Engaging students requires giving them a say in what they learn and how they will learn it. However, in strictly disciplined, rule-bound schools with test-driven curricula, this cannot happen. Edison Schools, Inc., a for-profit Education Management Organization (EMO), and Confluence Academy, an Edison-run school located in one of the most…

A valuable lesson about teacher ownership and its power to move a school forward was learned by the author as she worked with a professional development initiative on assessment: No matter how closely a district-level leader thinks she is connected to and trusted by a staff, the collective commitment, focus, and action of the teachers themselves…