xi
C h a p t e r 1 Educators Improve Schools 1Demographics and Student Achievement 2
Competing Narratives of School Reform 4
Educator Identity, Agency, and Choice 10
Closing the Opportunity Gap: Policy Recommendations and Guiding Principles 11
Core Principles to Reverse Patterns of Underachievement 12
Concluding Th oughts 13
C h a p t e r 2 A Brief History of Education Reform and Its Scientifi c Basis 16Landmark Reform Initiatives and Decisions 16
Th e Scientifi c Fragility of 21st Century Reforms 23
Th e Suppression of Scientifi c Evidence in the Corporate Reform Narrative 29
Concluding Th oughts 34
C h a p t e r 3 Education Reform at Sanchez School: A Principal’s Account 36Building Turnaround Momentum: 1999–2004 37
Reconstituting Sanchez School as a “Dream School”: 2004/2005 45
Rebuilding the School Community: 2005–2012 50
School Turnaround Challenges 54
Th e Dynamic Interplay of Policies, Ethics, and Educator Identities 58
Concluding Th oughts 60
C h a p t e r 4 Shared Leadership and the Role of the Principal 62Origins of a Leadership Philosophy 62
Rationale and Empirical Basis for Shared Leadership 64
Evolution of a Shared Leadership System 65
Teachers’ Experiences of the Shared Leadership Structures 79
Concluding Th oughts 81
T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s
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C h a p t e r 5 Accountability That Connects Instruction and Assessment 82The Destructive Effects of a Broken Accountability System 83
Successful Jurisdictions Use Effective Accountability Provisions 85
Two-Way Instruction and Assessment Connections at Sanchez School 87
School-Based Accountability Options 89
Effective Instructional Leadership and Accountability 98
Concluding Thoughts 102
C h a p t e r 6 Pre-Kindergarten: A Foundation for Academic Growth 104Why Is Preschool Education Important? 106
Evolution of the Sanchez School Early Childhood Education Program 108
A Window into a Preschool Classroom in Sanchez School 115
Insights from the Preschool Experience at Sanchez School 125
Concluding Thoughts 128
C h a p t e r 7 Enhancing Educational Quality through School and Community Partnerships 129Partnering for Students’ Health 130
Working Together to Improve Food and Nutrition 132
Collaborating for Green Spaces 137
School-Community Development Framework 146
Partnering for Literacy Development 147
Assessing the Results 149
Applying Shared Leadership Principles to School-Community Partnerships 152
Concluding Thoughts 152
C h a p t e r 8 Expressing the Self: Integrating the Arts across the Curriculum 154Exclusion of the Arts Undermines Educational Quality 155
Arts-Integrated Curriculum: A Sketch of the Research Evidence 156
Expanding Modes of Expression and Knowing through Arts-Integrated Learning 159
Music Instruction as a Means of Expanding Learning for All Students 167
Gardening by the Moon Project 169
Concluding Thoughts 172
Table of Contents xiii
C h a p t e r 9 Lessons Learned: Insights from One School’s Experience 174Federal, State, and District Level Initiatives 175
School and Classroom Level Initiatives 180
School Leadership 182
Concluding Thoughts 187
Epilogue 190 References 193 Index 203