Sponsored by the National Center on School Choice, a research consortium headed by Vanderbilt University, this volume examines the growth and outcomes of the charter school movement. Starting in 1992-93 when the nations first charter school was opened in Minneapolis, the movement has now spread to 40 states and the District of Columbia and by 2005-06 enrolled 1,040,536 students in 3,613 charter schools. The purpose of this volume is to help monitor this fast-growing movement by compiling, organizing and making available some of the most rigorous and policy-relevant research on K-12 charter schools. Key features of this important new book include:

Expertise The National Center on School Choice includes internationally known scholars from the following institutions: Harvard University, Brown University, Stanford University, Brookings Institution, National Bureau of Economic Research and Northwest Evaluation Association.

Cross-Disciplinary Thevolume brings together material from related disciplines and methodologies that are associated with the individual and systemic effects of charter schools.

Coherent Structure Each section begins with a lengthy introduction that summarizes the themes and major findings of that section. A summarizing chapter by Mark Schneider, the Commissioner of the National Center on Educational Statistics, concludes the book.

This volume is appropriate researchers, instructors and graduate students in educationpolicy programs and in political science and economics, as well as in-service administrators, policy makers, and providers.

Teaching the Global Dimension specifically responds to concerns such as inequality, justice, environment and conflict in chapters written by leading educationalists in the field. It explores both the theory and practice of 'global education' today and provides:

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• a framework for understanding global issues
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• a model identifying the key elements of good practice
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• insight into young people's concerns for the world and the future
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• tried and tested strategies for handling controversial global issues more confidently in the classroom
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• key concepts for planning appropriate learning experiences
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• a range of case studies which demonstrate the different ways in which a global dimension can be developed.

Inspiring, thought-provoking and highly practical, this book shows how teachers at any stage in their career can effectively and successfully bring a global dimension to the taught curriculum.

Presenting the work of a highly innovative partnership between the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education and eight secondary schools, this book explores this networked learning community which has helped to define the use and production of educational knowledge and research within and between various partners.

This book examines the central questions and gives examples of the outcomes of the development that will assist any researchers, especially teachers undertaking research, to develop school-university partnerships. Stories and examples from practitioners and others who worked directly in and with schools are presented throughout the book. It will appeal to a wide audience of practitioners and academics, and to all who are interested in how research and enquiry can be used to support the development of practice in schools.

Many new approaches to school improvement are being proposed in the current climate of assessment and school accountability. This book explores one of these approaches, a new model of leadership training known as Learner-Centered Leadership (LCL). It is built around the fundamental idea that learning and learning communities are natural processes that, when properly harnessed, can lead to the highest levels of professional engagement and problem solving. Key features of this exciting new approach to school leadership include the following: Broad-based and Generative-The book's narratives vividly illustrate the extraordinary ability of LCL to generate new approaches to leadership development. For example, encouraging and assisting school leaders to reflect on their own leadership attributes relative to the implementation of the school mission to ensure high teacher efficacy and student learning. In this respect the volume contributes significantly to the field of school leadership and professional development by extending above and beyond a narrow focus on instructional leadership. Practice Oriented-By creating communities that encourage conversation and analysis the new data-driven models of school improvement are more likely to be successfully implemented. Without analytical discourse, the process of interpreting school data and transforming it into practice would be largely lost. Conceptually Appropriate-The realization that everyone within a school (students, teachers, administrators) belongs to the same learning community minimizes status differences and encourages teamwork. The LCL administrator is much less likely to be authoritarian and power-oriented and much more likely to be transformative and student outcome focused. This book is appropriate for master's level courses and certification seminars, and for inservice workshops dealing with school leadership.

