Expect Miracles: Charter Schools And The Politics Of Hope And Despair / Edition 1

by Peter Cookson, Kristina Berger, Peter W. Cookson Jr

Overview

Charter schools are the most significant educational experiment in the last two decades. In Expect Miracles, Peter W. Cookson, Jr. and Kristina Berger focus on the current trend toward deregulation in public education. The issue of deregulation is of critical importance because the spirit of entrepreneurship that is behind deregulation is seldom ex

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367315627
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/19/2019
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Peter W. Cookson, Jr., is senior research associate in the Department of Sociology at New York University. Caroline Hodges Persell is professor and chairperson in the Department of Sociology at New York University. Kristina Berger has worked in New York City's educational and nonprofit sector for more than ten years, and is currently the Director of Planning and Grants at the national office of the "I Have a Dream" Foundation in New York City. Berger holds a Masters Degree in Sociology of Education and Education Policy from Columbia University's Teachers College, and BA degrees in History and Political Science from Northwestern University.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Faith Versus Reason in Educational Reform, Charter Schools: Created in the Image of Their Founders, The Charter School Promise, The Politics of Hope and Despair, Part One: The Landscape of Charter Schools, The Educational and Social Context of the Charter School Movement, How Charter Schools Work, Turning Dreams into Reality: Building a Charter School, The Many Faces of Charter Schools: Six States, Six Scenarios, Projections Versus Actuals: Have Charter Schools Fulfilled the Promise, Conclusion, Part Two: The Social and Political Geology of Charter Schools, Postscript: The Goodness of America-An Education for Democracy, Curriculum as Stewardship, The Goodness of America,

Editorial Reviews

At last a book about the charter school movement that cuts through the myths and claims of the contestants in this volatile public policy issue to lay out the parameters of the debate in a clear and, for the most part, dispassionate way. Do students learn better and score higher in innovative, small schools? Are charter school parents more involved in their children's education than their public school counterparts? Most important, have charter schools lived up to their promise of becoming "examples of educational innovation that would encourage public school educators to raise their standards, become more imaginative, and generally revitalize public education?" Yes and no. Sociologists Cookson and Berger present the data in a balanced and comprehensive way and allow readers to draw their own conclusions. The authors carefully analyze the findings on charter schools and educational deregulation in terms of the promises of American democracy: that all children are entitled to equal educational opportunities, that public education must be free and universally available to all children, that educational advancement based on family wealth must cease and that the curricula of schools should reflect our core democratic values. This objective yet principled treatise finds the charter school movement deficient in virtually all of these and other categories. Cookson and Berger's hopeful book is essential reading for legislators, school board members, parents and teachers who want to make an informed decision about charter schools and the future of American education. (July) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Noting that education is inescapably political, Cookson (Teachers College, Columbia U.) and education consultant Berger examine the political and educational development of the national charter school movement. They identify a desire to escape bureaucracy as a major impetus in all of the fragmented charter school currents. They argue that charter schools are difficult to establish, dependent on original founders, fail to live up to the promises of movement reformers, and recreate unequal class relations. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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