Education Next – Robin J. Lake
“I just finished The Boys in the Boat, a terrific true tale of the University of Washington men’s rowing team’s unlikely victory at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Filled with compelling stories of rowing, life in Depression-era Seattle, the rise of fascism, and the awe-inspiring determination of a group of remarkable young Northwestern men who became hometown heroes, this is a story to teach your kids about grit and character. It’s great summer reading. But what I kept thinking about while reading wasn’t rowing, but the high-performing schools that serve disadvantaged students that I’ve studied over the years. These schools had something like what rowers call “swing.” It’s the moment when a group of talented individuals are suddenly rowing in near-perfect sync, with complete trust in and respect for the other rowers, in “the zone.” In the school world, people often call it “culture” for lack of better word, but it’s so much more.”(more)