A Match on Dry Grass: Community Organizing as a Catalyst for School Reform - Hardcover

Warren, Mark R.; Mapp, Karen L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 019979359X ISBN 13: 9780199793594

Publisher: OUP USA, 2011

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

Mark R. Warren is Associate Professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education and author of Fire in the Heart and Dry Bones Rattling.

Karen L. Mapp is Lecturer in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and author of Beyond the Bake Sale.

The Community Organizing and School Reform Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, led by Mark R. Warren and Karen L. Mapp, consists of Keith Catone, Roy Cervantes, Connie K. Chung, Cynthia Gordon, Soo Hong, Ann Ishimaru, Paul Kuttner, Meredith Mira, Thomas Nikundiwe, Soojin Oh, Kenneth Russell, Amanda Taylor, Mara Tieken, Anita Wadhwa, and Helen Westmoreland.

Edition details

• Publisher: OUP USA
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 019979359X
• ISBN 13: 9780199793594
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 328