning in Minnesota to its exponential growth in California the charter school movement has generated much controversy. It has been praised for its accomplishments, and criticized for its creaming of students. Over 130,000 students attend nearly 250 charter schools in the city of Los Angeles. This book presents an in-depth look at seventeen of those schools – urban schools that are making a difference in the lives of the students and families they serve. Readers will encounter a group of dedicated educational pioneers who are committed and passionate about their schools. These are people who have sacrificed much, and put their lives on hold to develop and implement schools that meet the needs of all students regardless of economic circumstance or background. From people who have mortgaged their homes toattain financing for their dream, to some that have changed careers to improve the quality of education for children and young adults.

Author : Steven Brill
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 145161201X
Total Pages : 477 pages
Book Rating : 4.11/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Class Warfare written by Steven Brill and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-08-14 with total page 477 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work looks at why many of America's schools are failing and relates how parents, activists, and education reformers are joining together to fix a system that works for adults but consistently fails the children it is meant to educate. In it the author takes a look at the adults who are fighting over America's failure to educate its children, and points the way to reversing that failure.

Author : Jonathan Schorr
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 376 pages
Book Rating : 4.21/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Hard Lessons written by Jonathan Schorr and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A decade ago there were only two charter schools in the United States. Today there are more than 2,400, serving more than half a million students. Charter schools are public schools that are free from many of the regulations that have long governed public education. Supporters include many of the country's most prominent educators and politicians, among them President George W. Bush, who hope charter schools will reshape education, especially where it proves most challenging--in the inner city. The fact that most charter schools promise smaller classes and more parental involvement makes them immensely appealing to the nation's most disadvantaged families. Charter school detractors, on the other hand, fear that these alternative schools will irredeemably ruin public education, drawing away the talented students and the most involved parents. Clearly the stakes are high. But few Americans understand what a charter school really is--or what is involved in trying to create, attend, and teach in one. Written by a renowned journalist and education writer, and a former inner-city school teacher himself, "Hard Lessons is the first book to capture the human drama of the entire experience. For three years, Jonathan Schorr was allowed complete access to the students, teachers, and parents of the E.C. Reems Academy in Oakland, California, making him uniquely qualified to tell their fascinating story. But would the new school succeed in effectively teaching children from urban neighborhoods where success is rare? Would it become a whole new bureaucracy or sabotage itself from within? The answers are found in the moving stories of some deeply involved yet very different individuals. Amongthem, there is Nazim Casey, Jr.--rescued from his crack-addicted parents, he's the last-chance child who will put inner-city charters to their ultimate test; William Stewart--a father whose fury at his daughter's failed public school propels him into activism; Eugene Ruffin--the entrepreneur who helped introduce the personal computer to America, then collaborated with Wal-Mart heir John Walton to "invest" in education; and Valentin Del Rio--a young teacher whose idealism turns to exhaustion and the search for a punctual paycheck. Through successes and setbacks, "Hard Lessons reveals just how difficult it is, even with the best of intentions, to offer a quality education to every child in America. The story of E.C. Reems Academy offers invaluable lessons for anyone interested in America's most pressing domestic concern. At once harrowing and hopeful, and in the finest tradition of modern nonfiction, "Hard Lessons is one of the most important books to come along in decades.

Author : Barbara Smith
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 9463512187
Total Pages : 20 pages
Book Rating : 4.83/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A Charter School Principal’s Story written by Barbara Smith and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-12-05 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What happens when a Canadian principal, guided by the teachings of Fullan and Hargreaves, takes on the role of school leader in an inner-city charter school in the United States? This inside story of a principal in the DC charter school system, reveals much about the desire for educators and students to experience more than a life of multiple-choice testing that tends to be so commonplace in these schools. While such a case adds to the mound of research that supports the ‘change takes time’ findings, it nevertheless demonstrates the reality, on a day-to-day basis, of what’s worth fighting for in schools. Student and teacher engagement and empowerment matter, and to get to such ends, a school must fiercely focus on targets well beyond test scores. This book speaks about how a budget reveals school values, and by shifting resources to support staff and student development, a school, coping with regular turnover, can be filled with more confident and capable community members. A school crawling with leaders emerged as more student, teacher and non-instructional staff were supported in new roles, aimed at building an inspired culture, with the talent and capacity to move others to action. The old ways of ‘doing school’ do not address the needs of the 21st century learner, and while many forces with limited views of education were at play, this story does provide an example of what promising things can and should happen to increase engagement and learning in more charter schools across America. “Dr. Barbara Smith’s narrative of her times in public charter schools offers all of us insights into the struggle to create schools of high academic quality and compassionate care, worthy of her educational mandate and mission.” – David Booth, Professor Emeritus, The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto “Dr. Smith’s message inspires me to be an advocate for education and her work will inspire you as well!” – Jalen Rose, Chair of Board of Directors, Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, Detroit, Michigan, ESPN Commentator “This inside look provides an opportunity for innovation in a field that has held to aging standards for far too long!” – Diane C. Manica, Former Director, Leadership and Accreditation, University of Detroit Mercy

Author : Chester E. Finn, Jr.
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400844576
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.79/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Exam Schools written by Chester E. Finn, Jr. and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2012-09-16 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-depth look at academically selective public high schools in America What is the best education for exceptionally able and high-achieving youngsters? Can the United States strengthen its future intellectual leadership, economic vitality, and scientific prowess without sacrificing equal opportunity? There are no easy answers but, as Chester Finn and Jessica Hockett show, for more than 100,000 students each year, the solution is to enroll in an academically selective public high school. Exam Schools is the first-ever close-up look at this small, sometimes controversial, yet crucial segment of American public education. This groundbreaking book discusses how these schools work--and their critical role in nurturing the country's brightest students. The 165 schools identified by Finn and Hockett are located in thirty states, plus the District of Columbia. While some are world renowned, such as Boston Latin and Bronx Science, others are known only in their own communities. The authors survey the schools on issues ranging from admissions and student diversity to teacher selection. They probe sources of political support, curriculum, instructional styles, educational effectiveness, and institutional autonomy. Some of their findings are surprising: Los Angeles, for example, has no "exam schools" while New York City has dozens. Asian-American students are overrepresented—but so are African-American pupils. Culminating with in-depth profiles of eleven exam schools and thoughtful reflection on policy implications, Finn and Hockett ultimately consider whether the country would be better off with more such schools. At a time of keen attention to the faltering education system, Exam Schools sheds positive light on a group of schools that could well provide a transformative roadmap for many of America's children.

Author : Steve P. Jefferson
Publisher : Universal-Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1581122187
Total Pages : 112 pages
Book Rating : 4.83/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Charter Schools written by Steve P. Jefferson and published by Universal-Publishers. This book was released on 2004 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this book was to describe the variables that contributed to the establishment of a charter school in an urban Arizona and rural California school district, noting the similarities and dissimilarities and disclosing the factors used to justify implementation of the Montessori theory of education. The secondary purpose of this book was to describe the guidelines for maintaining a charter school, the evaluation methods and factors used in the school's unique experience with staff development. The two schools experienced many similarities when the same variables were applied to both schools. As a result, the stakeholders of both schools used the principles of the organizational theory area of empowerment to implement choices in curriculum. This book provides an insight for parents, teachers, and community leaders to develop strategies by utilizing the same principles to meet the educational needs of children.

Author : Joy Dryfoos
Publisher : Corwin Press
ISBN 13 : 0761945113
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.16/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Inside Full-Service Community Schools written by Joy Dryfoos and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2002-05-17 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This document reports on a study of a model full-service community school and explains the kind of services provided, staffing considerations, ways of involving community partners, governance arrangements, and parent involvement. It considers the barriers to creating this kind of school and explores ways to fund programs. The narrative offers a snapshot, in fall 2001, of Molly Stark Elementary School in Vermont, but it is also an apt description of similar schools. It focuses on experience, documented and anecdotal, to present the concept. The first part of each chapter focuses on what is going on in other educational settings over the country. The second section uses examples from Molly Stark school where quality instruction is combined with extended-day and extended-year services, health and social services, and parent education and support. The document also examines the prognosis for community schools and considers how they should be sustained. Appendices provide a community-school assessment checklist, a community needs assessment or appearance survey, child-care programs handbook, request for consultation, sample after-school program forms, sample communications with parents about after-school programs, and sample job descriptions for families of employees. (Contains 74 references.) (RKJ)

Author : Douglas N. Harris
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022669478X
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.88/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Charter School City written by Douglas N. Harris and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2020-07-15 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the wake of the tragedy and destruction that came with Hurricane Katrina in 2005, public schools in New Orleans became part of an almost unthinkable experiment—eliminating the traditional public education system and completely replacing it with charter schools and school choice. Fifteen years later, the results have been remarkable, and the complex lessons learned should alter the way we think about American education. New Orleans became the first US city ever to adopt a school system based on the principles of markets and economics. When the state took over all of the city’s public schools, it turned them over to non-profit charter school managers accountable under performance-based contracts. Students were no longer obligated to attend a specific school based upon their address, allowing families to act like consumers and choose schools in any neighborhood. The teacher union contract, tenure, and certification rules were eliminated, giving schools autonomy and control to hire and fire as they pleased. In Charter School City, Douglas N. Harris provides an inside look at how and why these reform decisions were made and offers many surprising findings from one of the most extensive and rigorous evaluations of a district school reform ever conducted. Through close examination of the results, Harris finds that this unprecedented experiment was a noteworthy success on almost every measurable student outcome. But, as Harris shows, New Orleans was uniquely situated for these reforms to work well and that this market-based reform still required some specific and active roles for government. Letting free markets rule on their own without government involvement will not generate the kinds of changes their advocates suggest. Combining the evidence from New Orleans with that from other cities, Harris draws out the broader lessons of this unprecedented reform effort. At a time when charter school debates are more based on ideology than data, this book is a powerful, evidence-based, and in-depth look at how we can rethink the roles for governments, markets, and nonprofit organizations in education to ensure that America’s schools fulfill their potential for all students.