Work Hard, Be Hard by Jim Horn
Work Hard, Be Hard explores the ideological contexts for the creation and spread of no excuses charter schools. By way of in-depth interviews, former teachers provide accounts of their teaching experiences that have not been heard before and are not likely to be forgotten soon. This book also examines no excuses charter schools as representing the convergence of paternalistic education reforms, neoliberal political agendas, and aggressive investment and marketing strategies by wealthy philanthropists and corporate foundations.
Jim Horn et alhave collected important perspectives from current and former Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) teachers in a new book entitled Work Hard, Be Hard: Journeys Through “No Excuses” Teaching. . . .I proffer that the KIPP teachers’ counternarratives in Journeys should be required reading for all of KIPPs influential supporters. . . .In summary, Journeys is shocking— but expected considering what is known about KIPP’s “no excuses” culture. What makes this piece unique is the unprecedented interviews with current and former KIPP teachers across many schools and years in the charter chain. While many claim that KIPP is beyond reproach and is the shining star of charter schools, I submit that we should instead be asking whether KIPP can actually reform their reform based on the counternarratives provided by the KIPP teachers, or whether their approach is simply a pathological and abusive approach that the elites would never prescribe or allow for their own kids— except of course if they sent them away to military school. * Cloaking Inequity *
Horn uncovers experiences that offer a useful complement to extant empirical work on school choice and charters. In some cases, like excluding special needs students, these accounts highlight what we already know about choice, charters, and their effects. Other stories, like ‘harsh discipline, humiliation, isolation, silencing, and public shaming,’ make heavy accusations and raise serious questions about No Excuses schooling that demand further investigation…. Work Hard, Be Hard provides an important counterpunch to the neoliberal claims of No Excuses school proponents. I hope to see more followup to Horn’s research and policy recommendations. * Teachers College Record *
The desire for order—for kids to shut up and listen—is universal—and I always thought we were in danger of letting it be too important. And these descriptions of KIPP give us picture of what ‘uniform enforcement’ looks like—when people let it…. This is an important book. I’ve never paid much attention to KIPP. Now I see how scary and terribly racist it is. -- Susan Ohanian, educator, activist, and author of "What Happened to Recess and Why Are Our Children Struggling in Kindergarten?"
This book is the foundation for changing the disastrous course the U.S. (and soon the rest of the world) is on….The philosophy underlying the KIPP movement is impacting not only KIPP schools and similar schools but education in general, world-wide…. I am convinced that this book will be at least the book of the decade. Up there with The Shock Doctrine. -- Stephen Krashen, PhD, professor emeritus, University of Southern California
Horn uncovers experiences that offer a useful complement to extant empirical work on school choice and charters. In some cases, like excluding special needs students, these accounts highlight what we already know about choice, charters, and their effects. Other stories, like ‘harsh discipline, humiliation, isolation, silencing, and public shaming,’ make heavy accusations and raise serious questions about No Excuses schooling that demand further investigation…. Work Hard, Be Hard provides an important counterpunch to the neoliberal claims of No Excuses school proponents. I hope to see more followup to Horn’s research and policy recommendations. * Teachers College Record *
The desire for order—for kids to shut up and listen—is universal—and I always thought we were in danger of letting it be too important. And these descriptions of KIPP give us picture of what ‘uniform enforcement’ looks like—when people let it…. This is an important book. I’ve never paid much attention to KIPP. Now I see how scary and terribly racist it is. -- Susan Ohanian, educator, activist, and author of "What Happened to Recess and Why Are Our Children Struggling in Kindergarten?"
This book is the foundation for changing the disastrous course the U.S. (and soon the rest of the world) is on….The philosophy underlying the KIPP movement is impacting not only KIPP schools and similar schools but education in general, world-wide…. I am convinced that this book will be at least the book of the decade. Up there with The Shock Doctrine. -- Stephen Krashen, PhD, professor emeritus, University of Southern California
Jim Horn is Professor of Educational Leadership at Cambridge College, and he has published widely on education issues related to policy, theory, research, and politics. With co-author, Denise Wilburn, he published The Mismeasure of Education in 2013.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781475825800 |
| ISBN 10 | 1475825803 |
| Title | Work Hard, Be Hard |
| Author | Jim Horn |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Rowman & Littlefield |
| Year published | 2016-02-18 |
| Number of pages | 276 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |