Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 208
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9⅜
978-1-4758-3007-1 • Hardback • January 2017 • $70.00 • (£54.00)
978-1-4758-3008-8 • Paperback • January 2017 • $36.00 • (£28.00)
978-1-4758-3009-5 • eBook • January 2017 • $34.00 • (£26.00)
Kristen Campbell Wilcox has published widely on systems approaches to school improvement and culturally responsive pedagogies that support diverse learners’ success in school. Her research focuses, in particular, on cross-school and -district practices and policies that affect students’ experiences and learning opportunities in the classroom.
Hal Lawson’s published research regularly crosses boundaries between education, social welfare, and public health. This interdisciplinary approach reflects his long-standing interest in vulnerable, diverse children who need new school designs because they reside in challenging places.
Janet Angelis began her career in the classroom and has devoted the major part of it to linking the worlds of research and practice. She has authored or coauthored numerous articles for practitioners, researchers, and the public, including three books.
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
1. Schools as Innovation-Ready Learning Organizations
Kristen Campbell Wilcox, Hal A. Lawson, Janet Ives Angelis
2. A Climate of Trust
Janet Ives Angelis, Karen Gregory, Francesca T. Durand
3. Reciprocal Communications
Francesca T. Durand
4. Alignment and Coherence
Sarah J. Zuckerman, Hal A. Lawson, Kristen Campbell Wilcox
5. Readiness for Innovation
Francesca T. Durand, Hal A. Lawson
6. Instructional Adaptation
Kristen Campbell Wilcox
7. Whole Child Wellness and Positive Youth Development
Karen Gregory, Kristen Campbell Wilcox, Hal A. Lawson
8. Odds Beaters as Exemplars
Hal A. Lawson, Kristen Campbell Wilcox, Janet Ives Angelis
9. The Sample and the Schools
Kathryn S. Schiller, Janet Ives Angelis
About the Authors
With this volume, three equity-minded researchers cut through the sometimes confusing marketplace of school improvement stories to shine new light on what makes odds-beating schools work. The authors show what these schools do and draw on rich research to explain why those schools beat the odds. This practical scholarship can help educational leaders of all stripes understand how to lead for true systemic change on behalf of our nation’s traditionally underserved and most vulnerable students.
— Meredith I. Honig, University of Washington, Seattle
In countries across the world, schools struggle to raise the achievements of students from economically poor backgrounds. What this book demonstrates conclusively, however, is that demography need not be destiny. Some schools serving disadvantaged populations can and do beat the odds for their students. In this searching study, Wilcox and her colleagues demonstrate precisely how they do this and how other schools can learn from their work. Their findings have major implications for school leaders and policy makers in the US - but also in many other countries where educational equity is an issue.
— D.Alan Dyson, University of Manchester, England
The researchers provide not only exemplars of odds-beating schools during implementation of the Common Core but also inspiration to educators in schools with high percentages of disadvantaged students. This new research delivers an impactful resource that can be leveraged to bring clarity to efforts to ensure equitable learning opportunities and possibilities for success for diverse learning populations.
— David W. Ziskin, Superintendent of Schools, Fort Plain Central School District