Big-city school reforms : lessons from New York, Toronto, and London / Michael Fullan, Alan Boyle.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fullan, Michael, author.

Boyle, Alan, 1945- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Education, Urban--Case studies.

Education, Urban.

Educational change--Case studies.

Educational change.

Educational innovations.

Educational innovations--Case studies.

Genre:

Case studies.

Physical Description:

xi, 178 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Teachers College Press, [2014]

Summary:

Big cities have straggled to improve public school systems. This book shows why-and offers a framework for achieving future success. Fullan and Boyle, internationally renowned thinkers on school change, demonstrate that while the educational challenges of big cities may be overwhelming, they are not insurmountable. They draw on 10 years of research to identify six essential "push" and "pull" actions that enable big school systems to improve student achievement. Leaders must push to challenge the status quo, convey a high sense of urgency, and have the courage needed to intervene. But they need to also pull together to create a commonly owned strategy, develop professional power, and attend to sustainability. Examining three major cities-New York, Toronto, and London- through the decade of 2002-2012, this book weaves case studies with careful analysis and recommendations to hone in on which policies and strategies work best to raise the bar for all students and reduce the gap for the disadvantaged. Big-City School Reforms offers invaluable advice to those leading the next phase of school reform in cities around the world. This is an eminently practical book that focuses on big problems and big solutions. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Tackling the Challenges of Urban Education 1

Demographic Challenges for Urban School Systems 3

Attitudes Toward Equity Issues 6

Strategies for Improvement: Balancing Push and Pull Actions 8

The National Educational Contexts of the Case Cities 16

Conclusion 18

2 New York City: Restructuring Over Reculturing 21

Setting the Scene 21

Children First Reforms 26

Conclusion: The Limits of Restructuring 56

3 Toronto: Success Amidst the Rocks 59

Setting the Scene 59

Ontario Tri-Level Reform 66

Toronto District School Board 86

Conclusion: Success Amidst the Rocks 101

4 London: Success Against the Odds 102

Setting the Scene 102

London Challenge 110

East End Boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Hackney 116

Conclusion: Integrating Push and Pull 137

5 Lessons Learned: A Matter of Integrated Balance 139

Comparing Push-Pull Actions from the Cases 140

Scoring Balance in Reform Actions 141

Looking Ahead at System Reform 145.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780807755181

0807755184

9780807755198

0807755192

OCLC:

863632622