BOOK REVIEWS
A town was, after all, a group of settlers who had been granted permission to settle a plot of land that had been inspected and surveyed by the legislature. They had col- lectively been granted a patent (deed) to this land and the power to divide it up among themselves according to cer- tain general principles of law. From this power, present at WKH WRZQ¶V IRXQGLQJÀRZHG LWVVXEVHTXHQWSRZHU WRJRY - ern itself. ~ Excerpted from 6PDOO7RZQ$PHULFD Author Richard Lingeman is a highly regarded historian, biogra- pher, journalist, editor, and satirist. His scholarship (including a thir- WHHQSDJH ELEOLRJUDSK\ DQG KLV VDWLULFDO VHQVH RI KXPRU SHUPHDWH this book. The legacy of this wonderfully written and informative his- torical narrative can be found at the annual Small Cities Conferences. 6SRQVRUHGE\%DOO6WDWH8QLYHUVLW\LQ0XQFLH,QGLDQDWKH0D\ FRQIHUHQFHZLOO H[SORUH ³PRGHUQ FKDOOHQJHV´ DQG ³VXVWDLQDEOH VROX - WLRQV LQ UXUDO FRPPXQLWLHV WRZQV DQG VPDOOHU FLWLHV´ /LQJHPDQ grew up in the town of Crawfordsville, Indiana. 1HZ:RUOGFRORQLVWV¿UVWDWWHPSWHGWRVHWWOHLQ-DPHVWRZQLQ /LQJHPDQGHVFULEHVWKHH̆RUWDV³IDWDOO\ORFDWHGLQPDUVK\XQKHDOWK - IXOHQYLURQVZLSHGRXWVHYHUDO WLPHVE\ IDPLQHVLFNQHVV¿UH´DQG Indian attacks. Jamestown was ultimately burned down and aban- doned after a colonial rebellion in 1676. ,GHQWLI\LQJHPHUJLQJGL̆HUHQFHVLQWUDGHODQGXVHGLFWDWHGE\WR - SRJUDSK\UHOLJLRXVSUDFWLFHVDQGFLYLFHQJDJHPHQWDPRQJ0DU\ODQG DQG9LUJLQLDVHWWOHUVYHUVXVWKRVHZKRVHWWOHGDQGHVWDEOLVKHG0DVVD - chusetts help to explain emerging disputes, which culminated in the Civil War between the North and the South. 7KH GHPDQGV RI WKH 3XULWDQV IRU HYHU\RQH WR OLYH ³E\ WKH OLWHUDO ZRUG RI WKH%LEOH´ FRPSHOOHG FRORQLHV WR EXLOG VFKRROV DQG SURYLGH universal access to education. Parents also pitched in toward the tui- WLRQ7HDFKLQJZDV³DXWKRULWDULDQOHDUQLQJE\URWH,QWKH.HQW&RQ - QHFWLFXW VFKRRO WKH FXUULFXOXP FRQVLVWHG RI PHPRUL]LQJ WKH WKUHH 5¶VWKHFDWHFKLVPDQGWKHODZVRQFDSLWDOSXQLVKPHQW´ 7RZQZDUGHQVDQGWKHORFDOFKXUFKPLQLVWHUZHUHUHTXLUHGWR³LQ - VSHFW WKH VFKRROV´ DQG YHULI\ ³WKDW WKH UHTXLUHG VXEMHFWPDWWHUZDV EHLQJ WDXJKW´/LQJHPDQ FKDUDFWHUL]HV WKH LQWHQW RI WKHVH WDFWLFV DV HQVXULQJ ³GRFLOH FLWL]HQV ZLWK D KHDOWK\ UHVSHFW IRU DXWKRULW\´ +H PXVHVWKDW³WKHORQJOLVWRIFDSLWDOFULPHVLQ0DVVDFKXVHWWVZRXOGEH VẊFLHQWWRSOXQJHDFKLOGLQWRDSHUPDQHQWVWDWHRIJORRP´
A Chance To Make History... ...continued from page 90
