The schools we have, the schools we want

by James Nehring

What happens when the rhetoric of school reform meets the realities of school change? In this book, teacher James Nehring offers a down-to-earth, very personal, often funny account of what life is like in a middle-class, suburban high school where teachers, students, and administrators struggle against school bureaucracy, inertia, and the difficulty of change. Nehring's story unfolds at the fictional Amesley Junior-Senior High School, where for two years he and his. Colleagues wrestle with issues of school reform. Amesley High's new principal, Roberta Walters, talks a good line about restructuring, shared decision-making, and collegiality, only to find her enthusiasm quickly overwhelmed by the realities of collective bargaining, state mandates, and entrenched cynicism. Enter Mr. Nehring - the idealistic crusader and social studies teacher who wants change in the worst way. He and like-minded colleagues make numerous attempts to. Break through institutional barriers. They devise a promi