A Fragile Enterprise
Yesterday’s Schools and Tomorrow's Students
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- $36.99
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- $36.99
Publisher Description
A Fragile Enterprise recounts true stories the front lines of the struggle between the entitled few and the marginalized many in America’s public schools. In this book, you'll learn about the national narrative of education from the viewpoint of students and their families. You'll discover:
• That despite the massive expenditure of public funds, large-scale national education improvement efforts have largely failed
• That failing schools seldom have the resources and skills to implement the programs that are thrust upon them.
• That the charter school solution leaves behind the students who need help the most.
• How seldom families are involved in meaningful ways in the education of their children.
• What the best teachers do and why they do it that way.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Brigham reports on her experience as an educational researcher in this scattered collection denouncing various aspects of U.S. K 12 education. The challenges of impoverished districts, troubled home lives, and serving students with disabilities are illuminated by Brigham's reports of what she learned using her research technique of "shadowing," which seeks to understand school from students' points of view, but the insights arising from these efforts are lost in chapters that go on to broadly sketch problems with charter schools, adult basic education, professional development, and implementing programs of reform. It's not clear who the book is aimed at, since some chapters collate best or worst teaching practices, several focus on students with disabilities, and others advise administrators on how to improve school environments or hire educational researchers. Brigham's sympathy for the disadvantaged is clear, but the dearth of analysis or a framework for relating the varied topics weakens the cage-rattling effect.
