Healthy skepticism fuels good journalism, smart research and thoughtful education. And yet, as Emily Krone Phillips tells us in her new book, The Make-or-Break Year, “the movement that occurred in Chicago to support freshmen hinged not on skepticism, but on belief. … Belief that the dropout crisis was something that could be solved. Belief in the research that showed ninth grade was the make-or-break year for high school graduation. Belief that careful monitoring and support in ninth grade could set students on entirely new trajectories. Belief that, with the right coaching and support, Chicago teachers could be sophisticated problem solvers.”
A standing-room-only crowd of true believers–including many people featured in the book–celebrated its launch last night at 57th Street Books. Krone Phillips joined CPS Chief Equity Officer and former Tilden principal Maurice Swinney and John Easton of the Consortium on Chicago School research for a panel discussion moderated by The Joyce Foundation’s Stephanie Banchero. The panelists and the lively crowd engaged in a spirited discussion of “the politics of distraction” in education reform, how shifting the focus to solving problems inside schools offers a more effective lever for improvement and the next problems CPS could tackle using that lever...