DETROIT — Teachers will take over operations at Barbara Jordan Elementary School in Detroit beginning this fall, a move generally seen as a test of whether more educator involvement can improvement student achievement, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The K-4 school will be modeled after teacher-led schools in other major cities, among them Denver and Boston, according to the Free Press. Only students whose parents agree to be involved may attend, the Free Press reported.
Ann Crowley, a teacher and member of a DPS group called Detroit Children First, told the Free Press that the group has asked for a teacher-led school for years. The new program has the support of the Detroit Federation of Teachers and approval of emergency financial manager Robert Bobb, according to the Free Press.
Those involved told the Free Press that the school will benefit from less central bureaucracy and more educator input, while also holding teachers directly responsible for school performance. The school will operate an extended day and extended year program with enrichment classes after hours.
School governance will come from teacher committees, according to the Free Press.
SOURCE:
Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Public Schools tries
something new: A school run by teachers," July 8, 2010
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Beyond Basics: Reading,
writing and 'expanding horizons' in Detroit," Nov. 11, 2008
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