Unlearning Failure: Can Urban Schools Be Transformed in the New Millennium?

Table of Contents:
Dedication Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Part I Chapter 1: Demythologizing the American History of Urban Public Schooling Chapter 2: The Emergence of Race in the Debate on Urban School Reform Chapter 3: The Infusion of Big, Federal Cash…Throwing Good Money After Bad Part II Chapter 4: Can Failure Be Unlearned? Can urban schools actually be transformed in the new millennium? Chapter 5: Can Competition Serve as the Jumpstart That Failing Urban Public Schools Need To Get Their Acts Together? Chapter 6: What is School Choice? Why is it the Only Viable Alternative to Failing Urban Schools in the New Millennium? References

About the Author :
Dr. Dierdre Glenn Paul, full professor at Montclair State University, is the author of four books, four book chapters, multiple journal articles and has made numerous presentations. Her most significant accomplishment, however, is being mom to two fantastic children.

Review :
For administrators, teachers, parents, and all stakeholders wanting to improve the underperformance of urban school systems, Dr. Paul’s Unlearning Failure: Can Urban Schools Be Reformed in the New Millennium? is a well-researched and documented resource. Beginning with a caveat that one size can never fit all learning institutions, Dr. Paul boldly calls for a major paradigm shift in what she characterizes as the continuing support of the models that have led to failing urban schools or “toxic schooling”. Her discourse reflects her many years and experiences in teaching, providing the optimal learning experiences for all students, regardless of race, socio-economic background or zip code. Unlearning Failure: Can Urban Schools Be Reformed in the New Millennium? is an excellent step towards our ‘knowing better’, and both the adaptation and implementation of its ideas is the essential step towards our ‘doing better’ for all of our children. In Unlearning Failure, Dr. Paul provocatively challenges readers on the right, left and center to reexamine the past and reimagine the future of urban education. Speaking as a teacher and scholar, Dr. Paul brings a unique and informed perspective on the many different forces that continue to plague our urban schools and challenge stakeholders to think differently about the problems and possible solutions. She is a determined advocate for the children in these schools who continue to suffer, decade after decade, from wrong-headed policies, inadequate teaching, substandard curriculum standards, and misaligned assessments. Whether you find yourself nodding in agreement or vigorously shaking your head, I am confident Dr. Paul will leave you thinking more deeply about the past, present and future of urban education in the United States.