The Discovery Charter School in Newark

• In Event: Roundtable Session 66
  In Roundtable Session: “Schools of Tomorrow,” Schools of Today Revisited: Histories of Five Contemporary Progressive Schools

Abstract

The Discovery Charter School opened in Newark, NJ. in 1999-2000 school year. There are two head teachers or in the school‘s language, Co-leaders (co-founders), who also teach; additionally, there are 4 classroom teachers, one aide, a part-time nurse and apart-time social worker. All of the teachers are specialists in particular areas: one of the two Co-leader s holds a license in Special Education. Its student population is 100% low-income students of color. Its emphasis is on community building, independent study, hands-on explorations, and discovery learning and to teach students how to communicate powerfully and effectively and to think critically. On average, the school’s test scores are 30 points higher than the Newark Public School District average. Parental presence in the school is high. Like earlier progressive schools students at the Discovery School engage in community service where giving back to the community is coupled with an entrepreneurial spirit.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a historical and biographical analysis of the school and its two leaders in the context of the urban charter school movement and urban educational reform. Drawing upon earlier research on the history of early progressive schools and of women educational leaders during the Progressive Era, this paper compares the school to the early progressive schools and its contemporary female founders to those who founded schools in the early 20th century, including Helen Parkhurst at the Dalton School and Caroline Pratt at the City and Country School. The paper pays close attention to the issue of sustaining progressive schools amidst the current standards and accountability movements.

2. Perspectives: This paper uses the perspective summarized in the Paedagogica Historica special issue on ISCHE 30, which argues for the use of both historical and sociological analyses to examine education and inequality. The paper provides a sociological analysis of the history of the school through an examination of the evolution of its curriculum and pedagogy, its changes and leadership, its problems with sustainability and its effectiveness in serving a diverse student population.

3. Methods: The paper uses historical methods, including archival research, oral histories with living administrators and teachers, and qualitative sociological methods, including interviews with current teachers and administrators and ethnographic observations of the school.

4. Data sources: The paper analyzes archival documents, including memos, letters, newspapers, and planning documents, as well as interviews with former and current teachers and administrators.

5. Conclusions: The paper argues that the school has undergone a number of changes in its long history as it struggles to adapt to changing market and educational conditions. It explores how changes in leadership have been a key component of stability, change and sustainability. Finally, it argues that the school has been effective in balancing these conditions with admitting and serving a diverse student population.

6. Significance: The paper provides an important contribution to the literature on the history of progressive education through the analysis of a significant urban charter school.

Author

• Susan F. Semel, City College of New York - CUNY