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Work Hard. Be Nice.: How Two Inspired Teachers Created The Most Promising Schools In America (2009)

by Jay Mathews(Favorite Author)

3.86 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1565125169 (ISBN13: 9781565125162)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Algonquin Books

review 1: If I did not already know the story very well (I am a Houston-area teacher) I have no idea how this disjointed narrative would have come across. The 2-star's "it was ok" label is the perfect descriptor.Also, as a Houston-area teacher, I can see through the hazy, rose-colored promotion of the KIPP system. They are good schools for kids who fall in line. They kick 1/5th of their kids out every year, right before testing, to maintain those high test scores, and their kids do not necessarily go through to better life outcomes than the same kids who go through public schools. They pluck the best and brightest from poor areas, leaving the truly tough cases to public schools, but market themselves as if they are taking the tough cases, when in truth they are constantly weeding th... moreem out and abandoning responsibility for them.There's a great movie in there, but like all great education movies, the truth is very easy to lose in our collective desire to treat all narratives as heroic ones.
review 2: A good story. Needed stronger editing. Could have benefitted from Pedagogy.Things I liked:* it was told as a story including successes and failures* it was inspiring to think that hard work pays off (A bit American Dreamish, but oh well)Things it lacked:* A strong editor. It was jumpy chronologically and could have used some help straightening that out.* It was a great story, but there isn't a strong evidence for why these schools are successful. If you were to try and make a road map based on the book, it may look something like this:- Keep kids in school 10 hours per day plus some Saturdays.- Chant songs for rote memory- Build Character- Assure that the teachers in a school have no life whatsoever beyond their job and their students.Needs more and I'm hoping Matthew's second book will get into more of the pedagogy.All in all, a good story. less

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