Keeping School.Communication between school personnel and families is the central message of Keeping School. Authors Deborah Meier Deborah Meier (1931– ) is often considered the founder of the modern small schools movement. After spending several years as a kindergarten teacher in Chicago, Philadelphia and then New York City, in 1974 Meier became the founder and director of the alternative Central Park , Ted Sizer Theodore R. Sizer (born June 23, 1932 in New Haven, CT) is a leader of educational reform in the United States. Since the late 1970s, he has worked with hundreds of high schools, studying the development and design of the American educational system. and Nancy Faust Nancy Faust (born March 11 1947) is the popular long-time stadium organist for the Chicago White Sox franchise in Major League Baseball. Faust grew up in the Chicago area, and began playing the organ at age 4 by learning from her mother, also a professional organist; during high Sizer have been national leaders in education as teachers, administrators in public and private schools and successful writers about education reform. As administrators of two small schools near Boston, Meier and the Sizers have built in considerable flexibility in decision making on such matters as staffing, standards, subject matter and assessment, given limitations imposed by mandatory state testing. Their schools serve a wide spectrum of student learning styles and they encourage and support teacher ingenuity and student creativity. The authors have devised a communication strategy that involves sending informational letters home periodically to families. Their reprinted letters in this book describe four aspects of school life: learning, authority and power, community and standards. One especially interesting letter explains to parents how the school is using portfolios and public demonstrations of student work to gauge each student's progress. Others explain the rules of the schools. Keeping School describes the day-to-day hands-on approach of three major education reformers. Meier and the Sizers share thoughtful, practical ways in which school administrators can organize a school where family and community function together with staff to create positive learning experiences. Like all schools, these are not without problems. The authors admit that and seem to face the challenges squarely and fairly. As readers, we gain incredible insight into a unique way of holding schools accountable. (Keeping School by Deborah Meier, Theodore R. Sizer and Nancy Faust Sizer, Beacon Press This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. , Boston, 2004, 187 pp., $23 softcover) William J. Leary Professor of Education, Lynn University  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . , Boca Raton Boca Raton (bō`kə rətōn`), city (1990 pop. 61,492), Palm Beach co., SE Fla., on the Atlantic; inc. 1925. Boca Raton is a popular resort and retirement community that experienced significant industrial development in the 1970s and 80s. , Fla. |
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