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Reconciling Student Outcomes And Community Self-Reliance In Modern School Reform Contexts, Brian Beabout, Andre Perry

Brian R. Beabout

Education for African Americans has historically been linked to the broad movement to improve their lot in life. Ceaselessly, from slavery and Jim Crow, toward full membership in American society, schooling was as much about academic learning as it was for ensuring the sustainability of the community in which the school was situated. This chapter provides a theoretical examination of the impact of these differing sets of values (student outcomes vs. community self-determination) and suggests a conceptual road map for improvement based heavily on our work with public schooling in post-Katrina New Orleans, perhaps the American city where test-based accountability …