KARIN CHENOWETH

Author and education writer

BOOKS & SELECTED ARTICLES

GETTING IT DONE: LEADING ACADEMIC SUCCESS IN UNEXPECTED SCHOOLS

"Getting It Done makes me more certain than ever that an important way forward for American education is to study what our best school leaders do and to use what we learn to improve professional development for current and future school principals." --Ronald Ferguson, Harvard University

HOW IT'S BEING DONE: URGENT LESSONS FROM UNEXPECTED SCHOOLS

"If ever there were a book on education that should be read, it is this one." --Pedro Noguera, New York University

IT'S BEING DONE: ACADEMIC SUCCESS IN UNEXPECTED SCHOOLS

"It's Being Done will contribute significantly to the national conversation on the education of our children. Perhaps more important, it will give us reason to hope." -- Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, president, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Quick Links

Education Week

"For School Improvement, Demographics Aren't Destiny"

Millman Lecture: Learning from Unexpected Schools

In October 2013, I delivered the Millman Lecture to the conference of CREATE (Consortium on Research on Educational Assessment and Teaching Effectiveness)

Huffington Post

For several years I wrote regularly about schools and education for Huffington Post.

Britannica Blog

For several years I wrote pieces for the Encyclopaedia Britannica Blog, which are archived here.

Homeroom

For five years I wrote Homeroom, a column on schools and education for The Washington Post. A few of those columns are archived here.

Teachers Matter. Check. Schools Matter. Check. Districts Matter. Really?

In October, 2015, Kappan published an article on two high-poverty districts that are near the top of their states in academic achievement.

How Do We Get There from Here?

In February, 2015, Educational Leadership published an article on school improvement.

How High-Poverty Schools are Getting It Done

In 2013 Educational Leadership published an article by Christina Theokas and me based on Getting It Done.

What Does It Mean to Be A Good School Leader?

In 2012, Education Week published a commentary by Christina Theokas and me based on Getting It Done.

Leading for Learning

In 2012 American Educator published an article based on Getting It Done.

Piece by Piece

In fall of 2009 American Educator published a piece based on HOW It's Being Done.

Uncovering Academic Success

In 2007, American Educator published an article based on It's Being Done.

It Can Be Done, It's Being Done, and Here's How

in 2009 Kappan published an article based on HOW It's Being Done.

The Education Trust

From 2004 until 2022 I worked at The Education Trust as writer-in-residence. After I retired I founded Democracy and Education, which can be found at www.assistdemocracy.org.

Authors Guild

Advocates for published authors since 1912

Authors Guild Directory

A compendium of member websites

Welcome

From 2007 to 2021 I wrote four books and co-wrote a fifth, all published by Harvard Education Press, to create a series of books about high-performing and rapidly improving schools and districts that serve large populations of students from low-income families and students of color. These books identified key characteristics of these schools and districts--their practices and their leadership. In addition, I have written a slew of articles and spoken before tens of thousands of people.

In this web site, you will learn about by books and some of my other work.

-- Karin

In my 2021 book I expand my focus from individual schools to school districts that are high performing or improving. From itty bitty rural Lane Oklahoma to huge urban Chicago, I seek out districts that have important lessons to share with the nation.

In a new podcast, I explore the ecosystems in which schools live -- school districts. Using a new analysis from Stanford scholar Sean Reardon, I identify three "outlier" districts and talk with superintendents, teachers, parents, students, and others to try to figure out how these three ordinary districts get extraordinary results. Found wherever you get your podcasts or at www.edtrust.org/extraordinarydistricts.

In a series of deeply reported podcast episodes I share the voices of superintendents, teachers, principals, parents, students, and school board members who explain the work and thought that went into how their school districts became "outliers." This is the podcast that formed the basis for Districts That Succeed, and when COVID hit I went back to those districts--and others--to hear how they were facing the challenge of educating students through a pandemic.

Harvard Edcast

Harvard Edcast conducted an interview with me about Schools that Succeed. Listen for a taste of what the book talks about.

Schools that Succeed

And then buy the book!

Harvard Education Press Group

Click here for more information.