A new book looks closely at the inner workings of five high-performing urban charter schools in Massachusetts, drawing on interviews, focus groups, and classroom observations over 18 months.
Although the schools are relatively new, they “offer insights for all schools, whether startup charters or the oldest traditional schools in America,” writes the team of researchers, led by Katherine K. Merseth, the director of the teacher education program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The authors argue that critical to each school’s approach is coherence, from the mission statement and school culture to staffing, organization, and instructional practices.
