Ronald G. Corwin – författare

Namboodiri and Corwin make a strong case for adopting a macro perspective in sociological investigations. They begin with an analysis of the micro perspective, with emphasis on the so-called individual as the unit of observation and analysis. They then proceed to a general discussion of the macro perspective, with particular emphasis on organizational networks as study objects. Rival paradigms for the analysis of organizations are reviewed. The study of interdependence among entities such as organizations is discussed and the use of input-output framework for such studies is expounded. Recommended for scholars conducting research or teaching courses on organizations in sociology, political science, and administration.

This book argues that the autonomy granted to choice schools has been a counterproductive dead end. Its authors see no proof that freedom has produced the outstanding results that charter school advocates promised. Nor has the competition from charter schools spurred the improvement in public schools that charter advocates predicted. Instead, charter schools and education vouchers promoted competition among schools that should be cooperating. Overburdened public school districts are faced with rivalry from schools that are merely duplicating conventional programs and competing for some students while ignoring others. Since choice schools are not meeting the expectations touted by their advocates, the authors maintain that they should be planned, monitored, and operated by school districts.The federal government is devoting millions of dollars to charter and voucher programs that currently require parents to abandon regular public schools. The goal of the authors of The School Choice Hoax is to expose the misleading hyperbole that has been driving the school choice movement and to show how charter schools can become more effective and useful to public school districts. Both authors have been following the school choice movement for over a decade. Together they bring to the topic an unusual blend of academic and practical knowledge derived from long, successful careers as a sociologist (Corwin) and former Deputy Executive Director of the American Association of School Administrators (Schneider). The authors have formed their conclusions from years of research and analysis and have devoted a great deal of attention to making sensible recommendations designed to make school choice models more useful to public schools. This book will be helpful to parents who are faced with the prospect of making choice work better.The authors' conclusions have been carefully drawn from, and documented with, current research derived from years of neutral observation. Throughout, the book is packed with observations about school choice that will inform parents, politicians, and other community members about the advantages and disadvantages of choice schools. The authors offer explanations that will help the average citizen understand and appraise overblown claims by advocates. They also provide detailed reviews of other reforms, some of which are already infused in existing choice models.

This definitive study concentrates on one fundamental aspect of complex organizations, the organization-environment relationship. Numerous theoretical frameworks are described and evaluated which are directly or indirectly relevant to this focus, and included are several chapters that deal with various aspects of this complex relationship.