Small Schools and Urban Youth

Gilberto Q. Conchas obtained a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Currently, he is an Associate Professor of Education at the University of California at Irvine. Dr. Conchas also holds joint appointments in the Chicano/Latino Studies and Sociology Departments. Prior to UCI, he was Assistant Professor of Education at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Dr. Conchas’ work focuses on inequality with an emphasis on urban schooling systems. His research specifically focuses on the sociocultural processes within the urban school context that structure variations in educational opportunity for low-income immigrant and U.S-born Latino, Asian American, and African American youth. He is the author of The Color of Success: Race and High-Achieving Urban Youth (TC Press, 2006). Dr. Conchas teaches courses on theory, policy, and practice about race and urban schooling.Louie F. Rodríguez obtained a doctorate in education from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor in Urban Education and Social Foundations at Florida International University in Miami. He is also a Research Fellow at the Center for Urban Education and Innovation at FIU. While at Harvard, Dr. Rodríguez worked with several urban elementary, middle and high schools and communities as a teacher, consultant, and researcher. He also led several research initiatives examining high school reform, school culture, educational policy, and school dropout. His current research examines the intersection between school reform, educational policy, and school culture, specifically as they relate to preventing or perpetuating student/teacher engagement and dropout. He has several articles under review in academic journals, has published in various education-related magazines, and has presented his work at several national conferences. Dr. Rodríguez teaches courses in urban education, educational policy and theory, and social and cultural foundations in education. Dr. Rodríguez was born and raised in the Chicano communities of San Bernardino, CA.

• Foreword by Hugh “Bud” MehanPrefacePurpose of the BookComparative Research DesignOrganization of the BookWho This Book Is forAcknowledgmentsAbout the Authors1. Digging Beneath the Layers of School Reform: Size, Culture, and Personalization2. California Career Academies: How Structure and Culture Create Optimism Among Low-Income Urban Youth3. Structuring Competition and Teamwork: Reproducing the Status Quo and Challenging Inequality Side-by-Side4. The Case of Boston: How "Small" Schools Forge Academic and Relational Possibilities in the Urban Context5. Beneath School Structure: How School Culture Shapes Relational and Academic Engagement of Urban High School Students in Boston6. Conclusion: Towards a Critical Understanding of School CultureReferencesIndex

"This book is critical for anyone working to change urban schools to effectively serve all students. Too often we succumb to the notion that substantive change is not possible at the high school level, but this book proves how wrong-headed that concept can be. These authors bring the voices of real teachers and real students to the table to demonstrate how small schools focused on relationship building and ′personalization′ can perform miracles!"