JDJHGLQWKLVHQGHDYRU´WKURXJKWKH³7HDFKLQJ$V/HDGHUVKLSIUDPH - ZRUNZLWKLWVVXSSRUWLQJFXUULFXOXP´ Hard Work and Dedication Generate Successful Models .RSSLGHQWL¿HVVWUDWHJLHVSURYHQWREHH̆HFWLYHDQGWKHDFFRPSOLVK - ments of Teach for America premised on dedication, hard work, com- petence, and clear goals and pathways that enable underperforming VWXGHQWVWRVXFFHHG³3XUSRVHO\SODQQHGDQGWKRXJKWIXOO\LPSOHPHQW - HG´ WR ³IRVWHU VWXGHQWV¶ GHHS HQJDJHPHQW ZLWK KDUG LGHDV´ HQVXUHG WKDW³FOHDUOHDUQLQJREMHFWLYHVZHUHEHLQJPHW´7KHVHWHDFKHUVDVVHVV HDFK VWXGHQW¶V SURJUHVV IUHTXHQWO\ZKLFK ³JLYHV VWXGHQWV D VHQVH RI RZQHUVKLSRYHUWKHLUOHDUQLQJ´ 5LJRURXVDQGHQJDJLQJFRQWHQWDQGJRDOVUHÀHFWZHOORUJDQL]HGSODQV IRU DFKLHYLQJ WKHP7KH HQYLURQPHQWVRI WKHVH FODVVURRPV DUH¿OOHG with encouragement and pathways to success posted all around the students. %H3URPSW3ROLWHDQG3UHSDUHG:RUN+DUG*HW6PDUW*R)DU <RXU&KRLFHV<RXU$FWLRQV <RXU)XWXUH²&KRRVH<RXU)XWXUH .RSS¶V FODUL¿FDWLRQV RI ZKDW FRQVWLWXWHV WUDQVIRUPDWLRQDO HGX - FDWLRQ DQG KRZ LW EHQH¿WV XQGHUSHUIRUPLQJ VWXGHQWV LQ SDUWLFXODU should propel this book to much wider public attention. Her insight- IXODQG WKRURXJKDQDO\VHVRIH̆HFWLYHYHUVXV LQH̆HFWLYHUHIRUPVDQG what really ensures successful student outcomes apply to every school district. The relevance and role of schools of education and their stran- JOHKROGRYHUWHDFKHUFHUWL¿FDWLRQVDVWKHRQO\SDWKZD\LQWRSXEOLFHO - ementary and high schools have been controversial for a long time. The strong performance of Teach for America participants with their diverse academic and occupational backgrounds and life experiences KDV VLJQL¿FDQWO\ ORRVHQHG WKDW JULS6RPHRI WKHPRVW H[FOXVLYHSUL - vate K through 12 schools in this country dramatically reduced the LQÀXHQFH RI XQLYHUVLW\ VFKRROV RI HGXFDWLRQ WHDFKHU FHUWL¿FDWLRQ UH - quirements decades ago. 7KHUHDUHWZHQW\\HDUVRI³KDUGHYLGHQFH´ LQWKLVERRNVXSSRUWLQJ WKHUHIRUPVDQGVXFFHVVHV.RSSKDVLGHQWL¿HG7KH\VXSSRUWKHUFRQ - WHQWLRQWKDW³DOORIRXUFKLOGUHQLQXUEDQDQGUXUDOFRPPXQLWLHV´FDQ WKULYHLIWKH\DUHJLYHQ³WKHRSSRUWXQLW\WRDWWDLQDQH[FHOOHQWHGXFD - WLRQ´WKDWVKRXOGHQVXUH³DIXWXUHZLWKRXWSRYHUW\´7KHPRGHOVDQG pathways described in detail constitute proven strategies for closing WKHHGXFDWLRQDFKLHYHPHQWJDS³3URYLGLQJDJHQHUDWLRQRIFKLOGUHQ´ in impoverished urban and rural communities with transformational HGXFDWLRQSUHPLVHGRQWUDQVIRUPDWLRQDOOHDGHUVKLS³VKRXOGSURYHWR EHD IXQGDPHQWDOSDUWRIWKHVROXWLRQ´ WRHOLPLQDWLQJSRYHUW\ LQWKLV country.
continued on page 94
Baha’is of Takoma Park 1-800-22UNITE www.bahai.org
Small Town America: A Narrative History 1620- The Present By Richard Lingeman 1981: Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston 547 pp (PB) ISBN 0-395-31540-9
PATHWAYS—Fall 21—93
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