Up Where We Belong

Gail L. Thompson is associate professor ofeducation at Claremont Graduate University and a respected speaker, workshop presenter, and consultant. Her research has focused on beliefs and perceptions about African-American students. She is the author of Through Ebony Eyes: What Teachers Need to Know But Are Afraid to Ask About African American Students from Jossey-Bass, African American Teens Discuss Their Schooling Experiences and What African American Parents Want to Know. She is also co-author of Exposing the Culture of Arrogance in the Academy. She lives in Rialto, California.

• Acknowledgments xAbout the Author xiIntroduction 1Part One: In the Classroom1. “You Can Tell If They Care”: Why Students Need Caring and Highly Qualified Teachers 132. “It Would Be Nice to Learn Something About My Culture”: A Plea for a Culturally Relevant and More Interesting Education 383. “It Don’t Make No Sense to Give Us All These Tests”: Student Effort, Achievement, and Attitudes About Standardized Tests 654. “They Just Think We’re Loud”: How Discipline Policies and Practices Can Affect Students’ Attitudes About School 97Part Two: On the Schoolyard5. “We Just Can’t Seem to Get Along”: Race Relations on Campus 1316. “You Don’t Know If They’re Gonna . . . Bust a Columbine on Everybody”: Why Schools Won’t Ever Be Entirely Safe 1547. “Everybody’s Intimidated by Us”: A Candid Conversation with African American Males 1798. “This Place Is Nasty”: How the School’s Physical Environment Can Contribute to Student Apathy 206Part Three: Out in the World: Beyond the Classroom and the Schoolyard9. “Yes! They Do Care About My Education”: Parent Involvement in Schools 22310. “They Should Worry More About Our Future”: Why America’s Stepchildren Need a College Preparatory Curriculum 24511. The Truth Can Set Us Free! Seven Lessons I’ve Learned About School Reform in America 266Notes 291Appendix A: Teacher Demographics 309Appendix B: Student Demographics 310Appendix C: Additional Information About the Student Questionnaire Respondents 311Appendix D: Teacher Questionnaire Results 312Appendix E: Student Questionnaire Results 319Appendix F: Classroom Management Exercise 1 327Appendix G: Classroom Management Exercise 2 328Index 329

"….a good read with practical points of consideration for those in the K-12 field of education." (Multicultural Review, Fall 2008) "Most importantly, the author offers a variety of substantive suggestions for moving ahead students…" (Coast Views)