How interwoven are the lives of children, families, teachers and school leaders?
In this important new book seven authors bring together stories and questions about the lives of children, families, teachers and administrators. Lives are seen up close, in all their particularity, and explored in terms of the contexts that shape the experiences of students and staff. These stories provide an alternative view of what counts in schools, with a shift away from viewing the school as a business model towards an idea of schools as places to engage citizenship.
Building upon Jean Clandinin's 20 years of narrative inquiry where she worked and learned alongside school practitioners for extended periods of time, this book uses a narratively-constructed theoretical background of personal practical knowledge, professional knowledge landscapes, and stories to live by to provide both a language and a storied framework for understanding lives in school. In two urban multicultural schools in western Canada, the co-authors of this book engaged in narrative inquiries alongside children, teachers, families and principals. As these narrative inquiries were negotiated at each site the co-authors lived in the school, for the most part in particular classrooms alongside a teacher where, as relationships developed, children as well as some family members were invited to participate in the inquiry. Articulating the complex ethical dilemmas and issues that face people in schools every day, this fascinating study of school life and lives in school raises new questions about who and what education is for and provokes the re-imagining of schools as places to attend to the wholeness of people's lives.
Thecomplexities and possibilities of the meeting of diverse teachers', children's, families' and school leaders' lives in schools shape new insights about the interwoven lives of children and teachers, and raise important, lingering questions about the impact of these relationships on the unfolding lives ofchildren.

While the fierce debate over religion in public schools receives ample media attention, we rarely consider the implications of religious schools on moral education and liberal democracy. In this groundbreaking work, Walter Feinberg opens up a critical new dialogue to offer a complete discussion of the important role religious schools play in the formation of a democratic citizenry. Feinberg, a leading philosopher of education, approaches the subject of religious education with a rare evenhandedness, drawing on examples from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim schools and exploring topics as disparate as sex education and creationism. For Goodness Sake provides a much-needed take on a controversial topic, demonstrating that the relationship between religion and schooling is not simply the exclusive concern of members of a given religious community, but a relevant and vital issue for everyone who cares about education.

Reissuing three works originally published in 1984 and 1992, this collection brings together books across the issues of education and race. This small set will be of benefit to teachers and education researchers in these areas as well as those interested in education history.

School choice is a hot topic in the United States. Private school vouchers, public charter schools, open enrollment, and homeschooling all regularly appear on the policy agenda as ways to improve the educational experience and outcomes for students, parents, and the broader society. Pundits often make claims about the various ways in which parents select schools and thus customize their child's education. What claims about school choice are grounded in actual evidence? This book presents systematic reviews of the social science research regarding critical aspects of parental school choice. How do parents choose schools and what do they seek? What effects do their choices have on the racial integration of schools and the performance of the schools that serve non-choosing students? What features of public charter schools are related to higher student test scores? What effects does school choice have on important non-cognitive outcomes including parent satisfaction, student character traits, and how far students go in school? What do we know about homeschooling as a school choice? This book, originally published as a special issue of the Journal of School Choice, provides evidence-based answers to those vital questions.

First published in 1992. At one level, this book is about the care and education of children with very special needs. The needs result from emotional damage which impinges on their lives both at school and at home. At another level, it is about the development of a holistic approach to education - applicable to all children generally. The first part of the book describes the Raddery experience - a school set up in 1979 based on a holistic and therapeutic community approach to children with special needs. The second part of the book examines the implications of the Raddery experience for educational and child-care policy and practice at a time when there has been growing emphasis on integrating children with special needs into mainstream schools. Are the needs of the children at Raddery very different from others who have been successfully retained in normal classes? If Raddery, and schools like it, have a particular contribution, what is their secret? Can it be shared with ordinary schools?

Anyone who wants to know what is really happening in schools - behind all the hype and political rhetoric about the privatizing reforms in education - should read this book. It clarifies how private interests are influencing the public education process, and investigates Labour's successes and failures. These are critical moves for parents, teachers, school principals, head teachers and governors, student teachers, teaching assistants, researchers, administrators, government officials, politicians, taxpayers and in fact anyone interested in the future of education. In plain English, it shows how schools are set up, run and held to account through testing and inspection and how they make judgements about the relative merits of different schools' performances. It also indicates ways in which ordinary people can participate in shaping the future of education in order to achieve progress and better standards of achievement from schools and the education service generally. This is essential reading for all those concerned about the new future of our education system and of our children.

