"Most importantly, the author offers a variety of substantive suggestions for moving ahead students" (Coast Views)
Acknowledgments x
About the Author xi
Introduction 1
Part One: In the Classroom
1. You Can Tell If They Care: Why Students Need Caring and Highly Qualified Teachers 13
2. It Would Be Nice to Learn Something About My Culture: A Plea for a Culturally Relevant and More Interesting Education 38
3. It Dont Make No Sense to Give Us All These Tests: Student Effort, Achievement, and Attitudes About Standardized Tests 65
4. They Just Think Were Loud: How Discipline Policies and Practices Can Affect Students Attitudes About School 97
Part Two: On the Schoolyard
5. We Just Cant Seem to Get Along: Race Relations on Campus 131
6. You Dont Know If Theyre Gonna . . . Bust a Columbine on Everybody: Why Schools Wont Ever Be Entirely Safe 154
7. Everybodys Intimidated by Us: A Candid Conversation with African American Males 179
8. This Place Is Nasty: How the Schools Physical Environment Can Contribute to Student Apathy 206
Part Three: Out in the World: Beyond the Classroom and the Schoolyard
9. Yes! They Do Care About My Education: Parent Involvement in Schools 223
10. They Should Worry More About Our Future: Why Americas Stepchildren Need a College Preparatory Curriculum 245
11. The Truth Can Set Us Free! Seven Lessons Ive Learned About School Reform in America 266
Notes 291
Appendix A: Teacher Demographics 309
Appendix B: Student Demographics 310
Appendix C: Additional Information About the Student Questionnaire Respondents 311
Appendix D: Teacher Questionnaire Results 312
Appendix E: Student Questionnaire Results 319
Appendix F: Classroom Management Exercise 1 327
Appendix G: Classroom Management Exercise 2 328
Index 329