Leading Change in City Schools: Urban Education Reform in Action
SOC-STD 68UE
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
Public education has long strived to be society’s “great equalizer.” Yet, throughout its history, the American education system has failed to deliver on this promise. In this course, we will examine specific high-profile and popular system-level reform initiatives aimed at improving urban public schools. We will focus on two common reforms–improving teacher quality and expanding school choice–and explore why and how these reforms have taken shape across three focal cities–New York City, Boston, and New Orleans. We will meet key leaders of these reforms: district level policy makers, principals, teachers, non-profit leaders and funders who collectively developed theories of action, negotiated new policies, and implemented the reforms with students. We will dive deep into their work to understand how political, economic, and cultural systems have enabled and constrained it, and review the growing body of research on these reforms. Through course assignments, students will have opportunities to further investigate initiatives that interest them by visiting schools, interviewing education leaders, synthesizing research, and reflecting on whether and how recent reforms have influenced their own educational experiences. Through the final project, students will have the opportunity to choose both a reform effort and a context to explore in depth.
Course Notes
This course will be lotteried and is open to non-concentrators if space permits. This course must be taken for a Letter Grade and cannot be taken Pass/Fail.
Not Available for Cross Registration
