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Renewing America’s Schools: A Guide for School-Based Action

Renewing America's Schools helped our school's Governance Council, comprised of faculty and parents, clarify our beliefs and our decision-making processes and capture them in a public document. Examining schools' covenants, charters, and critical study processes, Glickman combines the philosophy and principles of schooling with the day-to-day practices that undergird a democratic school.

Glickman describes a covenant as "the core beliefs [that] help a group fulfill its mission." Because Glickman believes that the connection between public education and democracy is the central goal of American public schools, our school’s community found a direct link between his book and the CES Common Principles. The charter is "an understanding of how decisions are to be made." This was the most challenging part for us, but in the long run it focused our Governance Council on instructional matters and gave us insight into how and when to use consensual decision-making. The "critical study process" has guided us in raising questions about the impact and effectiveness of our school efforts and continues to help us set priorities. We continue to identify and use new data sources from within our school to reflect on practice and improve student learning.

Renewing America’s Schools includes a section on tough questions and common dilemmas in the school renewal process and provides examples of charter and governance documents. We often turned to these chapters to gauge our progress in developing our Governance Council document. Ten years later,

I continue to return to Glickman’s book for guidance and reassurance as we strive to maintain a democratic school.

reviewed by Holly Perry, Principal of Academy for the Middle Years Northwest, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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This resource last updated: April 15, 2003

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