Resources | Coalition of Essential Schools

Where to Go For More: Resources for Essential Schools to Make the Most of Inclusion LD Online LD Online is a big tent, providing deep and broad resources for people with disabilities and their parents, educators, and friends. Its comprehensive offerings, mostly focused on the... August 15, 2005 - Classroom Culture

Go To The Source: More about the Schools and Other Organizations Featured in this Issue Schools Boston Arts Academy Public school serving grades 9-12 174 Ipswich Street Boston, MA 02215 617/635-6470 www.boston-arts-academy.org The Crefeld School Independent... August 15, 2005 - Instruction

When We Know Better, We Do Better: A Study of System Change in Humble, Texas In the Humble Independent School District, the road to restructuring has become Highway 59, a refurbished highway running north from Houston. Connecting suburban Humble, Texas to Houston, it has... November 22, 2005 by Jill Davidson - Democratic Practice, Keeping The Vision

Conditions for Small School Success in Boston: Lessons from the Pilot Schools When the Boston Public Schools (BPS) open for business in the fall of 2005, 25 out of 34 Boston high schools each will enroll fewer than 500 students. Seven of those schools will be brand new, the... November 22, 2005 - Democratic Practice, Keeping The Vision

Horace Talks with Ted Sizer: The History, Limitations, and Possibilities of School Districts Ted Sizer, founder of the Coalition of Essential Schools and now its Chair Emeritus, discussed his frustrations with school districts as they typically operate with Jill Davidson, Horace's... November 28, 2005 - Decision Making Processes, Democratic Practice

The Stars Aligned: A Study of System Change in Colorado's Mapleton Public Schools Sidebar: Skyview High School and College Summit: Change Now for Students Now By 2007, Skyview High School, which educates nearly all secondary students in Mapleton Public Schools, a 5,700 student... November 28, 2005 by Jill Davidson - Keeping The Vision

Sidebar: Skyview High School and College Summit: Change Now for Students Now For many Mapleton Public School students - and many low income students nationwide - college readiness is connected to expectations. High school graduates who come from families that have the... November 28, 2005

Horace Talks with Warren Simmons: "Smart Districts" Horace editor Jill Davidson spoke with Dr. Warren Simmons, Executive Director of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. Established at Brown University in 1993 as an outgrowth of the work of the... November 28, 2005 by Jill Davidson - Democratic Practice, Keeping The Vision

Indianapolis' Commitment to Small High Schools: Finding New Ways to Say Yes "Indianapolis Public Schools operates some of the worst dropout factories in the nation. Hundreds of students each year quit school, most landing in dead-end jobs or prisons. In some families,... November 29, 2005 by Jill Davidson - Decision Making Processes, Democratic Practice, Developing Leaders

Sidebar: Indianapolis Conversion and Start-up Schools and Arlington High School's Small Schools 2005 Conversions (these 5 sites will become 21 small schools): Arlington High School Arsenal Technical High School Broad Ripple High School Emmerich Manual High School Northwest High... November 29, 2005

Horace Talks with Eric Nadelstern: New York City's Autonomy Zone To learn more from a uniquely informed perspective on how Essential schools can thrive in large urban districts, Jill Davidson, Horace's editor, interviewed Eric Nadelstern, the Chief Academic... November 29, 2005 - Democratic Practice, Developing Leaders

Where to Go for More: Resources for District Transformation that Supports Essential Schools Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform Based in Baltimore, Denver, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, Philadelphia, and Seattle, the Cross City Campaign gathers educators,... December 02, 2005

GO TO THE SOURCE: More about the Schools and Other Organizations Featured in this Issue Note from the editor: Customarily, this section provides contact information for each school featured in Horace. Due to the focus of this issue and the sheer number of schools to which the text... December 05, 2005

Book Reviews: Teachers Have it Easy and What It Takes to Pull Me Through Teachers Have It Easy: the Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America's Teachers by Daniel Moulthrop, Ninive Clements Calegari, and Dave Eggers (New Press, 355 pages, $25.95) BUY NOW! What It... December 05, 2005 by Sarah Mayper

An Excerpt from Choosing Small: The Essential Guide to High School Conversion In October 2005, Jossey-Bass releases Choosing Small: The Essential Guide to High School Conversion by CES Director of Research Jay Feldman, and former CES staffers M. Lisette L?pez and Katherine G.... December 05, 2005 - Decision Making Processes

Making the Pendulum Swing: Challenging Bad Education Policy in New York State Ann Cook and Phyllis Tashlik, educators at New York City's Urban Academy and leaders of the New York Performance Standards Consortium and The Center for Inquiry in Teaching and Learning, trace the... March 13, 2006 by Ann Cook, Phyllis Tashlik

