Charting Chicago School Reform: Democratic Localism as a Lever for Change. - Review - book review

Administrative Science Quarterly, Dec, 2000 by Nancy Roberts

From a political perspective, the book directs attention to the idea of a "strong democracy," "where citizens work together to articulate and advance a locally defined common good" (p. 48), and to "unitary politics," in which a set of principles are held in common among organizational members to provide the guiding framework for institutional life (p. 266). Central to this brand of politics are sustained citizen participation, a greater emphasis on self-government and consensual decision making, public concern for the common good, and a legitimation of core values and guiding ideas through public dialogue. Thus, enhanced democratic activity at the local level is viewed as an effective antidote to unresponsive societal institutions like urban public schools.

From an advocacy perspective, the book offers a developmental theory of educational reform to assist other urban schools in the process of change. Using the specific context of Chicago reform, "the theory focuses attention on four key areas: local managerial and leadership capacity; strengthening school-parent community ties; human resource development; professional community formation; and local access and use of ideas, materials, and expertise to improve instruction" (p. 270). It also focuses on two broad processes--political mobilization of local actors to initiate and sustain attention to school improvement and the strategic quality of cumulative decision making. Reform architects who want to complete the unfinished business of Chicago school reform would find the last chapter of interest. Creative changes in policy, assistance to schools, external accountability, innovation support, and reform of the center all are recommended to sustain the momentum of school reform.

From any of these perspectives, this book is a "must read" for scholars, policy makers, educators, administrators, community leaders, and activists interested in education, change, and the democratic process. It is an impressive demonstration of scholarship applied to a critical issue of our day. It merits our attention and deserves our recognition for work very well done.

Tyack, D., and L. Cuban

1995 Tinkering toward Utopia: A Century of Public School Reform. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.