First published 2005
America confronts a betrayal of its most vulnerable children in this urgent examination of public education. Jonathan Kozol documents his visits to nearly 60 inner-city schools and reveals conditions that have deteriorated dramatically since federal courts began dismantling Brown v. Board of Education. Three devastating trends emerge from his investigation. Schools now operate under nearly absolute apartheid, with segregation of black children reaching levels unseen since 1968. Most students in these institutions no longer interact with white peers. Prison-style discipline systems target black and Hispanic children exclusively, employing behavioral control methods borrowed from correctional facilities. High-stakes testing has replaced meaningful learning with robotic instruction methods that mainstream schools would immediately reject. Kozol amplifies the voices of students, teachers, and respected community leaders while challenging the policies imposed by the Bush administration. He exposes the gap between political promises and educational reality, offering instead a call for America to honor commitments made to all children fifty years ago.
Genres: political-science, social-issues, education, non-fiction, activism, american-history
Vibes: critical, thought-provoking, urgent
Tropes: investigative-journalism, social-commentary
Setting: United States
Period: 21st Century
Audio Cassette · Random House
Content warnings: racism