At Rosa Parks, a middle school in a crime-ridden neighborhood, students are advised to “do as they are told” and they will succeed. Unfortunately, “doing what they are told” often translates into repeating information given to them by the teacher, especially when it comes to writing. Meanwhile, students in an affluent neighborhood nearby are encouraged to be creative and think critically. This book examines the experience of one school’s resistance to the deficit model of education and how it represents the overall story of urban school reform. Highlighting the consequences of the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in literacy, the author weighs the perspectives of teachers, National Writing Project consultants, and administrators. Her up-close analysis illuminates how rigid accountability structures shift power away from the teachers and administrators who know the students best. As such, it illustrates the complex nature of writing instruction in urban schools. Book Features: Provides valuable lessons learned that can be applied throughout the United States to improve urban schools. Offers rich portraits of students and teachers who resist the deficit identities placed on them by the dominant narrative of urban school reform. Presents a forum for those who are often silenced and talked about where they can speak for themselves.

Untangling Urban Middle School Reform: Clashing Agendas for Literacy Standards and Student Success

Reference

Urbanski, Cynthia D.

Words, Language & Grammar

Teachers' College Press

Using the Workshop Approach in the High School English Classroom: Modeling Effective Writing, Reading, and Thinking Strategies for Student Success

Take a peek into an effective workshop-based classroom and discover how you can enhance adolescents′ technical and creative abilities in reading, writing, and thinking.

Education & Teaching

Schools & Teaching

Corwin

Take a peek into an effective workshop-based classroom and discover how you can enhance adolescents' technical and creative abilities in reading, writing, and thinking.

As a trencher, do you find that preparing for standardized tests interferes with teaching advanced thinking, reading, and writing skills in a meaningful way? Do you want to balance test preparation with more creative activities? Success in school and beyond depends on one’s ability to read fluently, write coherently, and think critically. This handbook uses the workshop model for exponentially increasing adolescents’ abilities in these three key areas. This practical guide addresses the daily running and practice of a workshop-based classroom, using research and the author’s own experiences to illustrate how to establish a workshop that: <ul>
<li>Fosters lasting learning while reinforcing the skills needed for standardized tests</li>
<li>Teaches audience and purpose as a vehicle to style and structure</li>
<li>Provides a supportive and lively environment in which students are comfortable enough to take risks and share original ideas</li>
</ul>
 Try Urbanski’s approach to teaching literacy analysis and mentoring student writers, and discover just how rewarding the workshop experience can be!

Skyhorse

Getting Schooled on Resistance: An Exploration of Clashing Narratives in Urban School Reform

Test Preparation

Graduate School

Synergy Publishing Group

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Books by Urbanski, Cynthia D.