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Book, book, Pat has a book

In the spirit of shameless self promotion, I would like to announce that Toni Clewell and my book Good Schools in Poor Neighborhoods: Defying Demographics, Achieving Success is out. Sorry folks this one costs money, $29.50; (even from Amazon, big sigh) but really, it's worth it.

Rather than FairerScience, the book is more broad, more FairerEducation. The press release says we combine "solid data from original research with lively vignettes and vivid quotes from principals, teachers, parents, and students to present a picture of exceptional elementary schools in challenging academic environments." Yeah us! (Oh ok it is a press release but still..)

While I'm sure you are going to read the book, just in case, here are some results that everyone who cares about elementary education should know.

In these very different districts, we found the following characteristics that set successful schools apart from their lower-performing counterparts:
• Highly effective school principals are instructional leaders, encouraging innovation and other improvements.
• Highly effective schools have a higher-quality teaching force who appear more committed to their schools and more willing to “go the extra mile.”
• Teachers in highly effective schools apply discipline more consistently and are more likely to take responsibility for disciplining their own and other teachers’ students.
• Teachers in highly effective schools have higher expectations for their students. They are also more likely to take responsibility for their students’ learning, and their principals are much more likely to expect teachers to do so.

With all the bad news out about education, it is nice to see, as FairerScience friend and adviser Jane Kahle says "poor urban schools can make a difference and some of them do."

PS I just wished we had named the book "Some Urban Schools Don't Suck." Hey it's working for
Danica McKellar .