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A School of Our Own: The Story of the First Student-Run High School and a New Vision for American Education Kindle Edition

by Samuel Levin (Author), Susan Engel (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 17 ratings
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The remarkable true story of the high school junior who started his own school—and earned acclaim nationwide—“will make you laugh, cry and cheer” (John Merrow, author of The Influence of Teachers).
 
Samuel Levin, a teenager who had already achieved international fame for creating Project Sprout—the first farm-to-school lunch program in the United States—was frustrated with his own education, and saw disaffection among his peers. In response, he lobbied for and created a new school based on a few simple ideas about what kids need from their high school experience.
 
The school succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest expectations and went on to be featured on NPR and in Newsweek and the Washington Post. Since its beginnings in 2010, the Independent Project serves as a national model for inspiring student engagement.
 
In creating his school, Samuel collaborated with Susan Engel, the noted developmental psychologist, educator, and author—and Samuel’s mother. A School of Our Own is their account of their life-changing year in education, a book that combines poignant stories, educational theory, and practical how-to advice for building new, more engaging educational environments for our children.
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  1. Print length
    207 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    The New Press
  5. Publication date
    October 1, 2008
  6. File size
    4290 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Susan Engel's and Sam Levin's A School of Our Own:
"This wonderfully written and inspiring book will make you laugh, cry and cheer. I predict most readers will also give copies to friends and acquaintances who care about children and their schooling, and I'm praying that at least one of them knows the President of the United States."
―John Merrow, education correspondent for PBS NewsHour, president of Learning Matters, and author of The Influence of Teachers and Choosing Excellence

"What a great mother and son story and one with a happy ending. It brings back many memories of mothering and teaching. I wish I could start again and design a school, this time alongside of students, with a Sam to prod us along. This is a must-read for all of us of any age."
―Deborah Meier, author of Will Standards Save Public Education? and founder of the Small Schools movement

"In both form and content, unlike anything that I've ever read. The educational experiences it describes are unique."
―Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education and author of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Reframed

Praise for Susan Engel's The End of the Rainbow:
"Engel…offers an incisive prescription for America's sagging educational system."
―Publishers Weekly

"What, in our hearts, do we wish for our children, and how can schools be designed to help make those wishes come true? These are the most fundamental questions we can ask when thinking about schooling, and in this book Susan Engel combines good sense and empirical research to help us think about them."
―Peter Gray, author of Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life

"A most enjoyable and provocative read, The End of the Rainbow invites readers to consider the purpose of schooling. Through anecdote and the use of scientific research, Engel makes the argument that schools aim for productivity rather than happiness, with the latter falling by the wayside."
―Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, author of How Babies Talk, Einstein Never Used Flash Cards, and A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01EEQ9BZ0
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The New Press (October 1, 2008)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 1, 2008
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4290 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 207 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

About the author

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Samuel Levin

Samuel Levin

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Samuel Levin is the founder of two innovative, student-centered programs at his school in Massachusetts: Project Sprout and The Independent Project. He is a graduate of Oxford University, where he is pursuing a doctorate in zoology. He is a co-author, with Susan Engel, of A School of Our Own (The New Press).

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
17 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Morgan
5.0 out of 5 stars Both an excellent story and effective call to action
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
This book is an excellent look into The Independent Project as instituted at "a Massachusetts high school" that is rich in detail both about the program itself and the research-backed underpinnings of it's development. The book is told in two voices, switching back and forth between the narrations of Levin and Engel. Personally, I was brought to the book after watching Charles Tsai's YouTube video on The Independent Project, then watching the student-produced documentary. Because of this it was almost comical to me that Levin changed the names of the school and individuals in question. It provides slight privacy to the individuals involved, but this privacy disappears the moment either video is viewed. This, and a lack of curated references at the end of the book to make the process of further research into Engel's connections to existing literature are the only complaints, admittedly small ones at that, that I can make.
Another review here shows outrage at the "fraud" that she considers this book to be. I would argue that anyone expecting more than a description of the program as created by Levin and his and Engel's reflections on how the first year of the program is missing the entire point of not only the book but the program itself. As to the longevity of the program, the book itself indicates that it was in opperation (with its share of obstacles, of course) at least at the time of publication. In my own research, I have found that the program is still minimally included in the course catalog at Levin's school to this date. Even if this were not the case, I would still recommend the book to anyone interested in helping students develop ownership of their own education.
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5.0 out of 5 stars An education page-turner
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2018
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One of the best education books I've ever read, and suitable for a wide range of audiences (not just educators) to stimulate the questioning of our current education system. I'm buying more copies to give away.
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Rebecca Evans
5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written, interesting read
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2019
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The opening paragraph is probably my favorite paragraph ever written, and that’s not hyperbole.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2016
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Everyone should read this. Totally enthralling and inspiring
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LB
5.0 out of 5 stars Read & Share
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2016
A must read - for parents, students, educators, administrators and everyone interested in novel ways of transforming education in the US today.
One person found this helpful
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Diane Stranz
2.0 out of 5 stars This book is a fraud: there was no 'Student-Run High School' created
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2018
A very disappointing book which does not live up to its title, since no actual "student-run high school" was ever created. What Samuel Levin and his mother helped launch was a one-semester Independent Project experience that a few students in a traditional public high school can apply for and get permission to experience. During the semester students spend half the day on required academic curriculum, half a day working on their own to complete an Independent Project. Period, that's it: no actual "student-run" high school.

What puzzles me greatly is that this book was published in 2016, but the blog for the Independent Project appears to have fizzled out in 2012 -- two years after creation of the program? -- such that it appears that the program may not even still exist. Why would a reputable book publisher agree to carry forward with a book extolling an educational idea that had already flamed out several years previously? It is irresponsible, and a fraud against readers who care about educational reform and waste their hard-earned money on this book.
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