Improving Urban Middle Schools: Lessons from the Nativity Schools - Hardcover

Fenzel, L. Mickey

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0791493490 ISBN 13: 9780791493496

Publisher: State University of New York Press, 2009

Synopsis

Winner of the 2010 Alpha Sigma Nu Book Award in the category of "The Professional Studies", presented by Association of Jesuit Colleges and University and Alpha Sigma Nu

Nativity schools—there are over forty in urban areas throughout the United States—provide an important alternative to urban middle schools failing to provide their students with an adequate education. Nativity schools, which are privately funded, provide a year-round educational experience for at-risk urban children. They feature small classes, an extended day, and attention to students' social and spiritual developmental needs. L. Mickey Fenzel visited eleven Nativity schools in seven cities, conducting interviews and classroom observations, and collecting standardized test scores and survey data. Fenzel examines features of the Nativity model that distinguish it from other educational programs and takes a close look at the controversial use of volunteer teachers. The Nativity model is also discussed with respect to its social justice mission that is rooted in Jesuit tradition.

About this title

About the Author

L. Mickey Fenzel is Professor and Chair of Teacher Education at Loyola College in Maryland.

From the Back Cover

Nativity schools--there are over forty in urban areas throughout the United States--provide an important alternative to urban middle schools failing to provide their students with an adequate education. Nativity schools, which are privately funded, provide a year-round educational experience for at-risk urban children. They feature small classes, an extended day, and attention to students' social and spiritual developmental needs. L. Mickey Fenzel visited eleven Nativity schools in seven cities, conducting interviews and classroom observations, and collecting standardized test scores and survey data. Fenzel examines features of the Nativity model that distinguish it from other educational programs and takes a close look at the controversial use of volunteer teachers. The Nativity model is also discussed with respect to its social justice mission that is rooted in Jesuit tradition.

"This book addresses an overlooked topic in school reform. It will be beneficial to a number of audiences, including charter and small school research. Obviously, the author has spent an enormous amount of time studying these schools and the research presented in this book will be an asset to many aspects of educational research." -- Steven B. Mertens, coeditor of The Young Adolescent and the Middle School

Edition details

• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0791493490
• ISBN 13: 9780791493496
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 129