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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

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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 Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of South Carolina, Columbia.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.

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