Full Description
The institution of public education was born from the belief that in order to sustain a true democratic society it was essential to have an educated and informed public with the capacity to rule through self-governance. Unfortunately, self-governance is no longer taking place in Mount Vernon, New York, at least when it comes to the governance of the people's public schools. Who Stole Public Schools from the Public? examines the Mount Vernon public and its relationship with its public school district. It explores behind-the-scenes politics in an urban community and possible reasons residents are not involved in local school politics.
Contents
Part 1 Part I: Public Engagement with Education in America Chapter 2 Chapter 1: Themes of Public Engagement in Historical Perspective Chapter 3 Chapter 2: The Elusiveness of Education Reform Part 4 Part II: Mount Vernon, New York: Then and Now Chapter 5 Chapter 3: The Evolution of a Black-led City Chapter 6 Chapter 4: The Mount Vernon School District in 2007 Part 7 Part III: Voices from the Mount Vernon School District Chapter 8 Chapter 5: Respondents and Stakeholders Chapter 9 Chapter 6: The Public's Commitment to Public Education Chapter 10 Chapter 7: A Shared Vision for Public Schools Chapter 11 Chapter 8: Public Dissatisfaction with the District's Performance on Student Achievement Chapter 12 Chapter 9: Major Problems Facing the District Chapter 13 Chapter 10: No Trust in the Process for Decision Making Chapter 14 Chapter 11: A Public Disconnected and Disenfranchised Chapter 15 Chapter 12: Who Owns Public Schools? Chapter 16 Chapter 13: Building Public Support for Public Schools Part 17 Part IV: Voices from Focus Groups Chapter 18 Chapter 14: The Community Focus Groups Chapter 19 Chapter 15: The Youth Focus Group Chapter 20 Chapter 16: The Teacher Focus Group Part 21 Part V: From Disenfranchisement to Ownership Chapter 22 Chapter 17: Findings from the Mount Vernon School District Chapter 23 Chapter 18: Causes for Disenfranchisement Chapter 24 Chapter 19: The Role of Black Churches Chapter 25 Chapter 20: A New Beginning for Building Public Support for Public Schools Chapter 26 Epilogue: The Unresolved Issue of Ownership