Overcoming barriers to learning and raising standards of achievement are central efforts in education. In the UK the government has made education its leading domestic priority and it has made education the center of its drive to improve public services by using the private sector to bring about improvements in performance and to break the status quo. Likewise, throughout the world private interests are now impinging heavily upon how state education is perceived; the 'educational apartheid' between state and private is diminishing across schools and local authorities. This book provides an incisive commentary on this rapidly changing phenomenon through clarification, analysis and evaluation of a variety of policy initiatives and implementation issues in the UK and by assessing parallel developments elsewhere in the world.
The ways in which change is being forced along in a range of guises from public partnerships to private company deals are illustrated with many real and contentious examples. Partnership arrangements, sponsorships, new categories of state independent schools and private sector take-overs of schools and education authorities form the patchwork of how state education is becoming privatized. Will these changes bring more choice and improved standards? How valuable to parents is the information presented in league tables and inspection reports? How will this impact on the future of education? This provocative and critical book moves forward this highly topical debate by providing a direct, in-depth and jargon free commentary on what is happening under the banner of privatization.

This book analyses the ways in which schools in urban areas are shaped and influenced by social, economic and political forces within the social environment. Utilizing research from schools in Chicago, the book shows how schools attempt to respond to external factors that are typically seen as being beyond the control of schools. These external factors include demographic change (i.e. immigration), poverty, drug trafficking, violence and social inequality: issues that confront urban schools throughout the United States. The central argument of the book is that unless strategies are devised to address these external forces, it is unlikely that schools will succeed in serving the academic needs of students.
Increasingly, the term urban is a social and cultural construct, used to describe economically depressed inner-city neighborhoods and the people who live there, rather than a geographic concept. Schools in such communities are typically regarded as some of the worst in the nation, and many have been written off as hopeless academic wastelands. Yet, for poor children and their families, such schools constitute the last remnant of the social safety net; the only public institution that is required by law to serve their needs. The basic contention of this book is that though the obstacles faced by urban schools are formidable, action for improvement is possible when strategies are devised that deliberately seek to address external constraints.
The book consists of six chapters. The first two situate the study within the national debate over school reform and urban poverty. Chapters three through five provide case studies in which efforts undertaken by schools to address larger social and economic issues are explored. The final chapter analyzes the policy implications of the research and the cases that are presented.

School Education, the third volume of Charlotte Mason's Homeschooling Series, consists of thoughts about the teaching and curriculum of children aged 9-12, either at school or at home. She suggests that parents should practice what she calls "masterly inactivity"-not neglectful or permissive parenting, but simply allowing children to work things out for themselves, do things for themselves, learn from their own mistakes, and to have time for free play, and space for spontaneity. Charlotte Mason uses "living books" instead of dry textbooks; in this book, she discusses what kinds of books to look for in each subject, and how to use them to teach children to love knowledge and become real readers and lifelong learners. Charlotte Mason was a late nineteenth-century British educator whose ideas were far ahead of her time. She believed that children are born persons worthy of respect, rather than blank slates, and that it was better to feed their growing minds with living literature and vital ideas and knowledge, rather than dry facts and knowledge filtered and pre-digested by the teacher. Her method of education, still used by some private schools and many homeschooling families, is gentle and flexible, especially with younger children, and includes first-hand exposure to great and noble ideas through books in each school subject, conveying wonder and arousing curiosity, and through reflection upon great art, music, and poetry; nature observation as the primary means of early science teaching; use of manipulatives and real-life application to understand mathematical concepts and learning to reason, rather than rote memorization and working endless sums; and an emphasis on character and on cultivating and maintaining good personal habits. Schooling is teacher-directed, not child-led, but school time should be short enough to allow students free time to play and to pursue their own worthy interests such as handicrafts.

