Education Empire : The Evolution of an Excellent Suburban School System

by Duke, Daniel Linden

• ISBN13: 9780791464939
• ISBN10: 0791464938
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-07-07
• Publisher: State Univ of New York Pr

Summary

Despite the fact that more than one-half of the students in the United States are educated in suburban schools, relatively little is known about the development of suburban school systems. Education Empire chronicles the evolution of Virginia's Fairfax County public schools, the twelfth largest school system in the country and arguably one of the very best. The book focuses on how Fairfax has addressed a variety of challenges, beginning with explosive enrollment growth in the 1950s and continuing with desegregation, enrollment decline, economic uncertainty, demands for special programs, and intense politicization. Today, Fairfax, like many suburbs across the country, looks increasingly like an urban school system, with rising poverty, large numbers of recent immigrants, and constant pressure from an assortment of special interest groups. While many school systems facing similar developments have experienced a drop in performance, Fairfax students continue to raise their achievement. Daniel L. Duke reveals the keys to Fairfax's remarkable track record.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	ix
List of Tables	xi
Preface	xiii
Introduction	1	(8)
Chapter 1. A Classroom a Day	9	(32)
Chapter 2. A Ten-Year Trial	41	(26)
Chapter 3. Growing Bigger and More Diverse	67	(26)
Chapter 4. The Intensification of Educational Politics	93	(26)
Chapter 5. Good Isn't Good Enough	119	(20)
Chapter 6. It Takes an Excellent School System to Ensure Excellent Schools	139	(20)
Chapter 7. Fairfax County Public Schools and the Future of Suburban Education	159	(14)
Notes	173	(2)
References	175	(18)
Index	193