The above article The Factory is about 20 pages, but very readable. It is a narrative piece centering on a 17 year old high school senior named Rousseau. The school he attends is an urban charter school in Boston, Mass. Through this article we can look at many different aspects of education: curriculum, instruction, role of the teachers, culture of the school, socio-economic impacts on the school, experimental education etc. While it is far removed from the context we all work in there are many similarities, such as targeting marginalized or impoverished communities, focusing on individuals who often are given little encouragement or opportunity from society at large and trying to build new methods of education.
In a discussion I had with Quentin he mentioned looking at a case study to look at what’s happening away from the border, and I feel that there is a lot to gain from having a comparative to work from. (I don’t mean to be US centric in the selection, but I have been reading dozens of articles this week and this is the most interesting and approachable for a variety of different people that I have come across.)
