ABSTRACT
Farley Elementary School provides an interesting contrast with Brewer, Grover, and Westview, one that illustrates the different consequences of CPS policies in relation to race and class and the power of the school community. Although teaching approaches are diverse, the school has generally managed to cultivate a culture of literacy and sustain a group of thoughtful, knowledgeable teachers who see themselves as professionals and intellectuals. Farley illustrates that the regime of accountability and regulation of teachers and schools can widen the gap between schools that struggle with curriculum and teaching and schools that cultivate rich literacies and support the work of competent teachers. As I have argued in other chapters, the implications of this widening gap are particularly significant in an economy that places a premium on the creation and manipulation of knowledge. Farley also illustrates the quite obvious point that the complexity of nurturing thoughtful teaching and learning is unlikely to be addressed by regulatory and punitive policies. On the other hand, Farley’s challenges point to another potential consequence of accountability measures that has not been generally discussed. Policies that hold teachers, administrators, and students accountable for test scores as a pathway to equity do little to address deep-seated ideological and structural issues of race and class in even the seemingly best urban schools. Farley’s strengths and its weaknesses put in focus some of the fundamental
challenges facing urban schools and the unlikelihood that a national education policy agenda rooted in accountability will address them. Indeed, Farley strengthens the argument that these policies are a means of disciplining students and teachers and sorting students for a highly stratified labor force and society. When viewed through a wider, more critical, lens, Farley also demonstrates the limits of “good” schools that operate within the dominant paradigm and the need for fundamental change.
