Campus Schools

New York City's Solution to Underperforming and Violent Schools

By (author) Mónica Ortiz

Publication date:

30 October 2015

Length of book:

126 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781475815252

Campus creation was the means to providing the children of NYC with the opportunity to engage in the learning process in a personalize environment of their choice that was safe and orderly regardless of where they lived. However, campus settings are complex environments with multiple principals responsible for one building; each leader with his or her unique personality, experience, and educational commitment.
This book delves into the concept of collaborative leadership in campus principals charged with the task of transitioning two large underperforming and violent schools to campuses of small schools while learning to collaboratively manage a campus.
Campus management, a new form of school leadership and administration, required consensus building among diverse and at time, competing forces. Multiple principals were now collectively responsible for agreeing on how to best serve the greater campus community while considering the unique needs of their small schools. Their greatest challenge was not the hostility from the closing school community or reducing school violence or even the countless restructuring from central administration but rather dealing with each other.

CONTENTS

Introduction
Chapter 1: There Are No Quick Fixes
Impact School Initiative
Controlling Student Behavior
New Beginnings and the Twlight Program
Small Schools in NYC
School Closures
Logistics and Impact of School Closings
Campus Schools
Conclusion
Chapter 2: The Campus Schools
The Cuomo Campus
Academy for MST Studies
College Preparatory High School
The Marin Campus
Dual Language High School
The High School for Performing Arts
The High School for International Studies
School for Professional Careers
Conclusion
Chapter 3: Collaborative Leadership: The Inner Workings of the Principals’ Council
Principals’ Council Legitimacy
Governance
Autonomy or Collective
Collaborative Leadership
Assigned School Space
Budget Woes
Conclusion
Chapter 4: Under New Management: Campus Logistics and Operation
Shared Expenses and School Budget
Shared Space and Student Behavior
Shared Space and Instructional Programs
Trouble with the Law
Conclusion
Chapter 5: Where’s the Boss? The Role of Central Administration
Constant Flux
Who’s in Charge
Building Capacity
The Superintendent
Conclusion
Conclusion: Creating a Better Plan
References

Monica Ortiz addresses a topic that is critical to American education: how to create safe and orderly schools where good teaching and learning can be supported. Drawing on research and practical experience as a principal who has been on the front lines of school reform, Ortiz shows how to improve relationships in school by transforming the culture. Her ideas are clear and compelling and all the more convincing because they are based on work she has actually done. For those who seek to ensure that safety can be created without compromising the integrity of the educational mission of schools, this book will be an invaluable resource.