Serving Our Children: Charter School And The Reform Of American Public Education [Paperback]

Kevin Chavous (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 20, 2005

Public education is failing America’s children—especially those in poor urban areas. Former Washington, D.C. Council member Kevin Chavous has long been an outspoken advocate for educational reform through the charter school movement. In his book "Serving Our Children," Chavous explores what his city has learned from the charter school experience and what it means to American public education as a whole. Chavous shows how charter schools can serve as models for national public education reform across the country. He describes how greater flexibility and autonomy allow these schools to better serve the needs of students and their families.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...looks into charter schools as a model for educational reform." --Publisher’s Weekly, January 26, 2004

"Chavous...is one of a very few politicians who have ever cared enough about public education to write a book." --Jay Matthews, The Washington Post, April 20, 2004

"Written in a conversational style, the book is equally readable by educators, parents, students, and politicians of every political stripe." --Patricia Lundeen, Childhood Education (the Journal of the Association for Childhood Education International, Winter 2004/ 2005)

About the Author

As a leading national advocate for school choice, Kevin P. Chavous has helped shepherd the charter school movement into the Nation’s Capital. His efforts won him the prestigious MAC award in 2000. Mr. Chavous is a partner in the law firm of Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, LLP. He is also an adjunct Professor of Education Law at American University’s Washington College of Law. He lives with his family in Washington, D.C.

Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: Capital Books (VA) (July 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933102020
• ISBN-13: 978-1933102023
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,534,921 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kevin P. Chavous is a noted attorney, author and national school reform leader. He served on the Council of the District of Columbia from 1993-2005, where as education committee chair, he helped to usher charter schools and parental choice into the District of Columbia. In Mr. Chavous' first book," Serving Our Children: Charter Schools and the Reform of American Public Education"', he chronicles the education reform movement in Washington, D.C. and the emergence of charter schools as a viable alternative for parents.

In his most recent book, "Voices of Determination: Children that Defy the Odds", Mr. Chavous shares the stories of ten young people who overcame incredible challenges in order to get their education. Each story is heart wrenching and inspiring. According to the Washington Post's Jay Mathews, "Voices of Determination" is a "book full of heart by a man who knows everything there is to know about what we need to do to save our schools".

Mr. Chavous was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, graduated from Wabash College and was graduating class president at the Howard University School of Law. Mr. Chavous lives in Washington, D.C.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Arguement for Educational Reform, July 13, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Serving Our Children: Charter Schools and the Reform of American Public Education (Capital Currents) (Hardcover)

Kevin Chavous, a council member in Washington, D.C., thinks that charter schools are the answer to America's failing education system. With his eloquent writing style and genuine passion for the topic, "Serving Our Children" offers a unique analysis of one of America's biggest problems. I wonder what the Presidential canidates would think of this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Chavous Gets An A+ For His Eye-Opening Book On Education, February 4, 2012

By 

bookman - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Serving Our Children: Charter School And The Reform Of American Public Education (Paperback)

Bravo Mr. Chavous! Serving Our Children is a very well written book and definitely got me thinking about our educational system. What I particularly enjoyed was the way the author interwove the human element into his research. I found it very interesting the way he referenced his own background and included interviews with prominent people in the field of education. This aspect of the book allowed me to put a face on the research. Along these same lines, Kevin Chavous earned kudos for admitting to the reader when he felt he had been wrong on certain issues. I found this interesting for two reasons. It allowed the reader to, in a sense, grow along with Kevin on his journey to find what was best for our children, while answering the kinds of objections that the reader him/herself might have. It also demonstrates the high principles with which Mr. Chavous operates--i.e. he is clearly more interested in doing what is best than he is in simply reaffirming his own long held beliefs. All of this makes for an honest and wonderfully interesting book and examination of one of America's most important issues--the education of our children. A+.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Parting Words for Councilman Chavous, February 19, 2006

By 

Alexander Hogan - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Serving Our Children: Charter Schools and the Reform of American Public Education (Capital Currents) (Hardcover)

Two things anyone should take in to account before cracking this book.

1. Charter schools were not the product of a mass demand by the residents of DC. It was essentially forced on the DC by the Republican dominated Congress. DC public schools have major problems, but that is hardly an excuse to force conservative social experiments on an unwilling population.

2. Councilman Chavous was voted out of office soon after thsi book was published. It seems his constituents were not too hot on his advocacy of charter schools.