Education and Conflict is a critical review of education in an international context. Based on the author's extensive research and experience of education in several areas afflicted by conflict, the book explores the relationship between schooling and social conflict and looks at conflict internal to schools. It posits a direct link between the ethos of a school and the attitudes of future citizens towards 'others'. It also looks at the nature and purpose of peace education and war education, and addresses the role of gender and masculinity.
In five lucid, vigorously argued sections, the author brings this thought-provoking and original piece of work to life by:
* Setting out the terms of the debate, defining conflict and peace and outlining the relevant aspects of complexity theory for education
* Exploring the sources of conflict and their relations to schooling in terms of gender/masculinity, pluralism, nationalism and identity
* Focusing on the direct education/war interface
* Examining educational responses to conflict
* Highlighting conflict resolution within the school itself.
This is the first time that so many aspects of conflict and education have been brought together in one sustained argument. With its crucial exposure of the currently culpable role of formal schooling in maintaining conflict, this book will be a powerful and essential read for educational policy makers, managers, teachers and researchers dealing with conflict in their own contexts.

An exploration of the variables that contribute to the improvement of literacy instruction in large urban school districts. The text grew out of a five-year initiative known as The Dallas Reading Plan - a 50 million dollar collaborative effort between area business and corporate interests, philanthropy, and the Dallas Independent School District. Features include: an analysis of systemic reform factors from the varied viewpoints of key stakeholders (such as change management experts, university scholars, school leaders, teachers, and educational researchers) involved in the improvement of urban literacy education in a major school district; concise reporting on the effects of long-term teacher development programmes built upon scientific research; quantitative and qualitative research data on the improvement of teacher performance in literacy instruction gathered over a five-year period. systemic reform efforts in urban settings; insights into the benefits of principal training as part of creating effective school-wide literacy programmes; and data showing that previously ineffective teachers can become effective literacy educators through deep and sustained professional development.

Leading Schools to Learn, Grow, and Thrive provides a unique approach to preparing prospective education leaders by combining theory, research, and practice. Grounded in organizational and leadership theory, this book helps leaders understand their schools and districts from multiple perspectives and develop their own leadership aspirations, approaches, and missions. Well-known authors Brazer, Bauer, and Johnson present authentic practical problems, illuminate them with appropriate theory and research, and give readers opportunities to solve common puzzles as a means to grow wisdom about how to lead, especially when confronted with complex challenges. This book is an invaluable resource for aspiring leaders, one that readers will reference as they proceed through their leadership coursework and keep close at hand throughout their leadership career. Special Features: eResources-complementary resources for instructors and students, including a set of authentic role-playing scenarios accessible from https://www.routledge.com/9781138039100 Vignettes-introduce the reader to real-life dilemmas that impact teaching and learning and provide a central reference point for discussions of theory, research, and practice. Theory and Research-frameworks and examples inform common leadership challenges, helping readers expand their knowledge and experience base to explore situations similar to their own contexts. Puzzles-real-world situations test knowledge and provide opportunities to practice ideas for effective leadership. Thought Partner Discussions (TPCs) and Extended Web Activities (EWAs)-additional thought activities, opportunities for reflection, and suggestions for discussion provoke puzzle solving.

By taking a detailed look at the implementation and management of intensive interaction in schools, the authors of this text offer practical guidance on how to get the most from the approach in a school context.;The text includes: guidance on managing priorities, training issues, power dynamics and coping with OFSTED; advice on setting up and running evaluation projects; clear links to the National Curriculum for SEN; case studies from special and mainstream schools; and a glossary of terms.;Aimed at practitioners, co-ordinators and managers in schools using intensive interaction with pupils who have severe and complex learning difficulties, the text addresses a range of challenges across special, inclusive and ever-changing contexts.

