Finding True North

Abstract

“Finding True North” tells the story of two remarkable schools in Rochester, New York. World of Inquiry School 58 and Genesee Community Charter School are successful on every traditional measure, with some of the highest test scores in New York State, and a host of awards and honors between them. What’s different about these schools, however, and what makes their story especially important at this time in the history of school reform, is that they demonstrate that children in low‐income urban areas do not need paternalistic approaches, heavily focused on basic skills instruction, and absent experiential methods or integrated arts and music, in order to do well on assessments. World of Inquiry and Genesee, both Expeditionary Learning schools, prove that teachers with good training, strong leadership, and a clear mission can teach their students the basics that they need with pedagogy and curriculum that is engaging, experiential, and interdisciplinary.