Critical Small Schools: Beyond Privatization in New York City Urban Educational Reform features the most current empirical research about the successes and challenges of the small schools movement and the implications of such for urban public educational policy. Situated in a climate of hierarchical reform, many of the principles of the original small schools movement-which are rooted in community participation, innovative pedagogies and assessment, and equity and social justice-have become obscured by an educational agenda that emphasizes top-down mandates and standards-based reform. With the increased popularity and the rapid proliferation of small schools, the emphasis on 'size only' has resulted in a bifurcation of the small schools movement; on one end are the small schools which have embraced the democratic, participatory, and self-governing nature of the original movement, while on the other end are schools that have simply reduced their size without rethinking school structures and practices. This book distinguishes the small schools featured and researched in this volume from schools that are simply small and labels them "critical small schools." By documenting the practices that take place in various critical small schools in New York City, we show how these schools have narrowed the achievement gap and increased graduation and college acceptance rates. Although smallness is an essential feature in the design of these schools, it is certainly not the only one and this volume illuminates the other elements that contribute to these schools' successes and shortcomings. Critical Small Schools also challenges the recent emphasis on charter schools as a panacea for urban educational reform. By featuring research about the inner workings of public schools, this volume challenges this new direction that steers successful school development away from public education. Moreover, as every site is fraught with some tension, Critical Small Schools not only offers glimpses into intellectually vibrant and democratic learning communities, but also acknowledges that these concepts are not static and necessitate continual reflection and renewal. At this pivotal moment in educational reform, this volume provides keen insight into the challenges and possibilities of the small schools movement and is indispensable for anyone interested in comprehensive public school reform.

Enter the Alternative School is an in-depth examination of public school alternatives to traditional educational models in the US. This book analyses how urban education can respond to a system growing increasingly standardised and privatised. As an example, Central Park East Secondary School (CPESS), a public alternative schooling model, successfully served predominantly low-income and minority students. It also changed the New York City public school system while promoting methods that allowed educational institutions to make changes in the lives of their students. Written by a sociologist who was both a student at CPESS and a teacher at a school developed from the CPESS model, the book analyses education from a range of vantage points, assesses outcomes, and invites readers to consider the potential of alternative educational models to address the challenges of reforms that attempt to provide quality education to the low-income and minority students otherwise under served by public schools.

"Enter the Alternative School" is an in-depth examination of public school alternatives to traditional educational models. This book analyzes how urban education can respond to a system growing increasingly standardized and privatized. As an example, Central Park East Secondary School (CPESS), a public alternative schooling model, successfully served predominantly low-income and minority students. It also changed the New York City public school system while promoting methods that allowed educational institutions to make changes in the lives of their students. Written by a sociologist who was both a student at CPESS and a teacher at a school developed from the CPESS model, " Enter the Alternative School" analyzes education from a range of vantage points, assesses outcomes, and invites readers to consider the potential of alternative educational models to address the challenges of reforms that attempt to provide quality education to the low-income and minority students otherwise underserved by public schools.

Critical Small Schools: Beyond Privatization in New York City Urban Educational Reform features the most current empirical research about the successes and challenges of the small schools movement and the implications of such for urban public educational policy. Situated in a climate of hierarchical reform, many of the principles of the original small schools movement-which are rooted in community participation, innovative pedagogies and assessment, and equity and social justice-have become obscured by an educational agenda that emphasizes top-down mandates and standards-based reform. With the increased popularity and the rapid proliferation of small schools, the emphasis on 'size only' has resulted in a bifurcation of the small schools movement; on one end are the small schools which have embraced the democratic, participatory, and self-governing nature of the original movement, while on the other end are schools that have simply reduced their size without rethinking school structures and practices. This book distinguishes the small schools featured and researched in this volume from schools that are simply small and labels them "critical small schools." By documenting the practices that take place in various critical small schools in New York City, we show how these schools have narrowed the achievement gap and increased graduation and college acceptance rates. Although smallness is an essential feature in the design of these schools, it is certainly not the only one and this volume illuminates the other elements that contribute to these schools' successes and shortcomings. Critical Small Schools also challenges the recent emphasis on charter schools as a panacea for urban educational reform. By featuring research about the inner workings of public schools, this volume challenges this new direction that steers successful school development away from public education. Moreover, as every site is fraught with some tension, Critical Small Schools not only offers glimpses into intellectually vibrant and democratic learning communities, but also acknowledges that these concepts are not static and necessitate continual reflection and renewal. At this pivotal moment in educational reform, this volume provides keen insight into the challenges and possibilities of the small schools movement and is indispensable for anyone interested in comprehensive public school reform.

Proud sponsor of the 2019 SAGE Keith Roberts Teaching Innovations Award -enabling graduate students and early career faculty to attend the annual ASA pre-conference teaching and learning workshop. The Sociology Student's Guide to Writing is a brief, economical reference work that gives practical advice about the writing tasks and issues that undergraduate students face in their first sociology courses. Along with more traditional topics, it incorporates valuable information about composing emails, writing for online forums, and using technology for information-gathering and note-taking. Used by itself or in combination with other texts, this book will increase the quality of student writing and enhance their knowledge of how sociologists communicate in writing.