Urban Schools: Crisis and Revolution describes America's inner-city public schools and the failure of most to provide even a minimally adequate education for their students. With numerous examples, James Deneen and Carm Catanese argue that these failures are preventable. Early chapters document the two-tiered character of American public schools, the tragic consequences of failing schools for millions of students-mostly Black and Hispanic-and the financial costs to American society. In later chapters, Deneen and Catanese describe the special problems of inner-city schools and the changes in school organization and curriculum needed to overcome them. They also provide examples of schools in severely disadvantaged communities in which such changes have enabled students to succeed academically, graduate, and enter college. In the final chapters, the authors examine the public and non-public school options available to urban parents. They discuss school choice, a hotly debated issue in urban education. The book concludes with a plan, consisting of six recommendations, for reforming a failing urban school.

Schools That Succeed, Students Who Achieve compares the academic achievements of students in the United States to those of students in other countries. Examining fundamental questions and educational issues, James Deneen identifies what all students should learn and discusses what American students currently learn. Deneen argues that failing schools can become successful by studying examples of successful schools with similar demographic features. To that end, he presents profiles of ten successful elementary schools, seven middle schools, ten high schools, and three highly diverse but successful school districts. The examples contain a sampling of economically disadvantaged as well as affluent and financially average school communities. This book provides demographic data, evidence of student achievement, and descriptions of programs that contribute to each school and district's success, illuminating what successful schools do to improve student achievement regardless of-or sometimes because of-their socioeconomic status. In the final chapters of this book, Deneen describes the assessment and evaluation of curricular changes and summarizes the policies and practices that work to create successful schools.

Urban Schools: Crisis and Revolution describes America's inner-city public schools and the failure of most to provide even a minimally adequate education for their students. With numerous examples, James Deneen and Carm Catanese argue that these failures are preventable. Early chapters document the two-tiered character of American public schools, the tragic consequences of failing schools for millions of students-mostly Black and Hispanic-and the financial costs to American society. In later chapters, Deneen and Catanese describe the special problems of inner-city schools and the changes in school organization and curriculum needed to overcome them. They also provide examples of schools in severely disadvantaged communities in which such changes have enabled students to succeed academically, graduate, and enter college. In the final chapters, the authors examine the public and non-public school options available to urban parents. They discuss school choice, a hotly debated issue in urban education. The book concludes with a plan, consisting of six recommendations, for reforming a failing urban school.

Schools That Succeed, Students Who Achieve compares the academic achievements of students in the United States to those of students in other countries. Examining fundamental questions and educational issues, James Deneen identifies what all students should learn and discusses what American students currently learn. Deneen argues that failing schools can become successful by studying examples of successful schools with similar demographic features. To that end, he presents profiles of ten successful elementary schools, seven middle schools, ten high schools, and three highly diverse but successful school districts. The examples contain a sampling of economically disadvantaged as well as affluent and financially average school communities. This book provides demographic data, evidence of student achievement, and descriptions of programs that contribute to each school and district's success, illuminating what successful schools do to improve student achievement regardless of_or sometimes because of_their socioeconomic status. In the final chapters of this book, Deneen describes the assessment and evaluation of curricular changes and summarizes the policies and practices that work to create successful schools.

School administrators and teachers are being challenged on many fronts to demonstrate accountability through assessment, from early childhood through secondary education. Despite an explosion of demand, the underlying principles of sound assessment such as the valid use of examination results, their reliability, their efficiency in terms of teachers' and students' time, and their ethical use are often neglected. Addressed to in-service and pre-service teachers and administrators, this book reorders educational priorities, emphasizing the relation of what is taught to what is tested, educationally sound and effective preparation for assessments, exploring alternatives to paper and pencil tests, the appropriate interpretation and use of test results, communicating the meaning of assessment results to parents and communities, and using program evaluation to improve learning. This book attempts to overcome the negative feelings that some educators have about classroom and standardized testing. By providing practical knowledge and real-life examples of how assessment and evaluation should shape student learning, the book enables readers to understand how assessment can be a powerful positive force for good in schools.