Re-Creating Schools: Places Where Everyone Learns and Likes It

• Main Authors: Myers, Charles B, Simpson, Douglas J
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: Corwin Press, Inc 01-12-1997
• Subjects: Change Strategies; Educational Assessment; Educational Change; Educational Environment; Educational Innovation; Elementary Secondary Education; Learning Communities; Professional Development; School Restructuring
• ISBN: 0803964269; 9780803964266

Americans are increasingly disenchanted with what they perceive to be lackluster efforts to improve schools. Some new approaches are needed. Schools must be re-created by local school leaders and by teachers who will focus on their vision or visions of what their school culture, learning, and teaching would be like if all conditions were as they would like them to be. The ideas are contained in five chapters, which discuss the importance of envisioning the ideal school and address old myths about schools as factories. Schools are morally based communities--cultural constructs--and teaching is an experience-based intellectual construction. Teaching is a professional practice of problem identification and problem solving and teachers are ever-learning professionals. How-to steps on improving schools are presented, such as assessing current local school conditions sincerely and honestly. The book also describes the important dimension of evaluation and demonstrates ways to assess schools, teachers, and students that are consistent with the view of an ideal school. (Includes an index and contains approximately 290 references.) (RJM)