Small School, Big Influence: Amy Biehl High School Tells Its Story Amy Biehl High School has developed a clear message about its mission and program, allocated resources for communication and outreach efforts, joined a consortium of school with common goals, found... March 13, 2006 by Jill Davidson

Strategic Communication for Essential Schools: Advice from Christine Heenan Educators have to wear many hats. Should they add that of communications professional to their collection - and if so, what are they best ways for them to spend their limited time, money, and other... March 13, 2006

Horace Talks with Steve Jubb: How BayCES Has Built Alliances and Challenged the Status Quo Brett Bradshaw, CES National's Director of Strategic Communications, spoke with Steve Jubb, Executive Director of the Bay Area Coalition of Equitable Schools (BayCES), a CES National affiliate... March 13, 2006 by Brett Bradshaw

Where to Go for More: Resources for Advocacy and Communication The Advocacy Institute The Advocacy Institute's mission is to identify effective social justice advocates in the United States and around the world to strengthen their skills, broaden their... March 13, 2006

GO TO THE SOURCE: More about the Schools and Other Organizations Featured in this Issue New York Performance Standards Consortium 317 East 67th Street New York, NY 10021 phone: 212/570-5394, x211 email: info@performanceassessment.org http://www.performanceassessment.org... March 13, 2006

Sent to the Principal: Students Talk about Making High Schools Better Sent to the Principal: Students Talk about Making High Schools Better by Kathleen Cushman and the youth of What Kids Can Do, Inc. (Next Generation Press, 224 pages, $19.91) BUY NOW! reviewed by... April 20, 2006 by Jill Davidson

Taught by America: A Story of Struggle and Hope in Compton Taught by America: A Story of Struggle and Hope in Compton by Sarah Sentilles (Beacon Press, 224 pages, $23.95) BUY NOW! reviewed by Eva A. Frank Sarah Sentilles recalls the first Teach for... April 20, 2006 by Eva A. Frank

Tips for Successful Communication from Christine Heenan Tips for Successful Communication from Christine Heenan Capture Attention We're all bombarded with new messages and information every day - from the weather forecast on the morning news to the... April 20, 2006 by Christine Heenan

Sidebar: More Information from The New York Performance Standards Consortium New York Performance Standards Consortium Schools The New York Performance Standards Consortium is a CES National affiliate, with schools across New York state. A partial list of its members... April 21, 2006

How the CES Common Principles Help Essential Schools Create Transitions to Higher Education How do the CES Common Principles inform Essential schools as they prepare their students to make the transition from high school to higher education? Through the experience of leaders, teachers,... September 12, 2006 by Jill Davidson

Opportunities to Stumble and Pick Themselves Up: Horace Interviews Nancy Faust Sizer on the Senior Year Currently a Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Nancy Sizer was the acting co-principal of the Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School in 1998-99 and served as... September 12, 2006

Longitudinal Research Indicates
CES Graduate Collegiate Success Graduates are among the most valuable sources of information for schools committed to developing educational programs that make an enduring difference in students' lives. Schools often gather... September 12, 2006 by Jill Davidson - Teacher Research

Sidebar: Tracking Student Success from
Experimental Schools: The Eight-Year Study
from the 1930's Horace editor note: The following sidebar appeared in an issue of Horace entitled "Taking Stock: How Are Essential Schools Doing?" published in 1991 and available online at... September 12, 2006 - Cycle Of Inquiry, Teacher Research

Sidebar: Transitioning from Small Schools to College: Putting Students in the Driver's Seat "In one of our early meetings someone said, 'It's not fair that colleges get to choose us - can't we choose them?' This started us thinking about the types of colleges WE would be interested in -... September 12, 2006 by Lori Chajet

Excerpt from First in the Family: Advice About College from First-Generation Students Supporting first-generation students not only to get into college but stay and finish interrupts negative generational patterns in powerful ways. The National Center for Education Statistics reports... September 12, 2006 by Kathleen Cushman

The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear edited by Paul Rogat Loeb (Basic Books, 422 pages, $15.95) reviewed by Jill Davidson Sometimes I pick up a... September 12, 2006

Values Go to School: Exploring Ethics with Children Values Go to School: Exploring Ethics with Children (Jonathan Diamond Associates in association with the faculty of the Child Development Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, VHS $24.95, DVD $29.95)... September 12, 2006 by Jill Davidson

Don't Forget to Write: 54 Enthralling and Effective Writing Lessons for Students 6-18 Don't Forget to Write: 54 Enthralling and Effective Writing Lessons for Students 6-18 (826 Valencia, 224 pages, $25.00) reviewed by Jill Davidson 826 Valencia provides drop-in tutoring centers,... September 12, 2006 by Jill Davidson

