A Dream Defaulted

The Student Loan Crisis Among Black Borrowers

Jason N. Houle and Fenaba R. Addo, Foreword by Ayanna Pressley

A Dream Defaulted explores how the student loan crisis disproportionately affects Black borrowers and why rising student debt is both a cause and consequence of social inequality in the United States.

Charter Schools at the Crossroads

Predicaments, Paradoxes, Possibilities

Chester E. Finn, Jr., Bruno V. Manno, and Brandon L. Wright

Charter Schools at the Crossroads offers a frank and nuanced analysis of the successes and shortcomings of the charter movement, and outlines possible directions for the future. Few observers present at the creation of the first charter schools a quarter-century ago could have predicted how rapidly this movement would spread or how thoroughly it would come to dominate the education reform agenda. And few recent debates in education have been as highly charged as those over charter schools’ roles, responsibilities, and results.

Chasing Success and Confronting Failure in American Public Schools

Larry Cuban

Eminent historian and educator Larry Cuban provides a thorough examination of, and challenge to, past and present definitions of what constitutes educational success in the US. Cuban argues that in the history of American education, standards of achievement and inadequacy—as well as the reform efforts issuing from them—have been neither stable nor consistent. Nor are these standards untainted by political considerations. Rather, schools thrive or decline based on a variety of factors, including social and political dynamics, leadership in school districts and communities, and policy improvisations.

Compete or Close

Traditional Neighborhood Schools Under Pressure

Julia A. McWilliams, Foreword by Maia Cucchiara

In districts from Chicago to New York to Washington, DC, neighborhood public schools are being forced to compete with charter schools for students and resources, often under the threat of school closure. In Compete or Close, Julia A. McWilliams provides a compelling ethnographic study of one such school, a neighborhood high school in Philadelphia—a district where rising privatization and chronic underfunding cast these common tensions into sharp relief. The book poses two questions: What strategies do schools deploy to minimize market risk and signal their value to stakeholders—district administrators, funders, parents, and students? And how do these strategies conflict with the schools’ mission to serve all children?

Confessions of a School Reformer

Larry Cuban

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In Confessions of a School Reformer, eminent historian of education Larry Cuban reflects on nearly a century of education reforms and his experiences with them as a student, educator, and administrator.

Continuous Improvement in High Schools

Helping More Students Succeed

Martha Abele Mac Iver and Robert Balfanz

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Continuous Improvement in High Schools gives educators and policymakers an accessible, actionable framework to address one of the nation's most important educational priorities: improving high school graduation and postsecondary preparedness rates.

Creating Research-Practice Partnerships in Education

William R. Penuel and Daniel J. Gallagher, Foreword by John Q. Easton

Creating Research-Practice Partnerships in Education is an invaluable resource for educators and researchers seeking to develop long-term collaborations in which educators and researchers work together to study and solve pressing problems of practice. Drawing on a wide range of examples, the authors describe the purposes for which partnerships may be organized, the forms that these endeavors may take, challenges that they typically face, and strategies for overcoming those challenges. The book includes tools and routines for working together as well as strategies for ensuring equity of participation on both sides.

Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Education

Designing Networks That Transform Schools

Edited by Martin Scanlan, Cristina Hunter, and Elizabeth R. Howard

Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Education provides a much-needed blueprint for how school leaders can leverage the power of collaborative learning to create more culturally and linguistically responsive schools.

Customized Schooling

Beyond Whole-School Reform

Edited by Frederick M. Hess and Bruno V. Manno

Customized Schooling aims to reorient discussions about school reform by moving away from “whole school” solutions to customized services and products.

Cutting Through the Hype

The Essential Guide to School Reform

Jane L. David and Larry Cuban

Revised, Expanded, and Updated Edition

Cutting Through the Hype: The Essential Guide to School Reform offers balanced analyses of 23 currently popular school reform strategies, from teacher performance pay and putting mayors in charge to turnaround schools and data-driven instruction.