Charting Chicago School Reform

This insightful book explores the first four years of school reform in Chicago, revealing the dynamics of local participation and its impact on educational change.

In Charting Chicago School Reform, the authors provide a comprehensive synthesis of their findings from the initial four years of Chicago's school reform initiative. The book delves into the necessary changes required at both the school site and district levels to ensure that the decentralization efforts lead to improved learning opportunities for students. Beginning in 1989, Chicago embarked on an ambitious experiment aimed at radically decentralizing power and authority within its educational system. This work narrates the evolution of Chicago's elementary schools during these pivotal years of reform.

The authors base their analysis on a theory that posits expanded local democratic participation as a catalyst for organizational change within schools, ultimately enhancing teaching and learning outcomes. To support this theory, they present extensive quantitative and qualitative data that illustrate the real-world implications of the reform at the school level. With longitudinal case studies from 22 schools and survey responses from 269 principals and teachers, they identify four distinct types of school politics: strong democracy, consolidated principal power, maintenance, and adversarial.

Furthermore, the book categorizes school change efforts as either systemic or unfocused. By weaving these elements together, the authors reveal that in approximately one-third of the schools, local democratic participation significantly contributed to systemic changes aimed at improving instruction. The case studies included provide a closer look at how decentralization reshapes the principal's role, fosters social support for change, and integrates external ideas into school reform initiatives. Charting Chicago School Reform serves as an invaluable resource for scholars, policymakers, and educators invested in urban education reform.