Effective Partnering for School Change: Improving Early Childhood Education in Urban Classrooms.

EFFECTIVE PARTNERING FOR SCHOOL CHANGE: Improving Early Childhood Education in Urban Classrooms. Jie-Qi Chen and Patricia Horsch (with Karen DeMoss & Suzanne L. Wagner). New York: Teachers College Press, 2003. 173 pp. $22.95 (paper). In the nine chapters of this book, the authors explore the challenges and potential benefits of university-school partnerships as a vehicle for school improvement. The authors' record of this 11-year project between nine Chicago public schools and the Erikson Institute covers three major topics: a historical context, descriptions of the major interventions, and a summary of the lessons learned.

The Erikson Institute used the enabling approach as the conceptual framework for their partnerships. The authors describe the key assumptions of this approach, describing the interventions that cover a range of early childhood topics, including developing an understanding of developmentally appropriate practices by implementing a child-centered curriculum, high-stakes standardized testing, behavioral management, and effective uses of technology.

Although what the book describes took place in Chicago, such partnerships could be replicated elsewhere just as well. The authors offer guidance on building and sustaining a university-school partnership that can serve as a foundation to improve teaching and learning. The lessons are explained from the perspective of the classroom teachers and the Erikson School Project staff. Descriptions of successes as well as contextual factors and limitations provide a balanced picture of the workings of the partnership. I would recommend this book for anyone preparing for a university-school partnership or who is involved in such a partnership. Reviewed by Mary Ellen Bardsley, Assistant Professor, Niagara University, Lewiston, New York.