Crazy Like a Fox: One Principal's Triumph in the Inner City [NOOK Book]

NOOK Book (eBook)
$9.99
BN.com price

Available on NOOK devices and apps

  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for iPad
  • NOOK for iPhone
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK for Android (Tablet)
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

Overview

The inspiring true story of "one of the country's finest educators" (National Review) and the school he changed forever.

Under the leadership of highly unorthodox principal Dr. Ben Chavis, Oakland's American Indian Public Charter School was hailed as an "education miracle" by governor Arnold Schwarzenegger after it was transformed from a failing "nuisance" into one of the best public middle schools in the nation.

This is the story of that transformation and of a man who dared to be different. With his rigorous, no-nonsense approach, Dr. Chavis debunks the myth that poor, minority, ...
See more details below

Overview

The inspiring true story of "one of the country's finest educators" (National Review) and the school he changed forever.

Under the leadership of highly unorthodox principal Dr. Ben Chavis, Oakland's American Indian Public Charter School was hailed as an "education miracle" by governor Arnold Schwarzenegger after it was transformed from a failing "nuisance" into one of the best public middle schools in the nation.

This is the story of that transformation and of a man who dared to be different. With his rigorous, no-nonsense approach, Dr. Chavis debunks the myth that poor, minority, inner-city schools have little chance at academic excellence. Focusing on back-tobasics ideals, he has created a structured educational model that, combined with the enthusiasm of his students and teachers, delivers astounding results.

In Crazy Like a Fox, Dr. Chavis recounts how he did it-in his own words and through the stories of the extraordinary young people he's helped.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781101136089
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
  • Publication date: 9/1/2009
  • Sold by: Penguin Group
  • Format: eBook
  • Pages: 304
  • Sales rank: 610,129
  • File size: 526 KB

Meet the Author

Dr. Ben Chavis was born into a Lumbee Indian family of sharecroppers and as a youngster attended Indian segregated public schools in Robeson County, North Carolina. An athletic scholarship provided him the opportunity to graduate from Pima College and University of Arizona. He has worked in farming, construction, education, and business. He is now Chief Executive for training and implementing the successful American Indian Public Charter School model in schools. His educational model has been replicated in other schools serving low-income students with the same high academic results. During his leadership at AIPCS, it went from the lowest scoring school in Oakland, California, to one of the top in the United States.
Carey Blakely grew up in Massachusetts and California and majored in English at UC Berkeley. After teaching at American Indian Public Charter School for three years, she helped launch American Indian Public High School (AIPHS) and was appointed the school’s leader. During the time she headed AIPHS, it ranked as the fifth-highest-scoring high school in California. She now lives and writes in the San Diego area.

Table of Contents

Foreword xiii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 The Zoo 7

Chapter 2 The Oakland Raider 16

Chapter 3 A Second Chance 28

Chapter 4 A New Beginning 35

Chapter 5 Creating a Family with the Self-Contained Classroom 47

Chapter 6 Looping and the Extended Family 57

Chapter 7 Family Involvement 63

Chapter 8 Meet the Escobars 72

Chapter 9 High Expectations and an Academic Focus 84

Chapter 10 The Quest for Improvement 96

Chapter 11 The Emperor Who Wore No Clothes and the Boy Who Called Him Out 101

Chapter 12 You Are Judged by Your Race Whether You Like It or Not 116

Chapter 13 Poor? If You Say So 124

Chapter 14 Sacrifice 132

Chapter 15 Free Market Capitalism in the Classroom 139

Chapter 16 Schools have Enough Money 147

Chapter 17 Sign on the Dotted Line 157

Chapter 18 Guided by a Firm Hand 167

Chapter 19 Nate 173

Chapter 20 Taming Wild Horses 181

Chapter 21 A Method to the Madness 190

Chapter 22 Ben Fumbles his Way Through Elementary School 198

Chapter 23 Out from Under the Hype of Violence 205

Chapter 24 Up from the Bottoms: Bootlegging and Preaching: How I Learned the Gift of Gab and a Love of Free Market Capitalism 215

Chapter 25 Cleanliness: A Chore and a Mentality 228

Chapter 26 Mental Work or Physical Labor: You Make the Choice 236

Chapter 27 Big Bad Bossman 246

Chapter 28 Sophath: One Among Us 257

Conclusion: Creating Educational Excellence Through Replication 264

Appendix 277

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identiy on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

We're sorry, but penname is already taken.

Please select one of the following:
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

penname is available!

By visiting the BN.com website or marking a purchase on BN.com, a User is deemed to have accepted the Terms of Use.

Continue Anonymously

Welcome, penname

You have successfully created your Pen Name. Start enjoying the benefits of the BN.com Community today.

Sort by: Showing 1 – 2 of 1 Customer Review
  • Posted August 5, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    Dr. Chavez Gets it Right

    Dr. Chavez is the kind of principal I would love to work for, but have not been fortunate enough to find in my career. I agree with so much of what he says: self-contained classrooms, strict discipline, and rigorous academics. It is fortunate for his students that he's been able to implement the changes he has. If he were a principal of a typical public school, these changes would have been difficult if not impossible to implement.

    I enjoyed the book and wish Dr. Chavez continued success with his schools. The only problem I had was that I was hoping for a more professional read. This book might appeal more to parents and the general reading public than it will to education professionals. I wanted to see greater detail about how he achieved the results he did. He included test scores before and after, but did not get as specific as he might about how the school went about making those changes day-to-day. Overall, a good read. I'd love to pick his brain further.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted January 17, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing 1 – 2 of 1 Customer Review

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)
500 character limit