Full Description
The persistent failure of public schools in low-income neighborhoods, where fully half of black and Latino students fail to graduate with their peers, has vexed educators for decades. A Match on Dry Grass argues that community organizing represents a fresh and promising antidote to educational failure. Based on a comprehensive national study, the book presents rich and compelling case studies of prominent efforts in Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Denver, San Jose, and the Mississippi Delta. The authors show how organizing groups work to build the participation and leadership of parents and students so they can hold school systems accountable for real improvements. But organizing groups do not just demand change. They also collaborate with educators and other community residents to contribute to efforts to improve schooling. Out of these six case studies, Warren, Mapp, and their collaborators identify the central processes common to dynamic organizing efforts for school reform, outlining how community organizing builds the kinds of relationships that can transform schools and communities.
Contents
Preface & Acknowledgements ; Introduction: A New Movement for Equity and Justice in Education ; Chapter 1. How Community Organizing Works ; Chapter 2. "A Match on Dry Grass" ; Organizing for Great Schools in San Jose ; Chapter 3. "An Appetite for Change" ; Building Relational Cultures for Educational Reform and Civic Engagement in Los Angeles ; Chapter 4. " ; Political Education and the Continuation of the Struggle in Denver ; Chapter 5. " ; The Transformation of Education in the Mississippi Delta ; Chapter 6. " ; Building Powerful Forms of Parent Participation in Chicago ; Chapter 7. " ; Building Schools and Communities in New York City ; Chapter 8. Building Relationships and Power to Transform Communities ; and Schools ; Conclusion: Lessons for School Reform and Democracy-Building ; Appendix A Collaborative Research Process ; References
