On the rocketship : how top charter schools are pushing the envelope /

On the rocketship : how top charter schools are pushing the envelope /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Whitmire, Richard, author.
Edition:	First edition.
Imprint:	San Francisco : Jossey-Bass, [2014]
Description:	ix, 334 pages : color illustrations ; 24 cm
Language:	English
Subject:	Charter schools -- United States. Charter schools -- Wisconsin -- Milwaukee -- Case studies. Charter schools. United States. Wisconsin -- Milwaukee. Case studies.
Format:	Print Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/10081411

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	9781118607640 (hardback) 1118607643 (hardback)
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:	"Veteran journalist Richard Whitmire follows Rocketship through the school year and into the following year, when the nationally acclaimed charter school network launches new schools in Milwaukee. While Rocketship's story provides the narrative spine, the book also covers developments as other high quality charter organizations bid to reshape urban education in America. In 2012, charter school students made up only 5 percent of the total student population, but those numbers were growing fast and have huge impacts in the urban areas. As The New York Times recently pointed out, charter enrollment explains most of the enrollment declines in traditional schools in cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles.In this book, Whitmire will also explore one core innovation at Rocketship: its successful blended learning program. Rocketship's Learning Lab is where students spend two hours a day in computer-driven instruction powered by carefully selected software. This "blended learning" approach--Learning Lab blended with in-class instruction where teachers coordinate closely with the Lab--cuts expenses by 25 percent. Rocketship uses that extra money to fund longer school hours and higher teacher salaries. Today many schools around the country look to Rocketship as a model for using blended learning (many try to use blended learning, but few succeed)"--
Other form:	Online version: Whitmire, Richard. On the rocketship First edition. San Francisco : Jossey-Bass, 2014 9781118611265

Description
Summary:	The face of American education is evolving-and the roadmap is clear <p> On the Rocketship: How Top Charter Schools are Pushing the Envelope examines the rise and expansion of leading charter school network Rocketship, revealing the "secret sauce" that makes a successful program. A strong narrative with a timely message, the book explores how Rocketship started and the difficulties encountered as it expands. Designing schools for children who have been failed by traditional schools is extremely challenging work. Setbacks are inevitable. Later in the book the narrative shifts to the national picture, exploring how high performing charter schools are changing the education landscape in cities such as Denver, Memphis, and Houston. The book emerges just as charter schools are running into stiff political opposition in New York City and elsewhere. Even in San Jose, Rocketship's home base, the pushback against charter schools is gaining speed. On the Rocketship becomes a valuable resource for explaining what's at stake in this battle. Lose these schools, in New York, San Jose and other cities, and low-income and minority students lose their best shot at a quality education.</p> <p>Written by a veteran journalist who followed Rocketship through a school year, the book explores some of the factors that make Rocketship and other charters successful, including the blended learning that was pioneered at charter schools, especially Rocketship.</p> <p>Many schools around the country are looking to Rocketship as a model for implementing blended learning. The interplay between charter schools and blended learning is setting a change in motion, and the American education system is ready to evolve. On the Rocketship details this phenomenon, providing insights for educators across the nation.</p>
Physical Description:	ix, 334 pages : color illustrations ; 24 cm
Bibliography:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:	9781118607640 1118607643