Eva Moskowitz - Mission Possible, Enhanced Edition: How the Secrets of the Success Academies Can Work in Any School

Praise for Mission Possible

The authors describe their schools as places defined by joyful rigor. Having visited a Success Academy, I can attest to that. If we are going to change the odds for children living in poverty, we need to create more opportunities to replicate what is working at places like Success Academies. This book does just that, taking the best practices from the Success Academies and creating a framework for educators, parents, and policy-makers to learn from their successes.

Sen. Michael F. Bennet, Colorado

Mission Possible is a testament to what can be achieved in public education when the focus shifts to improving rigor in instruction and continuing education for teachers and principals.

Doug Lemov, managing director, Uncommon Schools; author, Teach Like a Champion

It is long past time to end the needless conflict between district-run and charter schools, and instead spend our time working together and learning from each other. That is why this book is so important and so timely. We need to learn from the best practices of our successful public schools, whether district-run or charter, and reflect on ways to improve public education for the benefit of all our kids.

Tom Boasberg, superintendent, Denver Public Schools

Among the most promising urban charter schools, like the Success Academies, we see sustaining cultures where adults focus on student learning and performance and on supporting each other. As always, we need an intimate glimpse into how those cultures build and grow stronger, and what is the stuff that goes on within classrooms. This book gives us that glimpse, in ways that can benefit all schools.

Andres Alonso, CEO, Baltimore City Public School System

Success Academy schools are not just great public schools, they are the wave of the future. But great schools can't be left to chance. The stakes are too high. Just as we expect children of all backgrounds to learn more every day in school, Mission Possible shows us how a culture of continuous improvement also allows teachers themselves the gratification of continuing to learn and grow professionally each and every day to better meet student needs.

Eli Broad, founder, The Broad Foundations

Copyright 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Moskowitz, Eva S.

Mission possible : how the secrets of the success academies can work in any school / Eva Moskowitz, Arin Lavinia.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-118-16728-1 (pbk.), 978-1-118-16728-1 (ebk.), 978-1-118-23962-9 (ebk.), 978-1-118-26422-5 (ebk.)

1. School improvement programsNew York (State)New YorkCase studies. 2. Academic achievementNew York (State)New YorkCase studies. 3. Charter schoolsNew York (State)New YorkCase studies. 4. Harlem Success Academy (New York, N.Y.) I. Lavinia, Arin, 1977- II. Title.

LB2822.83.N7M67 2012

371.207097471dc23

To our indefatigable director of instruction, Paul Fucaloro; our hardworking and talented faculty; and our nine extraordinary principals, Jackie Albers, Jim Manly, Richard Seigler, Danique Loving, Stacey Apatov, Michele Caracappa, Vanessa Bangser, Monica Burress, and Carrie Roby

This book would not have been possible without the generous support of the Ford Foundation and its president, Luis Ubias.

List of Video Clips

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