Expect Miracles: Charter Schools And The Politics Of Hope And Despair

by Cookson,Peter

• ISBN13: 9780813341569
• ISBN10: 0813341566
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2003-08-01
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Charter schools are the most significant educational experiment in the last two decades. InExpect 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 examined from a sociological perspective. Using the latest research as the basis for discussion, this book provides a fresh look at the growing and politically volatile charter school movement. The authors present the most balanced analysis to date of the movement that is changing the landscape of American education.

Author Biography

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. 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.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Faith Versus Reason in Educational Reform,	1	(22)
Charter Schools: Created in the Image of Their Founders,	5	(8)
The Charter School Promise,	13	(6)
The Politics of Hope and Despair,	19	(4)
Part One: The Landscape of Charter Schools	23	(90)
The Educational and Social Context of the Charter School Movement,	23	(34)
How Charter Schools Work,	57	(9)
Turning Dreams into Reality: Building a Charter School,	66	(18)
The Many Faces of Charter Schools: Six States, Six Scenarios,	84	(13)
Projections Versus Actuals: Have Charter Schools Fulfilled the Promise,	97	(12)
Conclusion,	109	(4)
Part Two: The Social and Political Geology of Charter Schools	113	(24)
Postscript: The Goodness of America-An Education for Democracy	137	(8)
Curriculum as Stewardship,	139	(3)
The Goodness of America,	142	(3)
Appendix,	145	(36)
Source Notes,	181	(8)
Index,	189