African American Mothers and Urban Schools
African American Mothers and Urban Schools by Wendy Glasgow Winters. New York: Lexington Books, 1993.
A much-needed examination of parental participation in public schools, African American Mothers and Urban Schools disseminates information that can improve home/school relations and the lives of parent participants. In capturing the drama of parent empowerment, Winters mirrors the powerful connection among parents, meaningful school programs, and sustained parental commitment.
The overarching concept readers are urged to embrace is that African American mothers can play major roles in the education of their children and must be encouraged to share their lives with schools. Urban communities can be rejuvenated and schools reformed, maintains Winters, through parent participation programs that nurture African-American mothers.
In the first chapters, Winters defines participation as rooted in the democratic ideal. In presenting the literature on alienation, she uses a sociological lens, exploring the causes of powerlessness and self-estrangement. Using a research paradigm that preserves both qualitative and quantitative results, Winters supports ownership and inclusion as the foundations of successful programs. The invitation to participate must be authentic, sensitive, and consistent if it is to mediate the alienation phenomenon. Further, activities must be relevant to both the children and their mothers and span both school and community in order to counteract personal and social impediments in the lives of urban mothers.
At the heart of Winters' study is a vision for parent self-formation, empowerment, and personal unfolding. Highly respectful of African American mothers, the book provides a moving account of their self-actualizing journeys.
Available from Lexington Books, 866 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022, for $25.95.
—Reviewed by Marian White-Hood, Kettering Middle School, Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
Thinking About Our Kids
Thinking About Our Kids by Harold Howe II. New York: The Free Press, 1993.
The thesis of this book is that much of the school reform movement has been based on the erroneous assumption that we can fix the school so the school can fix the kids. It is a mistake to ignore the fact that children spend a large part of their lives outside the schools, the author says. The reform of education in our country is a much broader issue than the improvement of schooling.
Although hardly a new pronouncement, the message seems fresh and invigorating. Howe has been in the education arena a long time—as teacher, administrator, U.S. Commissioner of Education, foundation director, and Harvard faculty member. His persuasive, engaging views will stimulate thinking and kindle the enthusiasm of newcomers as well as longtimers on the educational scene.
After an analysis of the current scene and some of the recent literature, including a new twist on the conclusions from standardized test scores, Howe defines a need for change that goes much deeper than what test scores might suggest. He calls for a revision of the factory production model for schooling and the elimination of academic class rank and Carnegie units tied to seat time. The only places that measure success by time spent, Howe quips, are jails and wine cellars. He continues: keeping students from working together is an asinine way to promote learning or to build character; merit pay is a hoary suggestion; more sophisticated ways to teach about race and culture are needed; school choice is not the millennium; and money does make a difference (cutting funds is a short-range expedient for which we will all pay mightily later). More legislation, standards, and tests don't correct learning, adds Howe, practices do. Until we stop trying to cram learning into students without regard to their developmental needs, children fail— and so do schools.
The message seems simple and yet profound, but we know treating students as people is more demanding and complex. For students to learn well, parents need to become partners with teachers and students in a true community, where people know, trust, share, and care. Howe calls himself a soft-heart, but he has been around and knows the realities of people and systems. To find him coming to these conclusions is solace and inspiration for tried-and-true ASCDers and all others who think and care about kids.
Available from The Free Press, 866 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022, for $22.95.
—Reviewed by Benjamin Ebersole, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Campus.
Families and Schools in a Pluralistic Society
Families and Schools in a Pluralistic Society. Edited by Nancy Feyl Chavkin. Albany, New York: SUNY Press, 1993.
“A multicultural society ... presents opportunities for families and schools to educate competent children secure in their varied cultural identities but tolerant of those from different backgrounds” (p. 251) sums up the intent of this book on home/school relations. Focusing on creating linkages with parents of at-risk and culturally different students, Families and Schools in a Pluralistic Society gives a historical context for the topic, reports current research, shares practical and proven strategies, and suggests visionary approaches to school/parent collaborations. Underlying the entire work is the assumption that all parents share a concern for the welfare and educational development of their children. Cultural variations regarding the role of parents in schooling and lack of knowledge of how to assist their children, however, suggest that some parents require more direction from school personnel to carry out their part as educators of their own children. The authors consistently emphasize the responsibility of the school to initiate parental involvement in ways still unfamiliar to most educators and to encourage parents as they join in the educational process.
By far, the most useful section of this book contains practical, successful models of parent involvement programs. School-based personnel will find many ideas to incorporate into their daily and long-term interactions with parents. Using this information, schools can build “an infrastructure of support—from school and community to home” (p. 237).
Available from SUNY Press, State University Plaza, Albany, NY 12246, for $19.95 (paper); $59.50 (hardcover).
—Reviewed by Linda Avila, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos.
Women in Educational Management
Women in Educational Management. Edited by Jenny Ozga. Buckingham, England: Open University Press Bristol, Pennsylvania: Taylor and Francis, 1993.
Women managers in particular value the personal, community aspect of leadership, seeking to engage others actively and “self-consciously” in a team approach to school management. This collection of essays and interviews documents the experiences of women educators in a way that validates not only the experiences but also this specific way of recounting them. This technique contrasts with a traditional, male approach to academic work. Rather than a “how-I-got-to-the-top” set of stories, this book presents what each of these Englishwomen learned about leadership along the way.
All of the women managers—from school head to government official—trace the development of their own styles of inclusive, “person-centered” leadership, styles that reflect different values from those of their male colleagues. One writer also points out that “leadership is a bit like motherhood—you want to encourage independence.”
At least one contributor discounts the notion that “competencies and skills are gender-specific” and stresses that women should not limit themselves to doing what is generally thought they are best at. Another says that removing gender bias from the “philosophy and vocabulary of the whole concept of management” would greatly benefit women managers at the middle and senior levels.
The final two chapters take another approach: one outlines a training and development initiative for women in educational management; the other—the only one written by a man—discusses gender issues in management training.
Do not expect male-bashing, strident feminism. This book is not, according to editor Jenny Ozga, “hitting people over the head with how wicked they are but saying 'Look—I think these are certain things you ought to just think about.'” These managers give us plenty.
Available from Open University Press, Celtic Court, 22 Ballmoor, Buckingham, England, MK18 1XW, c/o Taylor & Francis, Bristol, PA 19007, for $27.
—Reviewed by Judy Walter, ASCD, Alexandria, Virginia.
Kids, Crack, and the Community
Kids, Crack, and the Community by Barbara Barrett Hicks and Gregory A. Wilson. Bloomington, Ind.: National Education Service, 1993.
Yet another social crisis faces our already overburdened educational system: the arrival of crack-exposed children in classrooms around the country. These youngsters are a subset of the approximately 375,000 babies now born annually with drugs (including alcohol) in their blood.
No one knows what long-term effects crack will have on affected children, but Hicks and Wilson help us understand the problem. They discuss the origins of cocaine and crack use, the physical and behavioral characteristics of babies exposed to cocaine, ways to mobilize community resources, and adjustments that must be made for the schooling of crack-exposed children.
The final chapter offers classroom management strategies that will be helpful to any teacher with a crack-exposed student. The authors compare children exposed to crack to children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and advocate the use of many of the same methodologies with both groups. Placement decisions (mainstream versus special education) and ways to collaborate through consultation and direct-service models are also addressed.
Available from the National Education Service, 1610 W. Third St., P.O. Box 8, Bloomington, IN 47402-0008, for $16.95.
—Reviewed by Leslye Abrutyn, Penn-Delco School District, Aston, Pennsylvania.