Providing a practical guide to strategic management in the field of special educational needs, this text gives the reader a framework for raising achievement throughout the school.

By focusing on how to manage SEN strategically, rather than on planning for individual children, it shows how you can make it part of the overall school improvement process.

The text also provides tools that SENCOs, headteachers and governors can use to analyze data, set objectives, measure and evaluate outcomes for SEN just as they do for other areas of the curriculum. Included are sections on: school self-evaluation; school development plans; the evidence base for different forms of provision; developing staff; and how to minimize bureaucracy.

Helpful for OFSTED planning and securing best value, "Special Educational Needs and School Improvement" also enables schools to target limited resources where they should have most impact on promoting inclusion and raising attainment for all.

'It's stimulating stuff: more of a guide to reflection, perhaps, than to action, but encouraging none the less as a counterblast to the control-and-command mentality that characterises mosr education policy and practice today.' - Michael Duffy, TES

'It's stimulating stuff: more of a guide to reflection, perhaps, than to action, but encouraging none the less as a counterblast to the control-and-command mentality that characterises mosr education policy and practice today.' - Michael Duffy, TES

A fascinating study into the first years of literacy instruction. Marie Clay explores the underlying competencies required for successful reading and argues for the importance of inner strategic control in developing readers.

Addressing leadership issues in American schools, this volume examines various strategies for creating inclusive schools, including zero tolerance policies, teachers' perceptions of African American principals' leadership in urban schools, and perceptions of intergroup conflict.

"Ensuring Safe School Environments: Exploring Issues--Seeking Solutions" presents research findings and information about school violence, with a focus on strategies for increasing school safety. Based on a special topical issue of "Rural Special Education Quarterly," the original journal articles have been rewritten to address safe schools from the perspective of suburban and urban, as well as rural environments. Topics include the frequency of violence in these different settings; violence as it directly impacts school administrators; strategies for preventing and addressing violence at both the school and individual levels; and ways to work with the community both in and out of schools. Part I focuses on issues. In Part II, solutions that have been used to deal with youth violence are offered for readers to consider, including chapters on effective conflict management practices, behavioral support plans, school-community relations, the development of a caring school community as a way to decrease tendencies toward violence, and a model which demonstrates an in-practice, state-wide program designed to assist in the development of a community-focused school. Each chapter concludes with discussion questions and a case study to enhance understanding of and reflection on the issues surrounding school violence.
The text is intended as supplementary material for any course preparing school administrators. Presenting both research and practice, the text can be a guide for practicing school administrators in their search for ways to insure the safety and well being of the students whom they serve, as well as a resource for individuals in other community-based human service agencies who deal with school violence.

Is there really a discernable difference between the education provided by public and private schools? Is it true, as advocates of voucher plans assert, that market driven education results in improved educational practice, greater parental involvement, and heightened student achievement? Not necessarily.

Through advocates of school privatisation have, in the past, produced compelling evidence to support their claims of private school superiority and campaigned for state voucher programs, other, equally compelling, studies have repeatedly shown that socio-economics plays the defining role in determining student achievement

Straightforward and authoritative, All Else Equal, challenges us to reconsider vital policy decisions and rethink the issues facing our current educational system.

Self-evaluation is going global. This book describes what happened when teams of school students from across the world embarked on the trip of a lifetime to explore the school lives of their international contemporaries.
The students involved in The Learning School project used a variety of tools to evaluate the learning, motivation and self-evaluation abilities of school students in the UK, Sweden, Japan, Germany, the Czech Republic, South Africa and South Korea. From the easy freedom of the Swedish school to the highly structured day in the Czech Republic, this study shows that success and effectiveness in education really is in the eye of the beholder.
The results of this study have significant implications for school leaders and managers, policy makers and academics, and all those concerned with school improvement. This lively and accessible book makes intriguing and important reading, raising fundamental questions about how we judge quality and effectiveness in teaching and learning.