Missing the Point: The State of the National Discussion of Urban Schools

Posted by on October 19, 2009

Research for Action Presents: Charles Payne

Missing the Point: The State of the National Discussion of Urban Schools

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27TH, 4–5PM
INTERNATIONAL HOUSE—IBRAHIM THEATER

LECTURE: To reform our schools, Dr. Payne argues that there are perhaps no factors that can make as much of a difference as quality of instruction, quality of relationships between students and adults, and the quality of school organization in terms of leadership and resources. Much of the national debate, however, misses the point – focusing too much on things such as teacher motivation, merit pay, governance reforms, and autonomy over delivery of school services. Using examples from Philadelphia and Chicago, Dr. Payne argues that, while these latter reforms could be important, they will never result in transformative change unless they are placed in the context of quality instruction, trusting relationships, and strong organization.

CHARLES PAYNE is the Frank P. Hixon Professor in the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. He is the author of several books about education, including most recently So Much Reform, So Little Change: The Persistence of Failure in Urban Schools. He has also written extensively about the civil rights movement, including his book, I’ve Got the Light of Freedom: The Organizing Tradition in the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement, for which he received awards from the Southern Regional Council, Choice Magazine, the Simon Wisenthal Center and the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Human Rights in North America.

He is among the founders of projects and organizations such as the Duke Curriculum Project, which involves university faculty in the professional development of public school teachers; the John Hope Franklin Scholars, which tries to better prepare high school youngsters for college; the Education for Liberation Network, which encourages educational initiatives to push young people to think critically about issues of social justice and their own capacity to address them; and the Urban Education Project, a non-profit community center in New Jersey that broadens educational experiences for urban youth. His recent research concerns the ways in which school reform dialogue in other countries compares to the American situation.

Dr. Payne holds a bachelor’s degree in Afro-American studies from Syracuse University and a doctorate in sociology from Northwestern. He is a graduate of Millville Senior High School in New Jersey, and grew up in Cape May County, where he read the sports page of the Philadelphia Bulletin every day.

The lecture is free of charge.

Log on to http://www.reserchforaction.org for more information.

Please forward to anyone who might be interested … your high school students and teachers included!