A Light Shines in Harlem: New York’s First Charter School and the Movement It Led

Notable more for what is missing than for any new insights into the school-reform movement, this fervent endorsement of one of the earlier charter school management companies swaps substance for glossy generalities. Commissioned by Victory Education Partners to tell its story, journalist Bounds dedicates over half the book to the efforts of Victory founder Steven Klinsky, touching on his Michigan childhood and his success at the private equity firm Forstmann Little, before launching into the founding of Victory Schools, and the openings of the Sisulu-Walker Charter School of Harlem and the Roosevelt Children’s Academy. After concluding an oversimplified abstract of the charter school movement, Bounds achieves a more relaxed style, but her efforts to humanize Klinsky, which rely on pointing out how much money and prestige he sacrificed, distract from the educational focus. Bounds offers up general tips on achieving excellence (creating a culture of learning, and instituting well defined standards of accountability), and recommends lifting charter school caps, decreasing regulatory oversight, and providing rent-free space for charter schools. She works elements of recent political conflicts with other charter school management companies into her analysis, which suggests a more timely motive for this book length publicity packet. (Sept.)