No-Excuses Charter Schools

In a “no excuses” charter school, a student might be penalized for rolling her eyes or slouching in class. The idea is to teach kids from poor and minority backgrounds the “middle class” behaviors that will help them succeed in college and life. But Vanderbilt University education researcher Joanne Golann spent a year embedded in one of these schools and found the approach may do more harm than good. She’s written a book about her research called “Scripting the Moves: Culture and Control in a ‘No-Excuses’ Charter School.”