Transcending Mediocrity: A Conceptual Analysis of Success for All

• In Event: 30.081 - Poster Session 5
  In Poster Session: 30.081-5 - Organizational Theory SIG Posters

Abstract

With its portrayal of the institutions of Baltimore in utter disarray, David Simon’s The Wire makes a powerful case for “cleaning up” proverbial city. The climactic events in Baltimore also set the stage for a prominent Comprehensive School Reform Design (CSRD) that attempted to apply rational methods to clean up the nation’s underperforming schools: Success for All. In the following paper, I apply the work of Max Weber to analyze the rationalism of Success for All. In this conceptual analysis, I consider evidence from an evaluative research study related to Success for All and a local news article about the program. Although “comprehensive” reforms may appear rational, this critical analysis uncovers irrational tendencies in their design.

Author

• Seth A. McCall, Teachers College, Columbia University