Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from ChicagoIn 1988, the Chicago public school system decentralized, granting parents and communities significant resources and authority to reform their schools in dramatic ways. To track the effects of this bold experiment, the authors of Organizing Schools for Improvement collected a wealth of data on elementary schools in Chicago. Over a seven-year period they identified one hundred elementary schools that had substantially improved—and one hundred that had not. What did the successful schools do to accelerate student learning? The authors of this illuminating book identify a comprehensive set of practices and conditions that were key factors for improvement, including school leadership, the professional capacity of the faculty and staff, and a student-centered learning climate. In addition, they analyze the impact of social dynamics, including crime, critically examining the inextricable link between schools and their communities. Putting their data onto a more human scale, they also chronicle the stories of two neighboring schools with very different trajectories. The lessons gleaned from this groundbreaking study will be invaluable for anyone involved with urban education. |
What people are saying - Write a review
PROS
> strong systematic analysis
> truly well-variegated data sources used (that is, they chose a deliberate variety, in subclasses that made sense for the purpose(s))
> exciting depth of analysis, probes into deep, subtle influences on success
> authors are clear clearly in touch with the cutting edge thought and methodology in education reform
> methodologically reflective analysis, addressing key potential objections
============
CONS
> some statistical knowledge necessary as background (unavoidable in attempting this type of analysis)
> structuring of the (often quite dense) narrativizing portions could be improved (but an academic book like this likely does not have the budget to hire a dedicated editor/editing team, so it's to be expected, considering the relatively niche subject)
> no PDF version available, even to buy (had to gather up the PDF in small bits from different computers on an academic network, which was a pain... just let me buy it (with an sec ID watermark) guys, c'mon)
============
Sum
> must read in contemporary (modern, even?) education reform analysis; robust and compelling, if somewhat hard to digest
Notes:
1. was assigned this book for a college course in urban school reform
2. The other reviewers don't seem to be willing to grapple with the complexity of these particularly complex issues.
Contents
| 1 | |
A Rare Opportunity to Learn about School Improvement | 12 |
1 DEVELOPING APPROPRIATE OUTCOME INDICATORS | 29 |
2 A FRAMEWORK OF ESSENTIAL SUPPORTS | 42 |
3 TESTING THE FRAMEWORK OF THE ESSENTIAL SUPPORTS | 79 |
ORGANIZATIONAL MECHANISMS | 97 |
KEY ENABLERS | 137 |
6 THE INFLUENCES OF COMMUNITY CONTEXT | 158 |
Overview of the Fourteen Indicators for the Five Essential Supports | 231 |
Probability Experiment to Evaluate Results Presented in Figure 33 | 242 |
Interview Questions from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods | 245 |
Coeffi cients from Analyses of Leadership in Chapter 4 | 246 |
ValueAdded Replication Results for 1997 through 2005 | 250 |
Efforts of the Consortium on Chicago School Research to Build More Productive Ties between Research Practice and Policy to Improve Practice | 252 |
Notes | 257 |
References | 285 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Bibliographic information
| Title | Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago |
| Authors | Anthony S. Bryk, Penny Bender Sebring, Elaine Allensworth, John Q. Easton, Stuart Luppescu |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press, 2010 |
| ISBN | 0226078019, 9780226078014 |
| Length | 328 pages |
| Subjects | › › Education / Administration / General Education / Educational Policy & Reform / General Education / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |