Part 1 Where There's the Will: Core Premises Built on Our Values Chapter 2 The Power of Expectations Chapter 3 The Origins of Low Expectations Chapter 4 All Children Can Learn to High Standards Chapter 5 All Children Must Learn to High Expectations Chapter 6 We Know How to Make All Schools Effective: Children Achieving and Philadelphia Outcomes Chapter 7 Standards Chapter 8 Assessment Chapter 9 Accountability Chapter 10 Quality for Teachers Chapter 11 Quality School Leadership Chapter 12 Promising School Strategies (Part I): Instruction Chapter 13 Promising School Strategies (Part II): Non-Instructional Chapter 14 Resources Chapter 15 The Choices We Make Determine School Effectiveness Chapter 16 The Public Will to Make Diffferent Choices Chapter 17 Walk the Walk: Choosing Excellence and Equity in Public Education
David W. Hornbeck has spent 42 years as an educator, community organizer, and activist, serving as Maryland State Superintendent of Schools, Philadelphia Superintendent of Schools, and chair of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the Carnegie Corporation's Commission on the Education of Early Adolescents, the Children's Defense Fund, the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Chapter I Commission, and the Public Education Network. Katherine Conner spent her career in the School District of Philadelphia, as a teacher, teacher coach, and administrator, finishing as Associate Superintendent for Standards, Assessment, and Social Services.
I've read dozens of books on why we ought to make all of our
schools successful and how to do it. No one tells us more
compellingly than David Hornbeck. He and Katherine Conner have done
unique work describing the public will that must create powerful
support for successful schools and how to sustain that will in a
way to move mountains, elect governors, and mobilize a people. If
we are to realize our dreams for public schools and America's
children, if Barack Obama's crusade for change is to succeed, this
book must be our roadmap and our inspiration.
*Jim Hunt, founder, National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards and former governor of North Carolina*
David Hornbeck brings into clear focus the need to promote equity
and excellence for all children, and he challenges educators,
community leaders, and policy makers to make the hard decisions—the
right decisions—on behalf of our nation's youth. His challenge,
succinctly stated is, we know what to do—now let's get it done!
*Gerald N. Tirozzi, executive director, National Association of
Secondary School Principals*
Hornbeck provides a comprehensive framework for urban school reform
that is steeped in research, experience, and a set of shared values
undergirded by the belief that all children have the wherewithal to
achieve high standards given the appropriate supports. This book
should be a touchstone for policymakers and practitioners who want
to move beyond failure brought by dichotomous choices and silver
bullets.
*Warren Simmons, executive director, Annenberg Institute for School
Reform, Brown University*
I had the privilege of 'shadowing' David Hornbeck for six years
while he was Philadelphia School superintendent for our PBS
documentary, Toughest Job in America. Now this good man has written
a book drawing upon his 40 years of working to improve educational
opportunities for children in Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania and
the nation. Along the way he settles a few scores, but most of this
book is devoted to lessons he has learned. His overarching message
is that the work is far from finished—and neither is he! As Mr.
Hornbeck concludes, "We know what to do and how to do it. The
choices are ours. The consequences of our choices are the legacy we
leave to our grandchildren."
*John Merrow, education correspondent for The News Hour with Jim
Lehrer and president, Learning Matters Incorporated*
Hornbeck and Conner drew from two very appropriate historical
traditions for the title of their book Choosing Excellence in
Public Education. Thomas Paine, our American revolutionary hero and
the African-American gospel songs urged their fellow countrymen to
overthrow the unjust conditions of colonization and slavery by
shouting and singing "where there's a will, there is a way." The
way for school reform is clearly and beautifully chronicled and the
shameful lack of political will is disturbingly and tragically
reflected in the Philadelphia story of school reform. Repeating
this tale in every urban school district in the country mocks our
nation's promise that all men are created equal. Our English and
African ancestors urge us to make a move for freedom through
education.
*Wendy Puriefoy, president, Public Education Network*
David Hornbeck speaks 'truth to power' in this hard hitting urban
school reform manifesto shaped through his experience as
Philadelphia's outspoken superintendent of schools. He provides an
unflinching portrait of the realities and challenges we face if we,
as a nation, are to make good on the promise of an education system
that is equitable and excellent for all.
Who better than David Hornbeck, leading national reform architect,
former Philadelphia superintendent and Maryland chief state school
officer, activist, lawyer and minister, to deliver an unflinching
portrait of the realities and challenges of contemporary, urban
school reform? His insights and guidance constitute a handbook for
policy makers and school leaders committed to the continuing quest
for equity and excellence.
*Paul Reville, Secretary of Education, Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, former secretary of education, Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, Francis Keppel Professor of Practice of Educational
Policy and Administration, Harvard University Graduate School of
Education*
The values, moral obligations and strategies required to ensure
that all students graduate from high school ready without
remediation to access opportunity will take political will, a
commitment to equity and systemic thinking about how to improve
whole systems of schools and not settle for a few more good ones.
Hornbeck draws on successful results from research, policies and
practice to make a compelling case for what must be done to improve
school districts and schools and the necessary steps to do so for
all children.
*Thomas Payzant, professor of practice, Harvard Graduate School of
Education, and former assistant secretary, U.S. Department of
Education and Su*
As a former Member of Congress, I believe that Choosing Excellence
in Public Schools is a must-read. Based on David Hornbeck's 40
years of practical experience, data and common sense, Hornbeck
spells out what policymakers need to do to make education work for
all children. In addition, as president of Common Cause, I am
pleased that this book provides powerful reasons that delivering a
quality education to every child is the responsibility of all
Americans, not just parents and educators. It is the cornerstone of
democracy and it is the right thing to do! Then he tells us how we
can act by sharing his own successful experience in building
grassroots advocacy efforts.
*Bob Edgar, president of Common Cause, and former general
secretary, National Council of Churches*
David Hornbeck reminds us that an abiding, unshakeable belief that
all kids can learn is an essential prerequisite for a successful
educational strategy. This compelling/must-read work details an
experience-based roadmap on how to convert this aspiration into a
reality.
This book is about the power of advocacy, the setting of and
meeting high standards, and of overcoming the obstacles to
education reform.
*Raul Yzaguirre, Presidential Professor, Arizona State University,
and president/CEO emeritus, National Council of La Raza*
Choosing Excellence in Public Schools is chock full of evidence on
the steps our schools must take to enable all of our children to
participate fully in the mainstream of American society. Whether
you're an educator or simply an interested citizen, it's worth
reading for that. But Hornbeck and Conner's most important
contribution may not be in their recipe to broaden academic
success, but, rather, in their analysis of why-even after more than
two decades of "reform"—we still aren't there. Fundamentally, their
book is about will and the importance of mustering it before it is
too late for future generations of young Americans to enjoy the
comforts and freedoms their parents took for granted.
*Kati Haycock, president, Education Trust*
David Hornbeck draws on extensive research, deeply-held values, and
40 years of rich experience to demonstrate that we have the
knowledge we need to fulfill our dreams of an education system that
would equip all our children to become productive and successful
adults. In this fascinating tale, Hornbeck is unflinching in
identifying both his own missteps as superintendent of the
Philadelphia schools, and what it would take to create the
conditions in which every American child could receive a quality
education.
*Lisbeth B. Schorr, senior fellow, Center for the Study of Social
Policy, and author, Within Our Reach and Common
Purpose*
David Hornbeck has earned national respect because he has
transformed his lofty ideals into positive results through his work
in Maryland, Kentucky and Philadelphia, sharing these experiences
in this powerful book. Predictably, Hornbeck makes his core values
very clear, grounding his work in the high expectation that all
children can reach excellence in learning, and he holds adults
inside educational institutions and in communities directly
responsible and accountable.
Noble ideals are not enough; we must be thoughtful, strategic and
comprehensive, and this is where the book provides unique insight.
In a refreshingly open and frank accounting, Hornbeck wrestles with
the complex and difficult word of transforming dreams into reality.
In true Hornbeck fashion, he leaves this reader with unanswered and
troubling questions, bringing me to a point of greater reflection
about our efforts to improve public education for all our children,
causing me to appreciate the complexity of this work we are
pursuing and what lies ahead.
*Gene Wilhoit, president, Council of Chief State School Officers,
and former chief state school officer in Arkansas and Kentucky*
This book is must-read for anyone who cares about the education of
poor children and knows that the children are not getting the
opportunities they deserve and the country is not getting the
results it needs. Choosing Excellence in Public Schools offers its
wisdom nested deeply in the very practical and nitty gritty
experience of reality at the local, state and national levels.
*Mike Cohen, president, Achieve*
David Hornbeck has done it again; he strips us of any comfort in
the status quo and challenges us to expect more of our children and
ourselves. His piercing analysis and clear moral grounding is
informed by a lifetime of innovation, advocacy, and results in
public education. Anybody who believes in children and the power of
schools should keep this important work close at hand.
*Michael Casserly, executive director, Council of the Great City
Schools*
David Hornbeck has proven that all children can learn and has led a
movement to change the schools of America so that they can
actualize their potential. In this book, he explains what needs to
be done and how to do it. Now, more than ever, we have to take
seriously what he has to say.
*Tony Campolo, professor of sociology, Eastern University, and
preacher and founder, Evangelical Association for the Promotion of
Education*
Hornbeck's candid reflection on his career as a reformer shows how
political will and values shape the character of public education,
for better or worse. Grounded in the complexities of the real
world, Choosing Excellence in Public Schools gives close attention
to the wider context of public education. Hornbeck details why
providing excellent public education for all our children requires
active support from all of us-not only educators and stakeholders,
but community members, political, business, faith and civic
leaders, philanthropists, elected officials, the media. Hornbeck
demonstrates that we have the schools we have chosen and the
knowledge to do better. This book points the way toward better
choices for all children.
*Milbrey McLaughlin, David Jacks Professor of Education and Public
Policy, Stanford University*
Hornbeck knows and speaks eloquently to systemic change and equal
opportunity in education as well as anyone in the nation. Since
redesigning the Kentucky system of education in 1990, he has been a
major contributor to standards-based school reform in the nation,
both as a thinker and a doer. His optimism, wisdom, will-power, and
actions have improved the lives of children all over America.
Choosing Excellence in Public Schools is a special volume for
anyone who wants to accelerate the pace of change in education and
raise the level of performance of all students, including
particularly, children of color, those with disabilities, poor
youngsters and those for whom English is a second language.
*Marshall Smith, special counselor to the U. S. secretary of
education, former undersecretary of the Department of Education and
dean, School of*
Hornbeck and Conner thoroughly review several major components of
the education process and how they were implemented in
Philadelphia. The authors establish that all students can and
should learn at high levels. They call for a change in belief
systems and community involvement to achieve excellence in all
public schools. As a bonus they recommend strategies to avoid the
problems encountered by Hornbeck in Philadelphia's schools....
Choosing Excellence in Public Schools: Where There's a Will,
There's a Way is a well-written, well-organized text that will be
useful to educators at all levels.
*Educational Horizons, January 2010*
Choosing Excellence is useful as a contribution to the literature
of school reform over the last two decades, but its power lies in
the central message that improving schools in our large cities is
not only an urgent practical necessity but also a moral imperative
rooted in political will….Hornbeck writes authoritatively about
promising instructional strategies, including early childhood
education, small schools, and ways to make better use of
instructional time through afterschool programs and other
measures….Hornbeck's core message is universally applicable.
*The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 2010*
Ask a Question About this Product More... |