One school in Chicago shows the promise and pitfalls of a federal effort to turn around the nation's bottom-tier schools.
By Amanda Paulson
About 10 juniors and seniors sit in Joyce Randolph's history class at Wendell Phillips Academy, a predominantly black high school on Chicago's south side, wrestling with a question they have focused on for weeks. Just how revolutionary was the American Revolution? Ms. Randolph, an animated teacher who doesn't brook lethargy in her class, pushes the students to elaborate. "Give it to me in your own words," she exhorts. At this point, she isn't looking for answers as much as wanting to make sure they understand what she's asking...[continued]