Data Wise: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning Data Wise: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning, edited by Kathryn Parker Boudett, Elizabeth A. City, and Richard J. Murnane (Harvard Educational... September 12, 2006 by Jill Davidson

Where to Go for More on How Essential Schools Prepare Students for Higher Achieve Sponsor of the periodic National Education Summits, Achieve is a bipartisan national organization that works at the state level to identify standards for successful education reform. With 22... September 12, 2006

Go To The Source: More about the Schools and Other Organizations Featured in this Issue Schools Anzar High School 2000 San Juan Highway San Juan Bautista, California 95045 phone: 831/623-7660 Boston Arts Academy 174 Ipswich Street Boston, Massachusetts 02215 phone:... September 12, 2006

Sidebar: Anzar High School's Habits of Mind Evidence: What do I know and how do I know it? What are all the choices? Show the evidence. Perspective: What are the biases-mine and others? What do I already know from my past... September 12, 2006 - Learning Structures

Sidebar: Statement on College Readiness, Chief Academic Offices of the University of Maine System While the seven campuses of the University of Maine System have different criteria for admission and placement, they all share a common understanding of what comprises an optimal, college-ready high... September 12, 2006 - Learning Structures, Small Learning Communities

Exhibitions: Demonstrations of Mastery in Essential Schools What is an exhibition? This issue of Horace features reflection, analysis, critique, description, and arguments from six Essential school educators. Their work provides compelling examples of how... January 28, 2008 by Jill Davidson - Assessment, Exhibitions

Closing the Gaps of No Child Left Behind: The Assessment Debate for Essential Schools Recently, a local reporter asked me if No Child Left Behind did more good than bad. I was sitting at my desk with a reporting folder for our district’s upcoming NCLB audit. We had already spent... January 29, 2008 by Lisa Hirsch - Assessment, Exhibitions

The Deep Irony of No Child Left Behind: Lisa Hirsch Interviews Linda Darling-Hammond In January 2007, longtime CES educator Lisa Hirsch interviewed Linda Darling-Hammond, the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University, where she launched the Stanford... January 29, 2008 by Lisa Hirsch - Assessment, Exhibitions

Representing: Elementary to the Exhibition of Learning Greenfield Center School (GCS) students have a long history of engaging in meaningful projects as the culmination of their studies. Once students have completed these projects, they own their... February 06, 2008 by Laura Baker - Assessment, Exhibitions

Presenting Themselves with Power and Passion From the CES Common Principles: Students should have opportunities to exhibit their expertise before family and community. The diploma should be awarded upon a successful final demonstration of... February 06, 2008 by Heidi Lyne - Assessment, Exhibitions

Exhibitions: Facing Outward, Pointing Inward Exhibitions: Facing Outward, Pointing Inward by Joseph P. McDonald, originally published in 1992 by the Coalition of Essential Schools The CES Exhibitions Project of the early 1990s produced a... February 06, 2008 by Joe McDonald - Assessment, Exhibitions

Frameworks for Making Science Research Accesible for All Imagine a classroom of constructive chaos: a group of students is busy as they monitor their work. Another team of students is on the other side of the room redesigning their experiment. They seem... February 06, 2008 by Annie Chien - Assessment, Exhibitions

Structural and Curricular Design: What Changes When an Essential School Commits to Exhibitions If equitable achievement is our goal, we must have authentic assessments that are reflective of our community’s expectations and meaningful to our students and to us. Such assessments require a... February 07, 2008 by Gregory Peters - Assessment, Exhibitions

Review: Reclaiming Assessment: A Better Alternative to the Accountability Agenda Reclaiming Assessment: A Better Alternative to the Accountability Agenda by Chris W. Gallagher (Heniemann, 160 pages, $18.50) Reclaiming Assessment: A Better Alternative to the Accountability... February 07, 2008 by Frank Honts - Assessment, Exhibitions

Review: Widening the Circle: The Power of Inclusive Classrooms Widening the Circle: The Power of Inclusive Classrooms by Mara Sapon-Shevin, (Beacon, 184 pages, $16.00) Widening the Circle argues that all learners—and teachers—contain multitudes. On that... February 07, 2008 by Jill Davidson - Classroom Culture, Cooperative Learning

Review: Making Art Together: How Collaborative Art-Making Can Transform Kids, Classroom and Communities Making Art Together: How Collaborative Art-Making Can Transform Kids, Classrooms, and Communities by Mark Cooper and Lisa Sjostrom (Beacon Press, 208 pages, $26.95) As a senior at Quest High... February 07, 2008 by Denise McLean - Classroom Culture