SUNY series, Restructuring and School Change – serie

Provides a rare look at how successive waves of educational reforms have interacted within a single school district.A Geology of School Reform provides a rare look at how successive waves of reform have interacted within a single school district. Among the questions raised are: Which practices proved destructive to the learning of students and the morale of teachers? What innovations have practitioners kept despite changes in educational fashion?The Cottonwood School District, which began as two rural schoolhouses in the early 1950s, is followed through the experiments of the 1960s; the back-to-basics movements of the 1970s; and the innovations of the 1980s. The successive waves of reform had different meanings for various professional and community groups within this culturally diverse district. Educators, enmeshed in the priorities of previous reforms, often resisted subsequent changes. Although the differences that arose between them and their communities sometimes required facilitators to assist communication, collaborative decision making has helped Cottonwood to deal with these changes.

Describes the process of collaborative educational reform in the context of the professional development school model. First-person stories describe how "reformed" schools and universities look and assess the impact of such reform on students, teachers, and colleges of education.Lessons from Restructuring Experiences describes the process of collaborative educational reform in the context of the professional development school model. First-person stories and literature reviews show how "reformed" schools and universities look and assess the impact of such reform on students, teachers, and colleges of education.Intended for readers interested in establishing or assessing collaborative reform efforts, the book is organized in three units. The first provides an overview that will enhance readers' understanding of professional development schools and school restructuring. The authors review and highlight important concepts and processes in collaborative restructuring. The second unit brings the concepts and processes of collaborative change to life by sharing the stories of teachers and administrators in elementary and secondary professional development schools. The third unit addresses the complex issue of assessing the outcomes of restructuring in both schools and the university.

A critical look at the influence of the business community on the school reform movement, specifically how popular business management theories have been used as "tools" to produce a "workforce" for the 21st century.Focusing on the influence of the business community on schools, this book describes how popular business management theories and production processes have been imported into schools during periods of societal upheaval in order to create a sense of order and efficiency while meeting the objective of producing a workforce that meets the specifications set down by employers.Unlike other books that say why schools need to be reformed or how that reform should proceed, this study takes a critical look at the latest call to restructure schools in light of the economic, social, and political forces that affect the education establishment and the children of our nation.

A "tale from the trenches" of educational reform, this book chronicles a year in the life of four teachers as they implement an innovative new program.This remarkably candid "tale from the trenches" follows four teachers as they implement "Connections"—an interdisciplinary, inclusive program option for ninth-grade students at "Cedar City" High School. As Sheryl (English), Dan (science), Bernie (social studies), and Tim (special education) forge bonds of community, collaboration, and collegiality, their experiences take on the dimensions of an epic journey, or odyssey. Interpreted through an ecological lens, this book offers important insight into the world of teaching in an era of school reform.The Connections journey was marked both by stories of triumph and tales of crisis. The stories reflected an emerging vision not only of Connections as an interdisciplinary program, but of the teaching team as a collaborative, collegial community. By illuminating the real world of Connections, this book offers insights for teachers and administrators, policy makers and students, and all who value community, collaboration, and collegiality in schools.

A "tale from the trenches" of educational reform, this book chronicles a year in the life of four teachers as they implement an innovative new program.This remarkably candid "tale from the trenches" follows four teachers as they implement "Connections"—an interdisciplinary, inclusive program option for ninth-grade students at "Cedar City" High School. As Sheryl (English), Dan (science), Bernie (social studies), and Tim (special education) forge bonds of community, collaboration, and collegiality, their experiences take on the dimensions of an epic journey, or odyssey. Interpreted through an ecological lens, this book offers important insight into the world of teaching in an era of school reform.The Connections journey was marked both by stories of triumph and tales of crisis. The stories reflected an emerging vision not only of Connections as an interdisciplinary program, but of the teaching team as a collaborative, collegial community. By illuminating the real world of Connections, this book offers insights for teachers and administrators, policy makers and students, and all who value community, collaboration, and collegiality in schools.

Explores the intersection of two central issues in American education today: school reform through restructuring and alienation from school of many children of color. A tough look at the impact of teachers' and administrators' beliefs and practices.Winner of the 1998 American Educational Studies Association Critics' Choice Titles This book challenges common assumptions about the efficacy of teacher collaboration, empowerment, and professional development to improve the educational experiences of low-achieving African American students without engaging the political and ideological contexts in which reforms take place. Written in a clear, engaging style, the book tells the story of two restructuring junior high schools in a single district, and how teachers' ideologies and race, class, and power contradictions in the schools, school district, and city shaped outcomes. Although the book is a critique of restructuring, powerful portraits of teachers who create culturally responsive and empowering educational experiences demonstrate the potential to reform educational practices and policies for African American students and suggest a direction for transforming schools.

