Unintended Consequences: How the No-Excuses Model Shapes Teacher Practice and Student Experience

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Abstract

No-excuses charter schools are an increasingly central part of public education in many urban areas in the U.S. However, while such schools have been positioned as an equitable intervention, we actually know little about the myriad consequences of this schooling model. In this paper, I explore the impact of no-excuses networks and models on teacher practices and thus on students’ experiences. Drawing on data from an ethnographic study of no-excuses classroom management, I question whether the no-excuses model encourages classroom practices and relationships that are unlikely to prepare students for engaged, critical citizenship. Though this study alone cannot fully answer such questions, it offers an important starting place for further conversation and exploration.

Author

• Eliot Graham, University of Montana - Missoula