Community Organizing for Stronger Schools: Strategies and Successes. This item is unavailable.Community Organizing for Stronger Schools: Strategies and Successes

In cities across America, community organizations are taking up the cause of public school reform. Their efforts are radically transforming the role of young people, parents, and community members in public education. As the results of their campaigns become more visible, community groups are igniting interest and gaining support among education reform advocates, policy makers, and private foundations. Drawing on a six-year national study, Community Organizing for Stronger Schools offers a richly textured analysis of community organizing for school reform. The authors examine the role of organizing in building social and political capital and improving educational outcomes for students in some of the nation’s most challenged school districts. They delineate the strategic choices and organizational characteristics that foster successful initiatives and consider how community organizing can support increased civic engagement and sustained educational reform. Finally, they discuss the challenges facing this burgeoning field in a new era of American politics.

Kavitha Mediratta is currently an education program officer at the New York Community Trust and formerly principal associate at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Seema Shah is a principal associate at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Sara McAlister is a research associate at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform.