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Learning from the Federal Market?Based Reforms

Author: William J. Mathis

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2016-06-01

Total Pages: 715

ISBN-13: 1681235056

Over the past twenty years, educational policy has been characterized by top?down, market?focused policies combined with a push toward privatization and school choice. The new Every Student Succeeds Act continues along this path, though with decision?making authority now shifted toward the states. These market?based reforms have often been touted as the most promising response to the challenges of poverty and educational disenfranchisement. But has this approach been successful? Has learning improved? Have historically low?scoring schools “turned around” or have the reforms had little effect? Have these narrow conceptions of schooling harmed the civic and social purposes of education in a democracy? This book presents the evidence. Drawing on the work of the nation’s most prominent researchers, the book explores the major elements of these reforms, as well as the social, political, and educational contexts in which they take place. It examines the evidence supporting the most common school improvement strategies: school choice; reconstitutions, or massive personnel changes; and school closures. From there, it presents the research findings cutting across these strategies by addressing the evidence on test score trends, teacher evaluation, “miracle” schools, the Common Core State Standards, school choice, the newly emerging school improvement industry, and re?segregation, among others. The weight of the evidence indisputably shows little success and no promise for these reforms. Thus, the authors counsel strongly against continuing these failed policies. The book concludes with a review of more promising avenues for educational reform, including the necessity of broader societal investments for combatting poverty and adverse social conditions. While schools cannot single?handedly overcome societal inequalities, important work can take place within the public school system, with evidence?based interventions such as early childhood education, detracking, adequate funding and full?service community schools—all intended to renew our nation’s commitment to democracy and equal educational opportunity.

Left Back

Author: Diane Ravitch

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2001-07-31

Total Pages: 566

ISBN-13: 0743203267

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In this authoritative history of American education reforms in this century, a distinguished scholar makes a compelling case that our schools fail when they consistently ignore their central purpose--teaching knowledge.

A Plan for Evaluating the District of Columbia's Public Schools

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2011-07-25

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 0309209390

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The District of Columbia (DC) has struggled for decades to improve its public education system. In 2007 the DC government made a bold change in the way it governs public education with the goal of shaking up the system and bringing new energy to efforts to improve outcomes for students. The Public Education Reform Amendment Act (PERAA) shifted control of the city's public schools from an elected school board to the mayor, developed a new state department of education, created the position of chancellor, and made other significant management changes. A Plan for Evaluating the District of Columbia's Public Schools offers a framework for evaluating the effects of PERAA on DC's public schools. The book recommends an evaluation program that includes a systematic yearly public reporting of key data as well as in-depth studies of high-priority issues including: quality of teachers, principals, and other personnel; quality of classroom teaching and learning; capacity to serve vulnerable children and youth; promotion of family and community engagement; and quality and equity of operations, management, and facilities. As part of the evaluation program, the Mayor's Office should produce an annual report to the city on the status of the public schools, including an analysis of trends and all the underlying data. A Plan for Evaluating the District of Columbia's Public Schools suggests that D.C. engage local universities, philanthropic organizations, and other institutions to develop and sustain an infrastructure for ongoing research and evaluation of its public schools. Any effective evaluation program must be independent of school and city leaders and responsive to the needs of all stakeholders. Additionally, its research should meet the highest standards for technical quality.

Progressive Reading Education in America

Author: Patrick Shannon

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-06-14

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 1351725041

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Through firsthand accounts of classroom practices, this new book ties 130 years of progressive education to social justice work. Based on their commitments to the principle of the equal moral worth of all people, progressive teachers have challenged the obstacles of schooling that prevent some people from participating as full partners in social life in and out of the classroom and have constructed classroom and social arrangements that enable all to participate as peers in the decisions that influence their lives. Progressive reading education has been and remains key to these ties, commitments, challenges, and constructions. The three goals in this book are to show that there are viable and worthy alternatives to the current version of "doing school"; to provide evidence of how progressive teachers have accommodated expanding notions of social justice across time, taking up issues of economic distribution of resources during the first half of the 20th century, adding the cultural recognition of the civil rights of more groups during the second half, and now, grappling with political representation of groups and individuals as national boundaries become porous; and to build coalitions around social justice work among advocates of differing, but complementary, theories and practices of literacy work. In progressive classrooms from Harlem to Los Angeles and Milwaukee to Fairhope, Alabama, students have used reading in order to make sense of and sense in changing times, working across economic, cultural, and political dimensions of social justice. Over 100 teacher stories invite readers to join the struggle to continue the pursuit of a just democracy in America.

The Death and Life of the Great American School System

Author: Diane Ravitch

Publisher: Basic Books (AZ)

Published: 2010-03-02

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 0465014917

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Discusses how school choice, misapplied standards of accountability, the No Child Left Behind mandate, and the use of a corporate model have all led to a decline in public education and presents arguments for a return to strong neighborhood schools and quality teaching.

Public Education

Author: David C. Berliner

Publisher: Teachers College Press

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 0807779946

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In this important collection, eminent education scholars and practitioners remind us that our nation’s system of free universal public education is under attack, putting our very democracy in jeopardy. Over and above preparing students for employability, American schools must prepare our youth to be informed citizens and active, constructive participants in the democratic process. These essayists, criticizing as well as lauding our educational system, believe that such a goal is best accomplished through a high-quality, public, free system of schooling designed to serve all our nations’ children without regard to race, religion, gender, LGBTQ+ identity, (dis)ability, social class, citizenship status, or language. In the 100th anniversary year of Horace Mann, these thought leaders in education take stock of enduring principles, current dilemmas, and important forward directions. With privateers growing in numbers and seeking to take advantage of systemic breakdowns, this book will serve as a rousing defense of our public schools for our nation’s educators, parents, school board members, and politicians. Book Features: Reminds all Americans of the essential roles that schools serve in contemporary society, beyond simply learning the prescribed school curriculum. Presents a counterpoint to those who promote private or charter schooling at the expense of genuine public schools. Paints a complex and multi-faceted portrait of our public education system and provides a set of diverse and provocative remedies for many pressing contemporary problems of public schooling. Contributors: Michael W. Apple, William Ayers, David C. Berliner, Martin Brooks, Jacqueline Grennon Brooks, Carol Corbett Burris, Prudence Carter, Edward B. Fiske, Peter Greene, James Harvey, Julian Vazquez Heilig, Jack Jennings, David F. Labaree, Helen F. Ladd, Gloria Ladson-Billings, Carol D. Lee, Martin Lipton, William J. Mathis, Deborah Meier, H. Richard Milner IV, Sonia Nieto, Jeannie Oakes, Jeanne M. Powers, D. C. Phillips, Diane Ravitch, Mike Rose, Peter Smagorinsky, Joshua P. Starr, Mark Weber, Kevin Welner, Ken Zeichner

Schools of Opportunity

Author: Adam York

Publisher: Teachers College Press

Published: 2023-01-27

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 0807768367

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Schools of Opportunity builds an argument for shifting the way that excellent schools are recognized and built. The National Education Policy Center's Schools of Opportunity project was designed to highlight public high schools that are using research-based practices for closing opportunity gaps in student learning. The project recognizes schools working to address the needs of all students, whether or not those schools have high average test scores. This approach thus embraces a shift away from the nation's myopic focus on outcomes. This follows from research findings that schools alone cannot fix the problems created by the stark inequalities in our society. Instead, schools should be expected to do their part by responding to inequities with research-based practices. With these shifts in mind, this book provides case studies of schools that demonstrate key criteria that other schools can emulate, such as an inclusive school climate, support for language-minority students, performance-based assessment, teacher professionalism, a commitment to detracking, and supports for students in need. Book Features: Provides accounts of school reform, jointly told by researcher-practitioner teams, connecting current research with successful efforts of educators to create outstanding learning environments. Brings together the voices of principals and school leaders who share stories of how their work has unfolded in their school, district, and state contexts. Identifies the school leadership and teacher practices that close opportunity gaps for student learning, and what it takes to implement them.

Understanding Educational Leadership

Author: Steven J. Courtney

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2021-01-28

Total Pages: 417

ISBN-13: 1350081833

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Understanding Educational Leadership guides you through critical perspectives and approaches across the world, taking in the global north and south, and explores the ways in which educational leadership is currently understood, theorised, researched, modelled and practised. The book also covers contemporary issues including gender, sexual identity and race, as well as topics such as governance, performativity and corporatisation. It brings together evidence and ideas that illuminate the power structures and relations in educational leaders, leading and leadership and helps you to consider the impact on policy and practice, and to think about changes needed to mitigate the issues identified. The book showcases a wide range of theorists, including Bourdieu, Foucault and Fraser. Its impressive scope includes analyses of collectivist, neoliberal and historical influences on educational leadership. It explores forensically leadership styles, with an explicit focus on distributed, instructional, democratic, autocratic, laissez-faire and organisational forms. Carefully curated by the editors, the world-leading contributors draw on their wealth of knowledge about research and practice to provide you with an overview of educational leadership today, looking at global research, evidence, arguments and conceptualisations. Each chapter is written in an engaging and inspiring way, following a consistent approach to help you to develop your understanding in each of the areas covered. Full pedagogical features throughout include chapter summaries, key questions, case studies, questions for readers and further reading suggestions with questions on key texts. A companion website provides links to open-access outputs, research-project outcomes, and networking seminars, conferences with links to local, national and global events and connections.

U.S. Education Reform and National Security

Author: Joel I. Klein

Publisher: Council on Foreign Relations

Published: 2014-05-14

Total Pages: 120

ISBN-13: 087609521X

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The United States' failure to educate its students leaves them unprepared to compete and threatens the country's ability to thrive in a global economy and maintain its leadership role. This report notes that while the United States invests more in K-12 public education than many other developed countries, its students are ill prepared to compete with their global peers. According to the results of the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), an international assessment that measures the performance of 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics, and science every three years, U.S. students rank fourteenth in reading, twenty-fifth in math, and seventeenth in science compared to students in other industrialized countries. The lack of preparedness poses threats on five national security fronts: economic growth and competitiveness, physical safety, intellectual property, U.S. global awareness, and U.S. unity and cohesion, says the report. Too many young people are not employable in an increasingly high-skilled and global economy, and too many are not qualified to join the military because they are physically unfit, have criminal records, or have an inadequate level of education. The report proposes three overarching policy recommendations: implement educational expectations and assessments in subjects vital to protecting national security; make structural changes to provide students with good choices; and, launch a "national security readiness audit" to hold schools and policymakers accountable for results and to raise public awareness.

Critical Perspectives on Teachers and Teaching

Author: Jessica Holloway

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-02-08

Total Pages: 141

ISBN-13: 100385012X

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This book draws attention to the new ways the field of education is problematising the emerging and evolving conditions that shape the work, lives and identities of teachers. It offers geographically diverse accounts of ‘the teacher’ and ‘teaching’, demonstrating what it means to do critical research well. Teachers and their practice have been, and continue to be, important sites of critical research. This book offers varied perspectives from diverse geographies to examine how teacher subjectivities are shaped by conditions of possibility. Collectively, they show how critiquing conditions (rather than the teachers themselves) provide a means for problematising ‘the teacher’, while also advocating the well-being of teachers as humans. Contributions offer compelling examples of how critical scholars can emphasise teaching as a political and value-laden exercise, and therefore treat the teacher subject as also being constituted through political and value-laden discourses. Critical Perspectives on Teachers and Teaching offers a provocation to inspire new questions moving forward. That is, critical researchers have an obligation to challenge taken-for-granted assumptions – not only by looking outwards at the policymakers, edu-businesses, and intergovernmental agencies (e.g., OECD), but also by looking inwards and challenging their assumptions about power, discourse and subjectivity. This book was originally published as a special issue of Critical Studies in Education.