• Subscribe

    Sign up here for our monthly newsletter.

  • Menu

    Expanding expectations for students through accelerated schools

    By Sandra P. Byrd and Christine Finnan
    October 2003
    Vol. 24, No. 4
    What does accelerated learning mean? For scores of disadvantaged and at-risk students involved in the AcceleratedSchools Project, it means a deeper understanding of a subject and higher achievement. For teachers, it means a school culture where collaboration is the norm, a sense of moral purpose drives their work, and they are learning nearly as much as the students they teach. The National Center for the Accelerated Schools Project works with schools across the country to change their approach to educating economically disadvantaged students. The project is based on the belief that accelerating the learning of all students, especially those at risk of failure, will bring all students into the academic mainstream by the end of elementary or middle school (Levin, 1986, 1991, 1998). The Accelerated Schools Project philosophy emphasizes students’ capacity to learn. Acceleration tends to be associated with bright children and teaching content faster. Accelerated schools try to engage children so they understand why

    Read the remaining content with membership access. Join or log in below to continue.

    Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.

    Log In
       

    Authors

    Sandra P. Byrd and Christine Finnan

    SANDRA P. BYRD is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina, Asheville, and director of UNCA University School Teacher Education Partnership. You can contact her at the Department of Education, University of North Carolina, Asheville, One University Heights CPO #1950, Asheville, NC 28804, (828) 251-6959, fax (828) 251-6883, e-mail: sbyrd@bulldog.unca.edu.

    CHRISTINE FINNAN is an assistant professor at the College of Charleston and director of the South Carolina Accelerated Schools Project. You can contact her at the School of Education, College of Charleston, 66 George St., Charleston, SC 29424, (843) 953-4826, fax (843) 953-1994, e-mail: finnanc@cofc.edu.

    References

    Byrd, S.P. (2000). The Accelerated Schools Project: Initiating and sustaining school reform. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of South Carolina, Columbia.

    Donley, J. & Johnson, J.L. (1999, October). Accelerated schools evaluation report 1998-99. Durham, NC: North Carolina Partnership for Accelerated Schools.

    Finnan, C., Schnepel, K.C., &  Anderson, L.W. (2003). Powerful learning environments: The critical link between school and classroom cultures. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 8(4), 391-418.

    Finnan, C. & Swanson, J.D. (2000). Accelerating the learning of all students: Cultivating culture change in schools, classrooms, and individuals. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

    Fullan, M. (1993). Change forces: Probing the depths of educational reform. London: Falmer Press.

    Levin, H.M. (1986). Educational reform for disadvantaged students: An emerging crisis. Washington, DC: National Education Association.

    Levin, H.M. (1991). Building school capacity for effective teacher empowerment: Applications to elementary schools with at-risk students. New Brunswick, NJ: Center for Policy Research in Education, Rutgers University.

    Levin, H.M. (1998). Accelerated schools: A decade of evaluation. In A. Hargreaves, A. Lieberman, M. Fullan, & D. Hopkins (Eds.), International handbook of education change. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

    Levin, H.M. (2001, May). Learning from school reform. Paper prepared for the International Conference on Rejuvenating Schools through Partnership, Hong Kong.

    Means, B. & Knapp, M.S. (1991). Teaching advanced skills to educationally disadvantaged students. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.

    Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline. New York, NY: Doubleday.

    Singham, M. (1998, September). The canary in the mine: The achievement gap between black and white students. Phi Delta Kappan, 80(1), 9-15.


    + posts

    Sandra P. Byrd is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina, Asheville, and director of UNCA University School Teacher Education Partnership. You can contact her at the Department of Education, University of North Carolina, Asheville, One University Heights CPO #1950, Asheville, NC 28804, (828) 251-6959, fax (828) 251-6883, e-mail: sbyrd@bulldog.unca.edu.

    + posts

    Christine Finnan is an assistant professor at the College of Charleston and director of the South Carolina Accelerated Schools Project. You can contact her at the School of Education, College of Charleston, 66 George St., Charleston, SC 29424, (843) 953-4826, fax (843) 953-1994, e-mail: finnanc@cofc.edu.


    Search
    The Learning Professional


    Published Date

    CURRENT ISSUE



  • Subscribe

  • Recent Issues

    LEARNING TO PIVOT
    August 2024

    Sometimes new information and situations call for major change. This issue...

    GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
    June 2024

    What does professional learning look like around the world? This issue...

    WHERE TECHNOLOGY CAN TAKE US
    April 2024

    Technology is both a topic and a tool for professional learning. This...

    EVALUATING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
    February 2024

    How do you know your professional learning is working? This issue digs...

    Skip to content