Building the Backbone School: An inquiry into the nature and potential of educational reform in contemporary American society.

摘要

The Backbone School concept represents a synthesis of several effective and innovative educational reform models and traditional pedagogical methodologies. This paper traces the historical development of public education in American Society, identifies current problems in the American educational system, and proposes a potentially effective model educational environment called the Backbone School. The paper addresses concerns about the limitations of No Child Left Behind policies including tougher learning standards and standardized testing. The term Backbone School was chosen because the backbone provides an organism with both structure and flexibility. Backbone Schools are schools that provide a well-defined programmatic structure which addresses students' needs in the modern world while at the same time allowing for flexibility within expanding limits. While enabling students to develop academic literacy and vocational skills the Backbone school also encourages social and emotional learning that is essential to a well-rounded human being.