Valerie E. Lee, Douglas D. Ready
Publication Date: January 15, 2007
Pages: 224
Series: series on school reform
How effective is whole-school high school reform, such as the Schools-Within-Schools (SWS) model? What benefits does it have for students and in which areas does it fall short? This book seeks to answer these questions through the compelling stories of five public high schools that have embraced the SWS method. In order to fully understand the effectiveness of such a system, Valerie Lee and Douglas Ready have delved into every aspect of the reform in these settings, including participants’ reactions, curriculum structures, governance and leadership, and the allocation of students to the schools. The result is a thoughtful look at the SWS model that considers the benefits and problems of implementation, along with issues of equity and access.
Valerie E. Lee is a professor in the School of Education at the University of Michigan. She also serves as a Faculty Associate at the University’s Institute for Social Research. Douglas D. Ready is an assistant professor of Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.
“An insightful and trenchant critique ….The stories Lee and Ready tell about these schools and the recommendations they make based on their research should be required reading for anyone concerned about improving secondary education in this country.”
Jeffrey Mirel, University of Michigan
“Lee and Ready's nuanced analysis of small school conversions offers sobering lessons for educators, reformers, and policymakers.”
David Ferrero, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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