In the past decade, Barr has opened seventeen charter high schools—small,
locally managed institutions that aim for a high degree of teacher autonomy
and parent involvement—in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, as well as one in the Bronx.
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It's rare we see a profile of people doing things for education that's as raw and detailed as this one. Most crop up in academic journals and trade publications and tend not to include extensive interviewing and firsthand reporting. This is a very readable, effective narrative, if slightly formulaic. New Yorker looks in-depth at the person (people) behind the programming.
It gets tiresome to praise the New Yorker on this site as often as we do, but it's pieces like this that give it the reputation it deserves. The ... More »
This is an interesting human interest story, but doesn't mention some of the critical factors, such as the effect of having primarily parents who are involved enough to get their children into the first school and whether the truant students in the second might be the "disgruntled" students that they couldn't find inside the school.
We need a lot of changes in our urban public schools, but this story didn't convince me that this is the way to do it.
A compelling look at the Green Dot charter school program in Los Angeles through a focus on its creator, Steve Barr. In depth. A fascinating character study: after reading this and other pieces about charter schools, it seems the most effective ones have leaders from outside the traditional education system. Presents a balanced view of this part of the school reform process.
After reading that Arne Duncan spoke to Barr about his program, I think that Los Angeles may become a primary focus of Duncan's "turnaround schools" ... More »
The quality is in the details, the narrative, the point of view. That point of view is not necessarily objective -- it is clear that Bar is the hero and Green Dot the successful educational innovation -- but it does not pretend to be. And the change in the schools is argument enough.
I think educational systems throughout the country have been failing the poor and the troubled, and applaud those who are making a difference.
I have issues with a few portions of the article. Here are my questions on one portion. I question some of the reporter's depictions of before and after. For example: he describes in the "before" scenario "layer upon layer of bureaucracy. Locke had two full-time employees who painted over graffiti.” [Note from Caroline: This doesn't clarify whether that was ALL they did, though it is clearly intended to imply that -- slippery wording or not? Are maintenance staff layers of ... More »
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