Rather than simply lamenting that there is never enough time in the school day, this book looks at the dimensions of time as a significant factor in the success and failure of many of today's school reform efforts.As the education reform movement matures into its second decade, it is clear that many promising efforts have fallen short in their attempts to create real school change. One reason for this is that the process of school reform is much more complex than most reformers realized or were willing to acknowledge. The Dimensions of Time and the Challenge of School Reform points to another problem-the problem of time-and its role in both the success and failure of school reform efforts. The importance of understanding the role that time plays in both learning and instruction and finding ways to provide time for teachers grappling with change and students learning to accommodate a new language and culture are important themes in this book. This book is directed to policymakers and practitioners as well as to academics in that it combines theory with the "real world" experiences of many who have been active in the school reform movement and who have learned, through trial and error, how to think about time in innovative ways.[Contributors include Lorin Anderson, Judy Fish, Patricia Gándara, Anne Jaramillo, Carolyn Kneese, John Lofty, Catherine Minicucci, Audrey Noble, Laurie Olsen, Allan Pitman, Susanna Purnell, Robert Reichardt, Thomas Romberg, Mary Lee Smith, and Jon Wagner.]

Provides the basis for thoughtful reflection and discussion of school accountability by critically examining Kentucky's groundbreaking educational reform strategy of statewide student assessment and teacher accountability.Accountability, Assessment, and Teacher Commitment offers a vantage point to draw lessons from, and ponder alternatives to, the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), a state school reform effort based on a system of statewide student assessment and high-stakes accountability for teachers. It documents classroom realities and probes the consequences of this type of reform through case studies, comparisons to alternative models, and thought-provoking responses from national experts.Contributors include Lola Aagaard; Terry I. Brooks; Jan Calvert; Pamelia Coe; Dick Corbett; Letitia Hichstrasser Fickel; Donna Gaus; Marilyn Hohmann; Ken Jones; Patricia J. Kannapel; A. Richardson Love Jr.; Christy D. McGee; Lynne Miller; Beverly D. Moore; Cynthia A. Reeves; David Ruff; Gordon Ruscoe; Linda Shelor; Debra Smith; John Snyder; Patricia A. Wasley; Anne Wheelock; and Betty Lou Whitford.

Presents powerful lessons about the realities of school reform by portraying the experiences of five teachers involved in a restructuring initiative.This book vividly portrays the experiences of five secondary teachers who were involved in a school restructuring initiative that focused on interdisciplinary curriculum development, team teaching, and block scheduling. Though much has been written during the past decade concerning the need for fundamental restructuring of American schools, the track record in accomplishing change is extremely weak. One reason for this is the lack of understanding of what change means from the point of view of teachers, who are both the objects and subjects of change efforts. The year the authors spent with the teachers resulted in a deeper understanding of the phenomenology of change experiences that can be used to develop more fruitful, empowering, and teacher sensitive strategies. The story of the change experience is presented through five interlocking and mutually reinforcing themes that dominated the teachers' experience and understanding: uncertainty; intensification; lack of administrative leadership; subject allegiance versus team loyalty; and craft pride, caring, and moral purpose.

Independent researchers interview urban middle school students to get their impressions of the teachers that help them to succeed in schools.According to the many student voices in this book, urban middle school students want teachers who "stay on them" to complete their work, maintain orderly classrooms, give them the extra help they need to succeed, explain their work clearly, draw on a variety of teaching strategies, and make their work relevant and meaningful. This book, rich in detail, brings these inner-city students' perspectives to life and issues a compelling call for urban school reform that actually touches students' daily lives.

Shows how education reforms take place within cauldrons of political interests and conflicting values and beliefs.Based on an examination of four school districts facing the prospect of court-ordered detracking, Legal Rights, Local Wrongs challenges fundamental assumptions about the opportunities for equity-minded educational reform. Welner studied districts across the country in San Jose, California; Wilmington, Delaware; Woodland Hills, Pennsylvania; and Rockford, Illinois. These case studies show how white upper middle class parents exercised a disproportionate amount of power in local school policy making, and how that power was wielded to hinder reform opportunities intended to benefit low-income students of color. He shows how many school reforms must arise and develop within cauldrons of political interests and conflicting values and beliefs. This reform context is very different from the politically neutral environments presupposed by conventional school change literature. The book's political and normative focus accordingly examines the least often addressed-and yet most daunting-obstacles standing between America and the just, equitable schools portrayed in American rhetoric.

Analyzes how teachers attempt to translate the language of reform into pedagogical action.Talking about a Revolution tells the story of school reform from the perspective of teachers engaged in it, illuminating the complexity of teachers' roles in transforming policy into practice. Al, Brian, and Camille teach at a large, comprehensive high school in a suburb of a major mid-western city. They use the languages of educational reform to inspire new ways to think about teaching, to shield themselves from the confusion of contradictory understandings of reform, and to construct a shared understanding of what reformed teaching might mean.

Raises provocative questions about the efficacy, viability, and sustainability of professional learning communities.This book raises provocative questions about the efficacy, viability, and sustainability of professional learning communities given the present political and structural realities of public schools. The culmination of six years of research in five states, it explores real world efforts to establish learning communities as a strategy for professional development and school improvement. The contributors look at the realities of these communities in public schools, revealing power struggles, logistical dilemmas, cultural conflicts, and communication problems-all forces that threaten to dismantle the effectiveness of learning communities. And yet, through robust and powerful descriptions of particularly effective learning communities, the authors hold out promise that they might indeed make a difference. Anyone persuaded that learning communities are the new "magic bullet" to fix schools needs to read this book, including teacher educators, educational leaders and practitioners, professional developers, and educational leadership faculty.