Frank S. Kelly

The basic premise of this book is not new by any stretch, but interestingly still needs to be said, over and over. Our schools are not functional in teaching our students what they need to be successful in the 21st century. Our student's brains are wired differently due to early and consistent exposure to digital media and we need to get on board. I agree completely and appreciate that the authors take a very bottom up approach in that they focus on the physical design of learning spaces as being the first step. If we don't change the spaces we teach in, we will have a much harder time changing our teaching. They are also very clear that a community vision must exist before design and construction begin and they do not mince words when they say that it will "take great courage, steadfast commitment, and a lot of just plain hard work to sustain the vision. (67). After laying out their reasoning, the authors elaborate on 11 different school designs with the emphasis on the fact that there is no one right answer for every kid. While the need for professional development is stressed and the resistance of teachers, parents and administrators being asked to move out of their comfort zone is addressed, the overall tone of the book is positive.

Curriculum is not the focus of this book, and the authors explore how the physical design of the school must support 21st century curriculum, however it is defined and that would vary depending on the model chosen. The authors address many aspects of the digital age high school but as a school librarian, I am concerned that most of their models do not have an information center (library/commons) and that while there is much mention of online access to library materials, and information there is no discussion of how that material will be selected, evaluated, and where students are to get voluntary reading material is left out entirely.

I would highly recommend that anyone contemplating a school remodel or construction read this book immediately. If nothing else, it will make you question your assumptions, and that is not a bad thing at all.

Related Book: David V. Loertscher, Carol Koechlin and Sandi Zwaan; ISBN: 978-1-933170-40-4; Hi Willow Research and Publishing; 2008… (mere)

An architect, a teacher and a technologist combine their extensive experience to imagine a wide variety of organizational designs for a local to digital high school. They first set out their case that the traditional organization is no longer working very well with the types of learners we have to educate and then they lay out their proposals. Each organizational design is illustrated by an elaborate two-page diagram, so you first learn to read the diagram components and then you can quickly grasp how that organization might work. They begin with the traditional design followed by academies, instructional centers, academic focus, learning labs, self-directed learning, time-less + more, individualized instruction, cyber schools, and diverse learning communities. For any community or school district considering some type of major organizational structure, this is an essential book of ideas to consider. Of course, as teacher librarians, we want to put our own learning commons ideas on the table to throw into the mix. In smaller communities where there is a single high school, the book does provide the idea that even in a single building, one does not have to rely on a single organizational structure but can have various smaller houses where a particular philosophy is implemented. For too long, a cookie-cutter approach to education has been in place, so it is great to stretch one’s minds and open them to new ideas and possibilities. Highly recommended for professional learning communities looking at change.… (mere)

If you're familiar with Ian Jukes, the first part of this book isn't exactly unexplored territory. His themes of digital changes in the education landscape are standard fare. The bottom line here is that our current school structures are hopelessly outmoded and obsolete. The rest of the book provides some examples of alternative school structures. I like the different types of schools that McCain, Kelly, and Jukes outline and all of them are intriguing. Most all of the school are constructivist, project-based affairs that place a strong emphasis on student engagement. The big problem is that I never got a real sense of what an actual curriculum in each school would look like. I get that each institution and in fact each student will have a different course of studies, but there are no real examples at all. The authors discuss "covering the basics", but there's no actual studies provided. As such, the book outlines some interesting structures, but these structures are not inhabited by any real studies. To me, this is a serious shortcoming and leaves all of these types of proposals seem rather flighty and unreal. I want to believe that all of the ideas outlined in the book are workable, but by not including any concrete evidence, the book leaves much to be desired. This is a good start, but I think the authors owe the readers a follow-up or companion volume to flesh out the details.… (mere)