Schools within schools : possibilities and pitfalls of high school reform / Valerie E. Lee & Douglas D. Ready.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lee, Valerie E.

Contributor:

Ready, Douglas D.

Series:

Series on school reform

The series on school reform

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

School improvement programs--United States--Case studies.

School improvement programs.

United States.

High schools--United States--Administration.

High schools.

Administration.

School size.

Genre:

Case studies.

Physical Description:

ix, 211 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Teachers College Press, [2007]

Summary:

How effective is whole-school high school reform, such as the Schools-Within-Schools (SWS) model? What benefits does it have for students and in which areas does it fall short? This book seeks to answer these questions through the compelling stories of five public high schools that have embraced the SWS method. In order to fully understand the effectiveness of such a system, Valerie Lee and Douglas Ready have delved into every aspect of the reform in these settings, including participants' reactions, curriculum structures, governance and leadership, and the allocation of students to the schools. The result is a thoughtful look at the SWS model that considers the benefits and problems of implementation, along with issues of equity and access. Provides the first comprehensive, systematic report on the Schools-Within-Schools reform. Offers suggestions for how this popular high school reform can be implemented to work for all students, not just the most academically able or socially advantaged. Follows five schools for several years to determine the long-term results of the reform.

Contents:

1 The Challenge of Large High Schools and the Promise of Schools Within Schools 6

Focusing on School Size 6

The Schools-Within-Schools Reform 12

Evaluating the Schools-Within-Schools Reform and Student Outcomes 19

2 Five High Schools Divided into Schools Within Schools 25

The Search for and Selection of Schools 25

School Portraits 27

3 Benefits of the Schools-Within-Schools Design 44

Conceptual Model Linking the Schools-Within-Schools Design to Student Outcomes 45

Portraits of Well-Functioning Subunits 48

Promising Initiatives for Student Learning 57

Outcomes for Teachers 62

4 Governance and Leadership in Schools-Within-Schools High Schools 66

Understanding School Governance 67

Schoolwide Governance 69

Subunit Governance 77

5 Curriculum and the Schools-Within-Schools Structure 85

Historical Backdrop for Today's High School Curriculum 86

The Schools-Within-Schools Structure and the Purposes of Secondary Education 88

6 Allocating Students to Subunits 104

Implications of Student Choice 104

Rationales for Students' Choices 106

Influences on Students' Subunit Choices 113

7 Equity, Access, and the Schools-Within-Schools Design 123

Influences on Subunit Segregation and Stratification 125

Defining Subunit Quality 130

The Product of Difference 133

Responses to Subunit Stratification 136

The Threat of Exit 138

8 Lessons and Recommendations Regarding Schools-Within-Schools High Schools 144

Lessons Drawn from the Schools-Within-Schools Reform 145

Recommendations to Schools Considering the Schools-Within-Schools Reform 156

Appendix A Research Procedures 187

Appendix B Subunit Descriptions 191.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 199-205) and index.

ISBN:

0807747521

9780807747520

OCLC:

70883081