Reading & Literacy

Consortium Forming to Keep The Concord Review in Business

By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo — April 10, 2007 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The founder of The Concord Review is turning to private schools and other donors to keep the renowned student-written history journal afloat after its primary sponsor pulled its funding. And a growing number of such benefactors are accepting his invitation to join a consortium he has set up to ensure the journal’s survival.

Ten private organizations and schools have already pledged $5,000 each for their place in the consortium announced last month, which will set policy for the journal and guide its direction, including the selection of a successor to the founding editor when he retires in 2010. Mr. Fitzhugh is also recruiting public school representatives.

“This is not just for subvention of a journal; this is to support the attention we give to the actual academic work of high school students,” said Will Fitzhugh, who started the scholarly journal in 1988 to recognize students’ outstanding research papers in history, most of them reaching 5,000 words or more. Although Mr. Fitzhugh, 70, has won praise from education scholars and school improvement advocates for emphasizing the value of rigorous academic work and high expectations for secondary students, he has been unable to secure stable financial support for the quarterly publication.

The Concord Review has published more than 750 papers over the past two decades, submitted by private and public school students from around the country and 34 other nations.

One private school headmaster jumped at the opportunity to have his school represented in the consortium. Brian R. Wright of the Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Mass., was the first to answer the call.

“The review and the other organizations and prizes [Mr. Fitzhugh] supports form the core for a wide-ranging endorsement of excellence in writing,” Mr. Wright wrote to his peers at other independent schools last month, urging them to join as well. “I think there is great potential for all our independent schools to articulate our belief in the importance of writing by supporting his effort to extend the reach of his current programs and to ensure the viability of The Concord Review for years to come.”

Mr. Fitzhugh’s other programs include the National Writing Board, which reviews students’ research papers for a small fee and provides a detailed rating for submission with college applications. The former high school history teacher also founded the National History Club, which has chapters in 40 states and is now an independent organization.

The Eight Schools Association, a group of elite private schools in New England, is expected to take up the consortium proposal soon. And an elderly fan of the journal has also made a donation toward the $200,000 Mr. Fitzhugh needs to keep the journal going.

More information is available on the Web at www.tcr.org.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the April 11, 2007 edition of Education Week

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Reading & Literacy Applying the 'Science of Reading': 3 State Leaders on Putting Policy Into Practice
Officials discussed how their states have attempted a multifaceted approach to reading improvement.
4 min read
Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education, speaks during a presentation of the proposed state spending plan during an announcement in Indianapolis on Jan. 4, 2023.
Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner speaks about a proposed state spending plan on Jan. 4, 2023, in Indianapolis. Indiana tracks students' 3rd grade reading progress and the tools and supports districts are deploying.
Michael Conroy/AP
Reading & Literacy How One District Moved to a 'Knowledge-Building' Curriculum: 3 Key Takeaways
Don't expect teachers to be experts in every subject, and make sure to address comprehension strategies, too, say district leaders.
4 min read
First grade students illustrate a story they wrote together in Megan Gose’s classroom at Moorsbridge Elementary School in Portage, Mich., on Nov. 29, 2023.
First grade students illustrate a story they wrote together in Megan Gose’s classroom at Moorsbridge Elementary School in Portage, Mich., on Nov. 29, 2023.
Emily Elconin for Education Week
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Quiz
Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Foundational Reading Skills?
Answer 9 questions about foundational reading skills.
Content provided by WordFlight
Reading & Literacy Opinion How to Help Students With Their Writing. 4 Educators Share Their Secrets
In many classrooms, students are handcuffed by restrictive templates for assignments instead of getting to practice how to create.
13 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty