Disrupting Disruption shows how three racially and ethnically diverse school districts--Union NJ, Union City OK, and Roanoke City VA--have defied the demographic odds, boosting overall graduation rates while shrinking or eliminating the opportunity gap. These districts resemble many others in their student population. What makes them distinctive is their relentless focus on developing and supporting teachers and engaging students; constantly seeking ways to do a better job; using data to enhance learning; developing partnerships with parents and local organizations; and relying on stable, supportive leadership. Disrupting Disruption demonstrates that disruption-whether by inflicting a discipline-and-punish regime on our nation's schools, or replacing them with charters or vouchers-is not the best way forward.
In Disrupting Disruption, David Kirp and his coauthors look closely at three school districts in Oklahoma, New Jersey, and Virginia that have overcome the fragmentation, isolation, and lost learning opportunities of the public school system. They tell three compelling stories, buttressed by solid research, of how seemingly ordinary school districts, where White students don't constitute a majority and many students come from low-income families, have dramatically boosted graduation rates and closed the opportunity gap. As they show, every school system can and should do as well through steady work, setting high expectations, and weaving a safety net of supports for each student.
The authors have done a great service by showing how to debunk the paradigm of 'demography is destiny.' School systems can help all students succeed when they create stable, supportive learning environments where there is a relentless focus on essential ingredients: talented and supported teachers, a challenging and coherent curriculum, high-quality programs, and partnerships with parents and local organizations that reinforce the shared academic mission. These strategies and examples remind us that education is the cornerstone of our democracy-and how we can keep it that way.
